If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.
— A. Lincoln, 1863The Benefits of a Secluded Retreat
The rural nature of the Soldiers' Home was a bit of an inconvenience at times, but the President also took advantage of the relative privacy. Journalist Noah Brooks claimed that Lincoln told him about a private meeting he held with Congressman Fernando Wood at the cottage at 8 a.m. on September 11, 1864. Wood was a leader of the Democratic party that opposed the war and hoped to defeat Lincoln in the upcoming presidential electionr. According to Brooks, the two men discussed some of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering taking place in advance of the election. 1
Lincoln's Daily Life
Lincoln Day by Day, originally organized by the Lincoln Sequicentennial Commission, chronicles President Lincoln's daily activities, to the extent that these could be reconstructed from historic documentation, such as letters and diaries. The work has been continually updated and is now available as a searchable online database: Lincoln Day by Day Online
Included in chronology are a number of references to Lincoln's activities at the Cottage.
6/18/1862 - The President and Vice President [Hamlin] ride horses to Soldiers' Home for the evening meal. After dinner, they retire to the library and behind locked doors Lincoln reads a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation.
6/25/1862 - Senator Browning [from Illinois] and friends visit Lincoln at Soldiers' Home in the evening.
7/4/1862 - Lincoln meets a train of ambulances on the route to the Soldiers' Home. At Soldiers' Home, he reviews recent military action with Meigs and Sibley.
7/5/1862 - Lincoln and Mrs. Lincoln are at the Soldiers' Home. Lincoln too exhausted to keep appointments that evening.
7/24/1862 - At the Soldiers' Home, Lincoln has a conversation with Browning on public affairs.
9/3/1862 - At the Soldiers' Home, Lincoln confers from 9 to 12 p.m. with Secretary Seward.
9/17/1862 - The battle of Antietam was fought. At the Soldiers' Home, Lincoln completes the second draft of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
9/25/1862 - In the evening, John Hay rides to the Soldiers' Home with Lincoln.
10/13/1862 - Lincoln and Vice President Hamlin talk all night at the Soldiers' Home about the military situation and General McClellan.