THE FIRST GUN IS FIRED. SLAVERY IS DEAD. THANK GOD WE HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO AT LEAST WILL TRY

 

This is the stuff that makes history classes exciting. Imagine finding Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch and confirming an historical legend; an inscription carved inside the watch. One observation is the name "Jeff Davis" carved, perhaps the abbreviation for Jefferson Davis, the Confederate President. An interesting twist.  Apparently is was common for watch repairers to write things while they had the timepieces opened.

Jonathan Dillon was working for M.W. Galt and Co. in 1861 when the owner of the shop announced that the first shot of the Civil War had been fired at Fort Sumter. As the clipping from the New York Times article published April 30, 1906 reports, Dillon's descendents reported the story. Lincoln apparently never knew of the message inside his watch. You can read the New York Times article from 1906 HERE  and read the National Museum of American History article on the watch and the history surrounding it HERE.

MisterWriter