Abraham Lincoln secretly heads directly to Washington arriving in the early morning hours

Abraham Lincoln decided in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for security reason, to forgo the rest of his itinerary and head directly and in secret to Washington DC.  Late in the previous evening, under cover of night, he took a special train, switched tracks in Baltimore, and arrived in Washington at six in the morning.  He took rooms in Willard's Hotel and for the rest of the day had meetings, with President Buchanan at the White House, Senator Seward, Senator Chase, the Illinois delegation, and the Buchanan Cabinet at around ten in the evening. (By John Osborne)