White House East Room, February 5, 1862 Ball (Source: Library of Congress).
Abraham and Mary Host a Party, February 5, 1862
The President, in a new swallowtail
coat, and Mary, wearing a white silk dress
inscribed with hundreds of black flowers, hailed
their invited guests: diplomats, judges,
Senators, Cabinet members — ushered
along by attendants in mulberry
-colored outfits, which matched the crockery
(Solferino). In the background was heard
the United States Marine Band: its new
piece, “The Mary Lincoln Polka.” Midnight
came, and the doors to the dining room flew
open, revealing a weird, dreamlike sight:
piles of duck, ham, turkey — in the center,
a model of Fort Sumter made of sugar.
Sparrow lives in a doublewide trailer in Phoenicia, New York with his wife Violet Snow and a few quiet mice. His most recent palindrome is Snack computer ebb beret up mock cans.
(Editor’s note for more on February 5, 1862 please see: http://thecivilwarproject.com/2012/02/05/150-years-ago-wednesday-february-5-1862/
TheOriginalVanGoghsEarAnthology 