Abraham Lincoln's Funeral Train

Before there was Air Force One, there was "The United States", a luxury railcar built in the waning days of the Civil War. But its first and only official use came after the death of the president for whom it was built: Abraham Lincoln actually never even set eyes on the train. Instead, it became best known as the vehicle that took Lincoln’s coffin from Washington to Springfield, Illinois.

The U.S. Military Railroad, a sort of predecessor of the U.S. Army Transportation Corps, began constructing The "United States" in 1863, sensing the coming end of the war. The department predicted, correctly, that the president would need a vehicle (railcar) to travel around the country after his presidency returned to some semblance of normalcy. “Lincoln was aware of the construction but really shelled the idea anytime it came up,” says Shannon Brown, media director for the modern-day Lincoln Funeral Train. “He felt that there was no reason to be spending money on something like that.” Lincoln kept putting off seeing the train, even after it was finished, in 1865.

Eventually, Lincoln was worn down enough to make an appointment to see the train—on April 15th, 1865. “He never used it while he was alive,” says Brown.

After his death, Lincoln’s body went on a grand tour. The "United States" car was used officially for the first and only time to transport Lincoln’s coffin through over 150 communities between the capital and Lincoln’s hometown, present at 12 separate funerals in major cities on the way. Reporters boarded for individual legs between stops, waxing poetic for the magazines and newspapers of the time about the luxurious, presidential train Lincoln would never see.

The funeral train departed Washington, D.C., on April 21, 1865, and arrived in Springfield, Illinois, on May 3, 1865, covering approximately 1,654 miles over 12 days. 

The route was chosen for several key reasons:

Symbolic Retracing: It mirrored Lincoln’s 1861 inaugural route, symbolizing a full-circle journey from hopeful leader to national martyr.

Public Mourning: Secretary of War Edwin Stanton insisted on a longer route to allow millions of Americans to pay their respects. Over 7 million people witnessed the train, and 1.5 million viewed Lincoln’s body.

Political Unity: The route passed through major Union cities to reinforce national unity after the Civil War. Stops in Confederate-sympathetic cities like Cincinnati were avoided.

Mary Todd Lincoln’s Wishes: She requested that their son Willie, who had died in 1862, be reinterred alongside Lincoln in Springfield. She also insisted on the burial at Oak Ridge Cemetery, not downtown Springfield, threatening to move the burial to Chicago if her wishes weren’t honored.

 A Nation in Mourning

The train, dubbed “The Lincoln Special,” never exceeded 20 mph. It was draped in black bunting and accompanied by a military honor guard. At each stop, Lincoln’s coffin was removed for public viewing, often accompanied by elaborate processions, hymns, and floral tributes. Even in rural areas, people lit bonfires and knelt trackside in silent tribute.

It is not widely know that Lincoln's third son, "Willie", died on February 20, 1862, at the age of 11, while Abraham was President of the US. Willie's death was likely caused by typhoid fever, contracted from contaminated water in the White House. Willie was buried (temporarily) in Washington D.C.  

Upon Lincoln's death, Willie was reinterned and travelled with his father to Springfield, IL on the Lincoln Funeral train.  They were buried together at Oak Ridge cemetery.

Mary Todd Lincoln did not travel on Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train. She did not attend Abraham Lincoln's burial. After witnessing his assassination and being forcibly removed from his bedside by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, Mary was overwhelmed with grief and mental anguish. Her emotional state was so fragile that she remained secluded and did not participate in the funeral procession or burial ceremonies.

Instead, she stayed in mourning at the White House and later moved to Chicago with her son Tad. Her absence from the burial was widely noted and criticized at the time, but today it's often understood as a reflection of her profound trauma and deteriorating mental health.