On April 21 the funeral train left Washington, D.C., en route to its final destination of Springfield, Illinois. The journey took 13 days and covered 1,700 miles through 7 states. Also on the train was a coffin containing the body of the president’s beloved son, Willie, who had died three years earlier at the age of eleven. The president’s remains were displayed in several cities along the route. On the first day, in Baltimore, 10,000 people viewed his remains on a dismal, overcast day that seemed to suit the occasion.
