Abraham Lincoln visited Dover New Hampshire on March 2nd, 1860 at the age of 51. Born on February 12th, 1809, Lincoln served as the 16th President of the United States from March 4th, 1861 until his death on April 15th, 1865. He is proclaimed to be the most successful President in the history of the United States. He was an outspoken opponent of the expansion of slavery, and led the defeat of the secessionist Confederate States of America during the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865. In the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, he promoted the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865 to abolish slavery.

President Lincoln’s leadership was remarkable, including his selection of Ulysses S. Grant who was the leading Union general in the American Civil War. He also defused a war scare with the United Kingdom in 1861. His most famous speech, the Gettysburg Address, marked the dedication of the soldiers during the American Civil War four and a half months after the Union defeated the Confederates at the Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. His assassination in 1865 was the first in U.S. history, and today he is remembered as one of the top three U.S. Presidents.

Below is the transcript of the visit:

Abraham Lincoln arrives with Mrs. Mathewson and her daughter.

Mrs. Mathewson’s Daughter – “Is Mr. Lincoln going to be our next President? He sure looks like a President, but he’d look even better with a beard!”

Abraham Lincoln laughs and reaches down to shake Mrs. Mathewson’s Daughter’s hand.

Mrs. Mathewson leads Abraham Lincoln to the raised podium.

Abraham Lincoln – “The dim light from these gas fixtures in this hall remind me of a story: A frontiersman lost his way in an uninhabited region on a dark and tempestuous night. The rain fell in torrents, accompanied by terrible thunder and more terrific lightning. To increase his trouble his horse halted, being exhausted with fatigue and fright. Presently a bolt of lightning struck a neighboring tree, and the crash brought the man to his knees. He was not an expert in prayer, but his appeal was short and to the point: “Oh, good Lord, if it is all the same to you, give us a little more light, and a little less noise.” Could you please turn on all the gas lights so that I can see you and you can see me?”

The lights brighten.

Abraham Lincoln – “Citizens of Dover: If the Republican Party shall ever have the national house entrusted to its keeping, it will be the duty of that party to attend to all the affairs of national housekeeping. It will be compelled to attend to the question of slavery. For whether we will or not, the question of slavery is the question, the all absorbing topic of the day. It is true that all of us, and by that I mean not the Republican Party alone, but the whole American people, wish this question settled, wish it out of the way. Wrong as we believe slavery to be, we should let it alone where it exists, because its extirpation would occasion greater wrongs; but we should not, while our votes will prevent it, allow it to spread into the National Territories, and to overrun us here in the Free States! The proponents of the “popular sovereignty” doctrine so espoused by Mr. Douglas, plainly stated, will destroy the Government, unless we allow its supporters to construe and enforce the Constitution as they please, in all points in dispute between them and us. They will rule or ruin in all events. Neither let us be slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, nor frightened from it by menaces of destruction to the government nor of dungeons to ourselves. Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it. Thank you!”

George Wadleigh, Dover Enquirer – “City Hall was crowded on Friday evening even though the notice that Mr. Lincoln was to speak was brief and had but limited circulation. There were delegates present from all neighboring towns and a large turn-out of citizens from all parties. Lincoln appeared a gallant orator and statesman, his reputation gained in his celebrated contest with Stephen A. Douglas in which he crushed the “Little Giant” in a complete triumph. He proceeded to deliver one of the best and most effective political speeches ever listened to in this State. Mr. Lincoln’s oratory was earnest, honest and sincere. There were frequent bursts of applause. The skill and effect with which he showed up the Sham Democracy with ridicule and sarcasm were like wallops from a sledgehammer, nailing convictions with every blow. Mr. Lincoln spoke nearly two hours and we believe he would have held his audience had he spoken all night. At its conclusion, this most admirable and forceful speech was manifested by three cheers for the speaker and three more for the State of Illinois!”

Joshua L. Foster, Dover Gazette & Strafford Advertiser – “The Hall was, by the most extreme exertion of the Republican flagwavers, only about 2/3 filled with people. It was thought that everybody would at least have the curiosity to see Mr. Lincoln, but defeated men are not the right kind to excite enthusiasm. Mr. Lincoln’s appearance is not so agreeable as others we have seen. He is not an orator and he seems never to know where to place his hands or feet. They are always in his way. Lincoln has not yet outgrown the wounds and scars of his lost battle with Douglas in Illinois a year ago last fall. Not venturing another encounter face-to-face, he sneaks around the Northern states like a roguish boy castigated by his mistress. It was impossible to determine from Mr. Lincoln’s speech whether Negro slavery is right or whether it is wrong. He assumed that it is a great and outrageous wrong but he viewed it solely from a moral point of view. Mr. Douglas was misrepresented and there was not an intelligent man present who did not know his statements to be false. He sneers at “popular sovereignty”, the great fundamental principle which underlies our superstructure of government. He laid himself open to attack and could be circumvented at every point. The Republican party has no principles worth talking about. Ah! Mr. Lincoln, we have seldom seen your equal in adroitness at political jugglery. The truth, half told, is, in most cases, equivalent to a lie. Your arguments were the most errant mass of sophistries which could well be conceived. The great proportion of those who heard him were disappointed and chagrined at the result and wished that he had never opened his mouth in Dover!”