LINCOLN - The 114th Illinois Voluntary Infantry of Springfield marched with precision in front of the casket carrying the body of Abraham Lincoln.

A replica casket made of black wood with chrome handles and shamrock design metal studs along the sides was inside a horse-drawn 1860 hearse outside Fricke-Calvert-Schrader Funeral Home in Lincoln on Friday.

And the funeral procession and scene re-creation was as if the 16th president of the United States had died all over again.

Once inside the funeral home, the infantrymen stood in formation in front of the casket.

"Present arms," one of them barked, as the others moved their 1864 Springfield rifles in front of them.

Pallbearers laid the casket on the biers.

A large picture of President George Washington stood at the head of the casket and was surrounded by nearly a dozen pine trees.

The inspiration for the re-enactment was to view what it was like during Lincoln's funeral, said Tim Becke with the organizing committee of the Lincoln exhibit.

"There were flowers around the casket and a picture of George Washington. Washington was the father of our nation and first president," Becke said. "And many people don't know that the pine trees in the room were to help hide the smell of the decomposing body."

The special funeral re-enactment and exhibit was part of the "Now He Belongs to the Ages: A Presentation of Abraham Lincoln's Life, Death and Funeral," kicking off the Railsplitting Festival this weekend in Lincoln.

It also will be part of the upcoming events and train procession during the Lincoln bicentennial birthday celebration in 2009.

After Lincoln died on April 15, 1865, the first public viewing took place at the White House three days later.

The train known as the Lincoln Special left Washington on April 21 with Lincoln's body. It retraced Lincoln's route to Washington when he became president-elect in 1861. About 300 mourners were on the train.

The train carrying Lincoln's casket continued to stop along the route for people to view his body, but Decatur was excluded.

Kim Bauer, director of the Lincoln Heritage Project for Decatur, said the city was on a list to be part of the route and later crossed out.

He said he still doesn't know why Gov. Richard J. Oglesby didn't push the issue, because Lincoln's family settled in Decatur and the heart of downtown was where he was nominated as the "railsplitter candidate" for president.

"Chicago at this time had gained more political muscle and had changed the route; the train went down through Lincoln and into Springfield and bypassed Decatur," Bauer said. "But Decatur is the longest-connected city to Abraham Lincoln when he was alive."

The train carrying Lincoln's body left Chicago, stopping in Joliet, Pontiac, Bloomington, Lincoln and other small towns along the way, until it reached its final destination of Springfield.

Logan County historian Paul Beaver said people lined the tracks to wave as the train made its way through the town bearing the president's name.

"A lot of small-town families and farmers wanted to pay their respects and couldn't get to Springfield for the funeral and see his body," Beaver said.

Beaver's own great-grandparents were among those standing along the tracks, watching the train go by and hearing the hymns being sung.

On May 4, 1865, Lincoln's coffin arrived in Springfield and was carried to a hearse finished in gold, silver and crystal that came from St. Louis.

The hearse was followed by Lincoln's horse, Old Bob.

The only relatives who attended the funeral were Lincoln's son, Robert, and cousin, John Hanks.

Bauer said Lincoln's widow, Mary Todd, was too overwhelmed with grief and remained in Washington.

"She only went by the tomb one time," he said.

The Abraham Lincoln Memorial Association wanted to bury Lincoln at the current state Capitol building site, Bauer said, but Mary Todd Lincoln said no.

"She said if they didn't abide by her wishes and didn't bury him at Oakridge Cemetery, she would take the crypt back to Washington, D.C. The association ended up voting 8-7 to bury Lincoln at Oakridge Cemetery," he said.

Oakridge Cemetery meant a lot to Lincoln when he was alive, and he had participated in the dedication of the cemetery in 1859, Bauer said. "He and Mary Todd had always talked about being buried in a place that was quiet."

WHAT: "Now He Belongs to the Ages: A Presentation of Abraham Lincoln's Life, Death and Funeral" includes special funeral casket, 1860 carriage and other items on exhibit.

WHEN: From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today

WHERE: Fricke-Calvert-Schrader Funeral Home, 127 S. Logan St., Lincoln

Open to the public for viewing

sheilas@herald-review.com/421-7963.