President Cruises the Potomac

March 28, 1862

As he often did, President Lincoln drove to the Navy Yard in southeast Washington where Navy officer John Dahlgren was the commandant.  To the annoyance of Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, Dahlgren had become a friend and confidant of the president.  Lincoln enjoyed watching the testing of naval weapons – which occasionally put Lincoln’s life in danger.  Today, they went out on the Potomac for a short cruise.

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