Encounters
''running the gauntlet'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜encounter｜ENC｜20260904163137-24-•
At lunchtime, Lincoln ran a gauntlet formed by would-be callers lining the hallway between his office and the family quarters. Afternoons were spent much like mornings. Late in the day he would usually take a carriage ride, often with the First Lady. Dinner was served at 6 P.M. According to John Hay, Lincoln “was one of the most abstemious of men; the pleasures of the table had few attractions for him.” His lunch consisted of little more than a biscuit and some fruit, washed down with a glass of milk, and for supper he “ate sparingly of one or two courses.” He liked simple food, especially cornpone, cabbage, and chicken fricassee. After the evening meal, he would usually return to his office and continue working. Sometimes at dinner he enjoyed the company of friends, who joined him for coffee and a postprandial chat in the red drawing room. During sessions of Congress, its members took up many of his evening hours. He went to bed between 10 and 11 P.M., but if he was expecting important news, he would stay up as late as 1 or 2 A.M., closeted with the telegraph operators at the War Department. After the death of Willie in February 1862, Tad usually slept with his father.
Source: Abraham Lincoln ∶ A Life ▫𓂃
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