For nearly 150 years, a story has circulated about a hidden Civil War message engraved inside Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch. On Tuesday, museum curators confirmed it was true. A watchmaker used tiny tools to carefully pry open the antique watch at the National Museum of American History, and a descendant of the engraver read aloud the message from a metal plate underneath the watch face.

"April 13 - 1861," the first line reads, "Fort Sumpter (sic) was attacked by the rebels on the above date. J Dillon." The second part repeats same date, states the location as Washington and says, "Thank God we have a government."

Jonathan Dillon, then a watchmaker on Pennsylvania Avenue, had Lincoln's watch in his hands when he heard the first shots of the Civil War had been fired in South Carolina. The Irish immigrant later recalled being the only Union sympathizer working at the shop in a divided Washington.

Dillon's story was passed down among his family and friends, eventually reaching a New York Times reporter. In a 1906 article in the paper, an 84-year-old Dillon said no one, including Lincoln, ever saw the inscription as far as he knew.

Dillon had a fuzzy recollection of what he had engraved. He told the newspaper he had written: "The first gun is fired. Slavery is dead. Thank God we have a president who at least will try."

For years the story went unconfirmed.

The watchmaker's great-great grandson, Doug Stiles, first heard the tale of the engraving from his great uncle decades ago. He said the story had reached extended family as far away as Ireland.

A few months ago, he used Google to find the New York Times story, and last month he passed the information along to Smithsonian curators, who knew nothing about the engraving.

On Tuesday, watchmaker George Thomas, who volunteers at the museum, spent several minutes carefully opening the watch as an audience of reporters and museum workers watched on a video monitor.

"The moment of truth has come. Is there or is there not an inscription?" Thomas said, teasing the audience, which gasped when he confirmed it was there. He called Stiles up to read his ancestor's words, drawing smiles and a few sighs of relief.

"Like Pearl Harbor or 9/11, this was the reaction he had (to the Civil War,)" Stiles said of the inscription.

Later, Stiles said he felt closer to the 16th president.

"My gosh, that was Lincoln's watch," he said, "and my ancestor put graffiti on it!"

Lincoln's family kept the watch until it was donated to the museum in 1958. It was Lincoln's everyday pocket watch, one of the president's only valuable possessions he brought with him to the White House from Springfield, Ill., said Harry Rubenstein, curator of the museum's politics and reform division.

"I think it just captures a bit of history that can transform you to another time and place," he said. "It captures the excitement, the hope of a watchmaker in Washington."

The watch will go back on display at the museum by Wednesday as part of the exhibit, "Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life." It will have a new label to tell Dillon's story and a photo of the inscription.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/...m?key=29&newskey=973

Amazing! Can you imagine having the honor of the watchmaker that got to open that up after 150 years.

Tom

Oh, wow! I love it when hidden history is brought to light! What an honor for the watchmaker to be the one chosen to open the watch up!

I didn't see mention of it, but someone else seems to have added to the inscriptions. I see a L.E. Gxxxxxxx Sept 1864 and Jeff Davis etched on the bridge. It would be interesting to see if the story can be told about that as well.

Thanks, Roger, for posting this. Incredible!

This is a fascinating, wonderful discovery and carries much impact today as it must have on April 13, 1861 to those living the moment of history then and those of us today who revere anything about President Lincoln. If I'm not mistaken, using a magnifier, it appears there is also the name of "Jeff. Davis" engraved on the mainspring bridge, and another man's name (L.E.Grah? and perhaps the word White) with the date of Sept. 1864 near the center. Lincoln may have returned the watch to the same shop in 1864 and the Jeff Davis name added by the watchmaker who worked on it at that later time. There's a lot of mystery in this.

Wasn't Lincolns watch a Waltham? Specifically an 11 jewel Wm. Ellery? That watch pictured is an English fusee with a "hack" feature....
Just wondering.....

I was just coming in to post this!

Isn't it exciting? WOW!!!!

BUT...........

It did make me wonder why they had not seen it before now.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


This is the Press release from the National Museum of American History.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/...m?key=29&newskey=973

The only thing I can guess Sheila, is for 150+ years the watch was never serviced. I had wondered about the same thing but perhaps it was just treasured for who it belonged to & not what it was. The photos taken yesterday make it look very clean, so I wonder if they serviced it yesterday before they took the photos?

Tom

quote:

didn't see mention of it, but someone else seems to have added to the inscriptions. I see a L.E. Gxxxxxxx Sept 1864 and Jeff Davis etched on the bridge. It would be interesting to see if the story can be told about that as well

One wonders if that may have been another watchmaker with Southern sympathies who saw the first message when the watch came in for service in 1864, and decided to include Jefferson Davis' name with his own, as an 'inside joke' that the U.S. President would be carrying the name of the CSA's president in his pocket on a daily basis.

Regard! Mark

This watch is documented as having been a solid gold watch bought in the 1850's by a Mr. Chatterton in Springfield and brought to Washington by Lincoln.

In a previous post - Lincoln Wm. Ellery Watch - there is an article in "The Bulletin" by Gary Arnal concerning his research into the Wm. Ellery watch. He found reference to the Waltham watch being given by Lincoln to his cousin, Dennis Hanks, in November 1864. His research also shows that the Wm. Ellery most likely had not been in Lincoln's possession long before he gave it to his cousin.

I think it is probable that the inscribed watch in the Smithsonian just opened is the solid gold watch Lincoln brought with him to Washington.

Mark - your supposition about the second set of marks makes sense as the article states Mr. Dillon was the only Union sympathizer in the watch shop. A subsequent repair in Sept 1864 could have been done by a southern sympathizer.

Today's full story in the New York Times has much more information.

Here's the NYT story: "Timeless Lincoln Memento Is Revealed"

The watch is English, the case is solid gold made in America. It was not cleaned. After the ceremony, the watch was wound up, but wouldn't run. so it was reassembled in its original condition.

The NYT story can't clear up the mystery of Jeff Davis engraving:

"The back of the watch movement also bears two other inscriptions: “LE Grofs Sept 1864 Wash DC,” probably engraved by another repairer, and what appears to be “Jeff Davis.” Whether the latter was intended as a retort by another watchmaker to Dillon’s pro-Union sentiments is unknown. (Jefferson Davis was the president of the rebel Confederacy.)"

President Abraham Lincoln's Gold Watch:

quote:

Whether the latter was intended as a retort by another watchmaker to Dillon’s pro-Union sentiments is unknown. (Jefferson Davis was the president of the rebel Confederacy.)"

Looks like I'm not the ONLY one who had that theory.

Regards! Mark

I was intrigued by the article in our T/P newspaper this morning as well. I hadn't heard of a hidden message until now but I kept thinking we all knew Abe wore a William Ellery Waltham or we thought that, so this article really threw me. Mr. Lincoln may have had several pocketwatches in his possession at one time or the other tho.

Sure looks like some fancy watch Mr. Lincoln wore.
The case etching is very pretty. Would love to see the front and reverse of case. I'm surprised Mr. Lincoln wore such a fancy watch.

One thing I especially like are the Fleur de Lis Hands on the watch. Good Taste!

Aparently Mr. Lincoln was a watch collector, too.