The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

by Erik Larson

Lincoln put on a worn overcoat and carried a hat of a kind he had never worn before, but which by now had become fashionable in America: a “kossuth” hat made of soft felt, with a low crown, named after Hungarian politician Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva, or Louis Kossuth for short, who had been exiled to America in 1851 after Russia invaded Hungary. His ardent support for democracy made him a popular figure in the 1850s; his hat, plumed with an ostrich feather, had become popular too. A variation of it became standard issue for the U.S. Army in 1858, but without the plume. Lincoln also carried a shawl, and walked with his shoulders slumped forward to disguise his height. The plan worked well. Incredibly, no one appeared to recognize Lincoln despite his great height, craggy features, and overall distinctive look. As a precaution the American Telegraph Co. agreed to temporarily sever all telegraph lines from Harrisburg “in all directions,” according to one planner’s account; the company’s superintendent was to dispatch “a professional Climber to do the needful thing in the right place and at the right time. I think we may safely rely that Harrisburg will be isolated completely.”