Washington Square

This afternoon, we visited Washington Square in the nearby town of Ottawa.

On August 21, 1858, the first of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and United States Senator Stephen A. Douglas took place in this park.

site of the first Lincoln and Douglas debate

Approximately 10,000 people gathered to hear the two candidates discuss the question of slavery in America.  Lincoln lost the election for a seat in the United States Senate.

Two years later, however, Lincoln and Douglas were rivals again in the presidential race.  Lincoln won a majority in the electoral college with a minority of the popular vote and became our 16th President.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate Memorial Plaza

close-up of the statues

LaSalle County
Civil War Soldiers Monument

a tired boy

Shiloh

On Saturday while we were in Tennessee, a group of us visited the Shiloh National Military Park.

We watched a 30-minute film to learn more about the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862.

The two-day battle at Shiloh produced more than 23,000 casualties and was the bloodiest battle in American history at its time.

Afterward, T tried on a Confederate uniform.

Confederate soldier

Then, he tried on the Union uniform.

Union soldier

Everyone had a good time.

We looked for a letterbox, too...

but it was missing.

Drat!