Lincoln's Life as Depicted in the Museum Exhibits (continued)

Scene at the east front of the Capitol with the crowd assembling for the First Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln. The new dome was then only partially completed.
(Reproduced from photograph by Mathew B. Brady, Washington, D. C.)

FIRST INAUGURATION, MARCH 4, 1861. On the morning of February 11, a large crowd gathered at the Great Western Railway Station in Springfield to see Lincoln depart for Washington. Despite a drizzling rain, his neighbors listened attentively to Lincoln's eloquent farewell words. Along the way, he spoke briefly at large cities and made a few remarks at smaller places. Upon receiving a report that an attempt might be made on Lincoln's life in Baltimore, those responsible for his safety hurriedly transported him on to Washington without stopping in Baltimore. Arriving at the Capital at 6 a. m. on February 23, the President-elect went to the Willard Hotel where he remained until after the inauguration.

Shortly before noon on March 4, 1861, the President-elect was driven in President Buchanan's open carriage down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. The inaugural ceremonies were held on the east portico before a crowd of 30,000. Lincoln read his carefully prepared address slowly and with deep feeling. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, 84 years old, then administered the oath of office.