Cannon fire, 2,000 re-enactors among Lincoln funeral events
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The organizers of a re-enactment marking the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's funeral say it will include cannon fire and an estimated 2,000 civilian and military re-enactors.
The State Journal-Register (http://bit.ly/1BC96qo ) reports plans behind the May events in Springfield were detailed at a Thursday news conference hosted by the 2015 Lincoln Funeral Coalition.
Artillery will be fired from Oak Ridge Cemetery starting at 8:30 a.m. on May 2 and every 10 minutes thereafter until a replica coffin and hearse arrives at the downtown Amtrak station at 9 a.m.
In 1865 when Lincoln's body arrived in Springfield, a cannon salute was fired "signifying that his remains were finally home," said Ted Henry, a coalition member as well as the 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry.
A procession that follows much of the same 1865 route will begin at 10 a.m. May 2. Only those registered will be able to walk in the procession, which will include several descendants of original honorary pallbearers. An opening ceremony will take place at 11 a.m.
Dawn on May 3 will bring a 21-gun salute, and cannon will be fired every half hour until the funeral. That ceremony at Oak Ridge is expected to begin at 3 p.m., and the coalition isn't sure how many spectators will be there. There won't be seating.
"We didn't want to have 300 chairs and then someone wonder why they didn't get a seat and somebody else did," said Katie Spindell, co-chairman of the coalition.
A 36-gun salute will take place after the funeral.
Civil War encampments will be open during daylight hours May 1-3. About 1,000 re-enactors have signed up so far for events, and Henry said another 1,000 are expected.
Many of the events are free. Ticketed events include a May 2 luncheon at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel and a tribute concert by the Illinois Symphony Orchestra that night.
There will also be performances in April of "Our American Cousin," the play Lincoln was watching when he was shot.
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Information from: The State Journal-Register, http://www.sj-r.com