JPK Huson 1863
Brev. Brig. Gen'l
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2012
- Location
- Central Pennsylvania
Endless fascination with LoC's collections leads to snipping high resolution enlargements from photos. This, from Lincoln's funeral cortege making its way through Washington, DC streets, shows a mourning crowd. Despite what we hear, just, plain people, seemingly with no thought who was what race, paid their respects together. It's very nice.
Flags and black crepe, Lincoln's funeral and nearly simultaneous Grand Review made a bewildering, schizophrenic emotional and physical landscape of our nation's capitol. My great grandmother was a small girl living within sight of the Capitol when this photo was taken. Have frequently wondered what her parents- my grgreatparents remembered.
One firmly stated intention here in Ladies Tea is highlighting our shared experiences. It's an effort, thread by thread at weaving together a community- shot through with commonalities, made strong by recognition, colorful by diversity and strongly proud, contribution by contribution we ladies made throughout some awful moments in Time men called War. Appomattox, Lincoln's murder, funeral and the Grand Review encapsulated a kind of shattering emergence into a brand, new America.
Chose this photo to be fascinated by because so many ladies lined the streets, then looked more closely- our entire country, black and white and who knows, our original Americans could be here, too. That is crazy wonderful on a somber, rainy, sad Spring day.
We did it, too. We're still doing it sometimes here in the forum, remembering what we did and how much closer it brought all of us for a few sparkling seconds, spinning in light before Time splintered again. Sometimes it happens again. A book making the rounds reminded me so strongly of yet another moment and man who held us together, made me dig out these photos from a few years ago.
Black crepe and flags- mourners on rooftops and seeming to cling from buildings. " Reveille in Washington ", Margaret Leech, does a terrific job of narrating these scenes. Hard to read and I think she does miss this step forward we made- but awesome.
Smitten by this one block, one day drawing us together in our nation's capitol, for one purpose.
" A Raging Spirit ", Bobby Kennedy's insistence, like Lincoln's, we're all a lot closer than we know, if we'd all shush, no politics at all intended, made me awfully happy to help point out we were almost there before, too. It was an awful lot of work through an endless, awful war but we were. And are. Honest.
In front of " Stewss's Match Maker and Jewelller's " a small boy wearing a kepi keeps vigil with a man under his tree, with a cane while clusters under umbrellas watch our History pass. We read and hear an awful lot all about how separate races remained, to the point of avoidance. We see DC streets looking as normally urban as 150 years in the future. Just mourners, all of us.
Have tried for years ( no, really ) to ascertain what this memorial on wheels says, looks like a ' float ' in the shape of a Bible, perhaps one of the Masonic societies, judging by sashes on riders behind?
An umbrella and form from a crepe edged window. What a dreary day, wish they understood the good parts.
Rainy, cold and gusty- we do not get that from newspapers. What a dreadful day Washington. But we faced it together. It has paid in so many ways to ' go deep ' in these old LoC treasures. And thank you, LoC.
As far away as Springfield, old, young, farmers, wealthy, no order of class or race stood in line to say goodbye to President Abraham Lincoln. It was a terrible kind of wonderful and all ours. Boy we have an awful lot in common.
Please, before anyone brings ' The South ' up, beyond the same radical reactions available everywhere, there was no rush to get behind the cowards responsible for Lincoln's death. Dishonor was dishonor, in a country newly fragile but together under our Founders wishes.