Dutifully Received: Abraham Lincoln and New Brunswick
Liam Smith
Elmwood Cemetery is often associated with the Civil War due to its founding in 1868, just three years after the end of the war. There are many Civil War veterans buried at Elmwood, the most of any war, in fact, and there are even more cenotaphs of those who lost their lives in the conflict. In recognition of this association, it is only fair that we acknowledge Lincoln’s birthday, tomorrow, February 12, by highlighting the occasions when he came to this area.
The 19th century was not a time when presidential candidates were expected to campaign for themselves, that isn’t to say that they never spoke in favor of their candidacies, but they were expected to stay at their home and have campaign surrogates do the majority of campaigning throughout the country. Only one of the four major candidates in 1860 travelled the country to campaign, and that was Stephen Douglas, the Democratic candidate. Consequently, Mr. Lincoln did not have occasion to visit our area before his election. After his election, however, Abraham Lincoln would embark on a whistle-stop tour of America from his home in Springfield, Illinois to Washington, DC.
The point of this train tour was multifaceted; although Lincoln had received the majority of votes in more than enough states to win the Electoral College, he had only received 40 percent of the popular vote, amongst the smallest margin for a successful presidential candidate. Consequently, the trip was thought of as a chance to introduce the president-elect to the country. It was also supposed to grow support of Lincoln amongst state governments, and to assuage fears the public had about the chance of secession.
While the main stop in New Jersey was Trenton, the train stopped in New Brunswick momentarily to change locomotives. The station was roughly where the train station exists today, although at the time it was not elevated from the ground. Since the station was just across the street from the college, many Rutgers students had gathered at the station. Although Lincoln did not give a speech, he did speak for a moment with the crowd. Riding along with Lincoln were an entourage of advisers and reporters who were covering the trip.
Among these journalists was Stephen R. Fiske, a New York Herald reporter who had been expelled from Rutgers the year before for publishing material mocking some of the professors at the college; he would later return to the college and graduate. When Fiske exited the train he was greeted with great excitement by the crowd, which was filled with many of his former classmates and friends. Lincoln is said to have joked, “Is this your reception, or mine?” While this was a jovial occasion, the country was headed for more than four years of horror, heartbreak, and tragedy; the next time Lincoln passed through New Brunswick, he would be in a casket.
Abraham Lincoln’s whole presidency was defined by the Civil War. His election led to the secession of South Carolina and the beginning of the Confederacy, and he passed away only one week after General Robert E. Lee’s surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant. As perhaps the darkest moment in American history, it is clear that the war took a great emotional toll on President Lincoln, but he weathered the storm. His second term promised a brighter future, with the end of the war in sight. Unfortunately, it was at the moment of his greatest success that he would be struck down by the assassin John Wilkes Booth. Still, in death Lincoln attained the status of martyr for freedom and the union. And, as the first President assassinated, the nation saw fit to remember and honor him in a way no American before had.
It was decided that President Lincoln, returning to his home in Illinois to be buried, would retrace the train ride that brought him to Washington, giving America a chance to say goodbye to the Great Emancipator. This obviously included New Brunswick and the rest of New Jersey, which were on the route as the train travelled between two major ceremonies in Philadelphia and New York. Lincoln’s death had impacted the people of New Brunswick hard.
For example, Rutgers had suspended classes from April 17th, the first weekday after Lincoln’s assassination, until April 19th. On April 24th, Lincoln’s train rolled through the city, much slower than it had come in four years earlier. It stopped for thirty minutes at the station, where a large crowd had formed. Later that day, the senior class of Rutgers would ask for and receive permission to be excused from class the following day; they were headed to New York to see the president lie in repose.
There is no indication that anyone interred at Elmwood knew Lincoln personally, but he sure had an impact on the lives of many of them. It’s not hard to believe that at least one of them was in attendance to see Lincoln come to New Brunswick or see his funeral train. Certainly, his death was a major story in all of the local papers. In fact, reports of his assassination shared the front page of the April 15, 1965 issue of Jersey City’s The American Standard with an article covering the funeral of Col. Hugh Janeway, who is interred at Elmwood. Col. Janeway’s life was certainly impacted by Lincoln. He enlisted at Lincoln’s first call for soldiers and would serve the duration of the war, being slain in battle four days before Gen. Lee’s surrender.
Clearly, Abraham Lincoln touched the life of the people of this area. In his time he was revered and today we still remember him on his birthday. One of Lincoln’s achievements was to begin enlisting African-Americans into the United States Army. Next Monday, on Presidents’ Day, at 11:00 AM, Elmwood Cemetery will be doing a wreath laying honoring these brave soldiers. We invite you all to come and hope to see you there.
Sources:
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