War on the Horizon

When Lincoln called for troops to defend the Union, the men and boys of DeWitt County heeded his urgent request.  Some who volunteered were from families who had known and befriended Lincoln during his days as a prairie lawyer and politician, for Lincoln practiced both occupations here.  Others, like German-born twenty-eight-year-old shoemaker Martin Mohrle, were foreign-born DeWitt County residents who answered the call just the same...

Abraham Lincoln first met George B. McClellan in a small, rustic DeWitt County courtroom.  At the time, Lincoln, a prairie lawyer, was representing the Illinois Central Railroad.  McClellan was an Illinois Central Railroad executive called to testify on the company's behalf.  Waiting for McClellan to arrive, someone in the courtroom asked who he was, to which Lincoln replied that he only knew McClellan to be an Illinois Central Railroad officer.  As political upheaval and war clouds loomed on the horizon, Lincoln and McClellan's paths crossed once more...  

Looking for Lincoln wayside exhibits tell the stories of Lincoln’s life and times in Illinois.  Each wayside exhibit tells a unique Lincoln story and a local story.  Many of the waysides share little known stories about Lincoln and the individuals he interacted with.  There are over 260 Looking for Lincoln waysides in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.    

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