I have been reading Doris Goodwin's Team of Rivals and I believe it is note worthy to remind Americans what Lincoln did not finish during his journey as president elect. That was his railroad trip from Springfield to Washington, D.C. Obama plans on taking a train from Philidelphia through Baltimore into Washington, D.C.
Lincoln in January 1861 was crossing the northern states by train from Illinois through Pennsylvania to Washington. But as Goodwin describes a very different time. When Lincoln arrived in Philadelphia he learned:
"Lincoln first received word of the plot [southern plot to assassinate the president elect] through detective Allan Pinkerton, responsible for for guarding him on the trip, who advised him to leave Philadelphia at once and pass through Baltimore on a night train ahead of schedule to confound the conspirators. "This," accoding to Ward Lamon, who accompanied Lincoln on the trip."
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Lincoln ended up refusing to take the advice at first. He still wanted to continue on to Harrisburg, but that night Fred Seward (The sectary of state designate at the time) arrived to tell Lincoln that same advice. So he choose as Goodwin recounts:
"The next morning, Lincoln agreed to leave Philadelphia for Washington on the right train as soon as his engagement in Harrisburg was completed. Pinkerton insisted, against Mary's judgment, that she and the boys should remain behind and travel to Washington in the afternoon as scheduled. Wearing a felt hat in place of his familiar stovepipe, Lincoln secretly boarded a special car on the night train, accompanied by Ward Lamon and Detective Pinkerton. All other trains were to be "side-tracked" until Lincoln's had passed. All the telegraph wires were to be cut between Harrisburg and Washington until it was clear that Lincoln had arrived in the capital. At 3:30 a.m., the train passed through Baltimore without mishap and proceeded straight to Washington. "At six o'clock," a relieved Lamon recalled, "the dome of the Capitol came in sight."
I really believe this brings some insights into why Obama choose this particular path for his train trip. He is finishing what Lincoln started. I really have enjoyed reading Team of Rivals and I really can tell Obama did too.