![]() ![]() Lincoln asked Julia to go quick and tell the boys not to dig among the roses because it would kill them. "I suppose the boys are burying Jack again." "It is probably the 'dead march,'" Julia answered. Lincoln’s room one day when a strange and dreadful sound came through the window from the White House grounds without. Julia Taft, who tells the story, was in Mrs. The dishonored soldier would then be buried inappropriately with full military honors and the place chosen for burial was among Major Watt's newly planted rosebushes. The execution, however, would take place immediately, Tad with his cannon playing the part of the firing squad. But Jack seems to have had a most unregenerate character: the boys frequently had to hold court-martial over him, finding him guilty of such things as sleeping at his post or desertion, and sentencing him to be shot at sunrise. It was dressed in the favorite Zouave uniform and must have been a very appealing toy. The Sanitary Commission in New York sent Tad a handsome soldier doll which he named Jack. Their older sister, Julia Taft, was sometimes tasked with the impossible job of watching over them. ![]() This little story from a wonderful book by Ruth Painter Randall ( Lincoln's Sons ) will give you a good idea of the playtime activities Willie and Tad shared with their neighbor boys, Holly and Bud Taft. When they moved into the White House, Tad was just about to turn eight, and Willie was ten. Willie was Tad's accomplice in a great many pranks and, in general, was a very close playmate. Tad was close to his brother Willie, who was two years older. At that, Lincoln lifted Tad up into his arms and said, "Come, Tad Buell is abusing you." ![]() Tad, in his typical honesty, held up his black fingers to show that he had, in fact, been up to some fun. Buell was outraged and told the President that Tad had ruined the table. Madison Buell, the telegraph operator, grabbed Tad by the collar and dragged him into the room where Lincoln was reading. While Lincoln was looking over some dispatches, Tad went into the other room and busied himself by drawing on a very white marble tabletop with some very black ink. And, clearly, he did not appreciate anyone reprimanding his children.Ī story is told of a time that Tad accompanied Lincoln to the telegraph office in Washington. He seemed oblivious to what we would say was chaos-letting the boys take their ponies and goats inside the White House, for example. Lincoln was usually amused by their shenanigans and frequently egged them on. Herndon called the Lincoln boys "the little devils." We know that Abraham Lincoln's law partner, William Herndon, frequently complained about the havoc the Lincoln boys would wreak when they visited the law office. In an age where children were to be seen and not heard, Lincoln’s parental philosophy was "kids will be kids." ![]() Tad didn’t live under many rules at all, at least up until the time he left the White House. This seemed to endear him to his parents all the more. Tad had a speech impediment, and likely had a learning disability. When Taddie got older, Lincoln took to calling him Tad, but Mary Lincoln called him Taddie for his entire life. It was Abraham Lincoln who gave him the nickname "Taddie," because as a baby, the boy had a rather large head and that reminded Lincoln of a tadpole. He was named Thomas Lincoln after his paternal grandfather, with no middle name or initial. Tad Lincoln was born in Springfield, Illinois, on April 4, 1853. Abraham Lincoln's Fourth and Youngest Son ![]()
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