In November 1863, shortly after delivering the Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln fell ill with a serious case of smallpox. The disease, caused by the variola virus, was one of the most feared illnesses of the 19th century. Smallpox epidemics routinely swept through cities, killing about a third of those infected.
Lincoln first showed signs of illness on the evening of November 18, 1863, while traveling back to Washington D.C. from Gettysburg. He developed a severe headache, backache, and fever. A few days later, the characteristic rash of smallpox blisters erupted on his skin. Lincoln was bedridden with the disease for three weeks.
Although Lincoln's doctors tried to reassure the public that the president only had a mild case of "varioloid" smallpox, more recent analysis suggests Lincoln actually suffered from the serious, unmodified form of the disease. Smallpox vaccination, while available at the time, was not widespread. Lincoln himself appears not to have been immunized earlier in life.
Lincoln ultimately recovered, but the disease proved fatal for his valet William H. Johnson. Johnson, an African-American man who was Lincoln's close personal attendant, cared for the president during his illness. Johnson contracted smallpox shortly after and died from it in January 1864. Lincoln paid off Johnson's debts and arranged for him to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Some historians speculate Lincoln's bout with smallpox could have altered the course of history had it ended differently. At the height of the Civil War in late 1863, Lincoln's steady leadership was crucial. His death from the disease would have thrown the country into chaos.
Smallpox continued to be a global scourge until the 20th century. A worldwide vaccination campaign led by the World Health Organization finally eradicated the disease in 1980. Lincoln's frightening encounter with smallpox demonstrates how this now-extinct virus terrorized people for centuries. It's a reminder of how far public health has advanced, and the devastating toll that infectious diseases once inflicted on humanity.
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