At 1 p.m., Lincoln and Secretary of State William H. Seward board the steamer Mount Washington, to "visit the flotilla." New York Times, 24 November 1861, 1:1.

In the evening, Hermann the Magician performs at the White House for Lincoln and "family, several members of the Cabinet, and some invited friends." Lincoln's secretary John G. Nicolay marvels at Hermann's ability "to pull Canary birds from a spectator's ear, or Guinea pigs from a lady's" purse. Nicolay is most impressed by Hermann's "masterly feats of mathematical combinations in cards and clairvoyant vision." Nicolay concludes, "One goes from [Hermann's] soirees with faith confirmed and strengthened in the father of lies." New York Times, 24 November 1861, 1:1; Michael Burlingame, ed., With Lincoln in the White House: Letters, Memoranda, and Other Writings of John G. Nicolay, 1860-1865 (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2000), 63, 212-213n

Mrs. Lincoln, accompanied by Comdr. Dahlgren and John Hay, goes down Potomac on board steamer Mount Washington as far as Stump Neck. Evening Star (Washington, DC), 27 November 1861, 3:1.

Invites about 100 guests, including Gen. Heintzelman and wife, to White House for evening's entertainment. Journal, 25 November 1861, Samuel P. Heintzelman Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.