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The Lincoln Memorial Shrine

A Lincoln Museum in Redlands, CA

Two hundred years after his birth, the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln continues to fascinate and inspire. Born into poverty on the edge of an untamed frontier, his rise from obscurity to greatness has become a symbol of the universal hope that we can all improve our circumstances in life.
(Library of Congress)

With the collapse of the Confederacy in April 1865, the Lincoln administration was able to turn their full attention to helping Mexican President Benito Juarez fight the French. The assassination of Abraham Lincoln complicated matters as new President Andrew Johnson was unskilled in foreign affairs and deferred to Secretary of State William Seward, who did not want to risk war with France.

(Lincoln Memorial Shrine)

Union Army commander Ulysses Grant, however, was more sympathetic to Juarez’s cause. Although a hero of the Mexican war, he would later describe it as was “one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation”. On his own authority, Grant ordered 50,000 battle hardened troops to the Texas border under the command of triumphant cavalryman Phil Sheridan. In this May 23, 1865 manuscript from the Shrine’s collections, Grant directs General George Thomas in Nashville to send 5000 cavalrymen to the Mississippi River for transport to Sheridan. Perhaps more importantly, Grant and Sheridan arranged for 30,000 repeating rifles to be “lost” directly on the Mexican border, where they fell into the hands of Juarez’s men.

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Mission Statement

As a museum and memorial, the Lincoln Memorial Shrine seeks to deepen the understanding of President Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War and its impacts on generations of Americans through education, interaction, exhibition, and research.

Donate to the LMS

If you would like to give a donation to the Lincoln Memorial Shrine, please contact Nathan Gonzales, Curator at (909)798-7632 or heritage@akspl.org.

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Contact Us

Research Center - (909) 798-7632

Museum - (909) 798-7636

125 West Vine Street Redlands, CA

 

Group Tours

Tours are temporarily unavailable.

Hours of Operation

Monday Closed
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday Closed
Thursday Closed
Friday Closed
Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed

Copyright © 2021 · Lincoln Memorial Shrine, All Rights Reserved

The Lincoln Memorial Shrine is a unit of the Special Collections Division of A.K. Smiley Public Library. The Watchorn Lincoln Memorial Association, a 501 (c)3 tax deductible organization oversees the WLMA endowment.