In late 1864 or early 1865, history spun a bizarre, almost unbelievable web of fate on a crowded train platform in Jersey City, New Jersey. Robert Todd Lincoln, the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln, was traveling during a college break when he found himself pressed against the side of a train car by a rushing crowd. As the train began to move, young Lincoln lost his footing and slipped into the open, dangerous gap between the moving train and the station platform.
Facing severe injury or death, he was suddenly yanked upward by his coat collar by a swift bystander who pulled him back onto solid ground. When Robert turned to thank his savior, he immediately recognized the face: it was Edwin Booth, the most famous Shakespearean actor of the 19th century. Booth, a staunch Union supporter, had no idea whose life he had just preserved.
Just a few short months later, on April 14, 1865, Edwin's infamous younger brother, John Wilkes Booth, fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D. C. Devastated by his brother's horrifying treason, Edwin retired from the stage in shame.
However, he later received a letter from Colonel Adam Badeau, a friend serving on General Grant's staff alongside Robert Lincoln, officially thanking him for saving the President's son. Knowing that he had saved Robert Todd Lincoln's life provided Edwin Booth with immense comfort during his family's darkest hour, serving as a strange counterweight to his family name's dark legacy.