"Oh Captain, My Captain..." the words of Walt Whitman poured forth the searching sorrows of a nation that had not even had an opportunity to begin to come to grips with four years of bitter emotion and wholesale slaughter of Biblical proportion. In this month where we observe the 215th birthday of "The Great Emancipator", the Mess meets up with Scott Mingus author of

"A Carnival of Grief: Lincoln's Funeral Train in Pennsylvania" to look into a logistical wonder that was the first of its kind in our country - the cross country transport of a President for interment on his home soil. The trail of Lincoln's funeral train seemed to be the suture that mended a deep rift across our nation's heartland. Scott shares a brief glimpse into the rapid planning, the fastidious execution, and the momentous stops along the way as Honest Abe's cortege wound its way home.

Later in the episode, Norris and Scott belay some of the heaviness with stories of their early gaming days, learning from the creator of the Johnny Reb gaming series, their mutual friend John Hill.

Lots of territory is covered in this night around the battery wagon, in more ways than one. We hope you enjoy our fellowship with Scott Mingus.

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