Despite the
inclement weather, we decided to head into DC to visit the Ford Theatre where
Linclon was shot. However en route we dropped Gizmo off at the vet, for some
Xrays to see if we could find out the reason why the mobility in his rear legs
was decreasing.
Arrived at Ford's
Theatre to find a crowd queue had formed and we managed to get on the end of
that. There is a rudimentary museum under the Theatre and we were directed to this location first. Some pics of that area -
A set of statues of period VIPs
Photo of U.S. Grant (the only successful Union general)
and George B. McClellan (a Union general who couldn't imagine himself being unsuccessful)
Upstairs in the actual theatre, we were told the story of the assassination by a National Park Service ranger who gave me the impression of being very biased to the northern side of the affair. He disputed that the South had its own government because they were Americans and there was already a government in Washingtton. He also stated that if the negroes had not been allowed to join the Union Army, the North would have lost the war. While the fact that 200,000 negroes were enlisted is not in dispute and 30,000 of those lost their lives, I think he was indulging a a little hyperbole. By and large, his presentation techniques would have disgraced the most junior NCO instructor - he was certainly not the best NPS ranger I've listened to and I've heard a few in my visits to a variety of National Parks.
This is the private box where Lincoln was sitting enjoying the show with his wife Mary Todd Lincoln and some others, when John Wilkes Booth entered and fird the fatal shot.
Anyway when he'd finished and directed us to the exit, we went across the road to the Peterson House, where Lincoln was carried after the fatal shot. He lasted through the night and died at around 7.20am the next day. We'd been to the Peterson House before and they had refurbished it in the meantime, but we both thought the NPS had wasted their (taxpayers) money.
After that we returned to Alexandria, married up with Leanne and picked up Gizmo from the vets only to be told that there was very little of interest to be seen on the Xrays, ie there was no obvious link on the Xrays, to the mobility problems the dog is having. The vet referred us to a neurological clinic ! Thanks for that - oh, you want $640 for telling us nothing ?
