The conflicting emotions of Abraham Lincoln are readily apparent in this impromptu but moving address, which he delivered from the rear platform of the passenger car that waited at the Springfield train station to take him to Washington. The trip had hardly begun before several members of the presidential party encouraged Lincoln to record his remarks for posterity, and he, obliging, scribbled a few lines. The movement of the train and the strain caused by hundreds of handshakes by well-wishers had a marked effect on Lincoln’s penmanship. He turned in frustration to his trusted secretary, John Nicolay, to complete the speech.