He seems to have had a major premonition. A week before the assassination, he told his wife and some staff members of an eerie dream. In it, he wandered through the White House, seeing signs of mourning and distress, and upon making inquiries, he learned that the president was dead.

Deeply upset, Mary Todd Lincoln upbraided her husband, saying he should not talk about such things. He attempted to calm her, saying that it was merely a dream, but some historians believe that Lincoln—who had little fear of death—actually teased his wife on such matters.