Next, lines were to be drawn upon the ground on each side of the
plank, parallel with it, at the distance of the whole length of
the sword and three feet additional. The passing of his own line
by either man was to be deemed a surrender of the fight.
It is easy to see from these conditions that Lincoln refused to
consider the matter seriously, and determined to treat it as
absurdly as it deserved. He and Shields, and their respective
seconds, with the broadswords, hurried away to an island in the
Mississippi River, opposite Alton; but long before the plank was
set up, or swords were drawn, mutual friends took the matter out
of the hands of the seconds, and declared a settlement of the
difficulty.
The affair created much talk and merriment in Springfield, but
Lincoln found in it more than comedy. By means of it he and Miss
Todd were again brought together in friendly interviews, and on
November 4, they were married at the house of Mr. Edwards. Four
children were born of this marriage: Robert Todd Lincoln, August
1, 1843; Edward Baker Lincoln, March 10, 1846; William Wallace
Lincoln, December 21, 1850; and Thomas Lincoln, April 4, 1853.
Edward died while a baby; William, in the White House, February
20, 1862; Thomas in Chicago, July 15, 1871; and the mother, Mary
Lincoln, in Springfield, July 16, 1882. Robert Lincoln was
graduated from Harvard during the Civil War, serving afterward on
the staff of General Grant.
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