Phantom Gunshot | Civil War Family from John Fulton on Vimeo.

Shopie Koerner hears a gunshot outside her home in Belleville, Illinois the night before Lincoln is shot in Washington DC. Coincidence?

Her husband, Gustav Koerner, was a journalist, lawyer, politician, judge, and statesman in Germany and Illinois, and a Colonel of the U.S. Army during the Civil War. He was a friend of Abraham Lincoln and served as a pall bearer for Lincoln's funeral.

Jack LeChien, from the The Koerner House Restoration Committee, tells the story. The house was built in 1849 and is currently being restored.

Saturday, June 6, 2015

gustavekoerner.org