An English-made pocket watch owned by Abraham Lincoln resides at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. This historic timepiece, not currently on public display, dates back to the 1850s when Lincoln purchased it to mark his burgeoning success. Lisa Kathleen Graddy, a curator of American political history at the Smithsonian, explained the significance of the watch. “I think of it as Lincoln’s statement to himself that he’s made it,” Graddy said, emphasizing its symbolism of Lincoln’s transformation from a day laborer to a successful lawyer and eventually, President of the United States.
On April 13, 1861, the watch was in for repairs with watchmaker Jonathan Dillon. It was then that news of the Confederate Army’s attack on Fort Sumter reached the capital. A story passed through Dillon’s descendants claimed he inscribed a secret message in the watch, a tale later investigated by the Smithsonian. In 2009, with NPR present, the watch was opened. Dillon had indeed made an inscription, noting the event’s date, his own name, and “thank God we have a government.” Surprising additional inscriptions included the name L.E. Gross, another watchmaker, and “Jeff Davis,” likely referring to Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America.
Graddy noted that the “Davis” inscription could be either a joke or an expression of Confederate support. These differing inscriptions reflect the complex nature of American life and democracy. Graddy finds Dillon’s message especially moving. She expressed, “It is one of the most moving statements of faith in America that I have ever seen. And it gets me through bad days.”
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