Inaugural Memories

It was a chilly, blustery morning in Washington, DC on the 4th of March 1861. Luckily the winds died as the morning progressed, and a 40-year-old tailor was about to mount a rented livery-stable horse to participate in a parade. As an Assistant Marshall for the Inaugural Parade, he was designated to wear pink accessories; I honestly don't know how he felt about that, but he was probably very excited in participating in the Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln. Hugh was a dedicated Republican, even though it was a new political party; Abe Lincoln was the first Republican to ever be elected to the Presidency of the United States, and he had campaigned for the tall man from Illinois. This appearance in the parade was probably the most recognition he would receive.

Depending on what position one held in the parade, one's accessories were red, white, blue, yellow, green, purple, pink, etc. Hugh's rented horse was wearing a pink browband to hold it's forelock in place,and a pink saddle blanket. He, himself, wore a pink cockade stuck jauntily into his hat, a pink sash diagonally across his chest, then tied about his waist, and pink leather gauntlets that reached to his elbows. He was also wearing his best blue serge suit - and as a tailor, he knew he cut a fine figure, even if he wasn't the best horseman in the world. He thought about the man who was about to become President, and wished him well. He thought about his family and he sighed.

His father, Aaron, was a luke-warm supporter of Lincoln. His two brothers were very adamant in their regard of States' Rights. One brother, James, had already told him that once the President was sworn in, he would be one of the first people to resign their post; he would return to Loudoun County and hope that the nation and the President would come to their senses. His other brother, William, was already in residence in Loudoun County, and was known as a rabble-rouser for Southern rights. Hugh heaved a larger sigh, and prepared to mount the rangy bay gelding that he had rented....

The Hugh in the above tale was my husband's great-great-grandfather, Hugh G. Divine. The War Between the States caused great ruptures in a great many families. My husbands' family was one of them. Half of the young men fought for the Union Army and the other half fought for Virginia's Rights. A lot of them lost their lives, on both sides. It was a tragic event in the history of our country.

I am happy to report that I am a supporter of Barack Obama; and my son, Kevin Devine, and his wife Etoye, are also supporters of Barack Obama. I am sure that if Jeff were still with us , he too would be an Obama supporter. So here we are, the day before a new Presidential Inauguration, almost 148 years after Abraham Lincoln's first Inauguration - and where do we stand in this, "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all"? We face so many problems: the economy, the Iraq War, health care, insurance coverage, the homeless, the mentally ill,... the list seems endless.

But we have elected a new President with a "Yes we can" slogan. We cannot expect immediate miracles in our economy or with any of our other current problems. But we can all do all that we, individually, can do to help support this new President and his Cabinet in their quest to truly make the United States once again the leader of nations. I AM proud to be an American; and, "Yes We Can" prevail.