Abraham Lincoln

From BR Bullpen

Born February 12, 1809 in Hodgenville, KY USA
Died April 15, 1865 in Washington, DC USA

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States, serving from 1861 to 1865. He oversaw the Union war effort during the American Civil War.

In a 1860 political cartoon, Lincoln and his opponents were shown on a baseball diamond. A book by Al Spalding, recounting legend rather than fact, states that Lincoln was playing baseball when a delegation arrived to tell him he had been given the party nomination to run for president. Lincoln is supposed to have said that the delegation would have to wait until he got another hit. A painting was made of this historic moment and hung in Lincoln's home in Springfield. ^[1]

A local Washington, DC semi-pro team named the Nationals played on the White House grounds during the Civil War and Lincoln was often a spectator.^[1] On September 18, 1861, Lincoln even missed a cabinet meeting to see the Nationals play the Excelsiors.

[edit] Sources

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 James C. Roberts (April 3, 1999). "Feds and Rebs were United in Love of Baseball". The Washington Times. The Washington Times. Retrieved September 18, 2006.