Bell, John Presidential Campaign Badge Information, 1860
Entry/Object ID
AM9999.479.11620
Scope and Content
Bell, John Presidential Campaign Badge Information, 1860. Handwritten information that accompanied a John Bell for President Campaign Medal donated to the St. Joseph Museum.
Relic of 1860 Presidential Campaign. Margaret Railey age 92 from Clarksdale, Missouri wrote about the 1860 Presidential Election Campaign. St. Joseph, Missouri where Samuel Railey got this badge of John Bell, the Unionist candidate for President and Edward Everett was the candidate for Vice President. Margaret was six years old and all she remembered was the lights and crowds of people.
She also recalls the first verse and chorus of the campaign song. The chorus was
"Oh Susanna don't you cry, said he
For we've all fell by old John Bell
Who hails from Tennessee
Breckenridge was a Democratic opponent of Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 campaign and John Bell was the union opponent and Stephen Douglas was another Democratic opponent. Abraham Lincoln won 212 Electoral votes, Breckenridge 72, John Bell 39 and Stephen Douglas 12.. She writes on April 12 following the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as President, the first guns of the civil war were fired.