Towel fragment with Lincoln's blood

Full Title

Fragment of towel stained with blood of Abraham Lincoln

Description

This piece of fabric is from a woven white linen towel and has a faded brown stain, the blood of Abraham Lincoln. This small artifact was sent as an enclosure in a letter dated 5 May 1865 from Augustus Clark, a War Department employee, to Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew. Clark was one of the men who moved Lincoln, after he was shot, from Ford's Theatre to Petersen's boarding house.

Source

Massachusetts Historical Society, Artifact #475

Rights

Use of this item for research, teaching, and private study is permitted with proper citation and attribution, as: From the Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Reproduction of this item for publication, broadcast, or commercial use requires written permission. For permission, please see this web page.

Tags

• body

• assassination night

• soldier: Union

Cite this Item

Augustus Clark. "Fragment of towel stained with blood of Abraham Lincoln". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/289

Item Type

Physical Object

Creator

Augustus Clark

Date

1865

Dimensions

7.5 cm x 8 cm