Lincoln's Farewell
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
[Farewell Address]
Springfield, IL
Manuscript, February 11, 1861
Manuscript Division
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Deeply moved by the well-wishing of Springfield friends and neighbors
of 25 years, president-elect Abraham Lincoln delivered this short,
impromptu speech from the steps of his private railroad car as he
began his trip to Washington. Its sad reminiscences and confident
benediction so impressed the members of his entourage that he was
asked to put his remarks in writing. The effects of a moving train
and a hand bruised by countless handshakes, apparent here in the
first few lines, forced Lincoln to ask his personal secretary, John
Nicolay, to finish.
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