For nearly 150 years, a story has circulated about a hidden Civil War message engraved inside one of Abraham Lincoln's pocket watches.
On Tuesday at the National Museum of American History, a watchmaker opened the case and found watchmaker Jonathan Dillon's thoughts scratched neatly inside:
The first line says: "April 13 - 1861. Fort (sic) Sumpter was attacked by the rebels on the above date. J. Dillon." A second line reads, in part: "Thank God we have a government."
The story circulated around Dillon's family and friends, eventually reaching a New York Times reporter. In a 1906 article in the paper, Dillon said he was moved to engrave a message after the first shots of the Civil War were fired in South Carolina.
One hundred and fifty years later, his reaction again saw the light of day.
