Lincoln tormented by nightmares of defeat, 1864

Abraham's dream! "Coming events cast their shadows before"' President tormented by nightmares of defeat in the election of 1864. The print probably appeared late in the campaign. Lincoln was said to have believed in the prophetic importance of dreams. The President lies on a bed under a sheet embroidered with stars. In his dream Columbia or Liberty, wielding the severed head of a black man, stands at the door of the White House. She sends a frightened Lincoln away with a kick. Lincoln, wearing a Scotsman's plaid cap and a cape and carrying a valise, flees to the left, saying, "This don't remind me of any joke!!" The cap and cloak allude to an incident in 1861 before Lincoln's first inauguration.