President Lincoln’s coffin was tailor made for his body — 18 inches across and 6 foot, 6 inches long, two inches longer than the body.
The mahogany wood coffin was lined with lead and covered with black broadcloth. Pallbearers could lift it by four massive silver handles. This was inscribed on a silver plate: Abraham Lincoln, Sixteenth President of the United States, Born Feb. 12, 1809, Died April 15, 1865.
The president’s head lay on a white silk pillow and the body rested on plaited satin.
He was dressed in the black suit he wore to his inaugural, and petals from roses, early magnolias and lilies were strewn over the body.