[1][2] Lincoln acquired Old Bob while practicing law in Springfield, Illinois, and used the animal as a carriage horse when traveling on his circuit in areas unconnected by the railroad.

[3] Following his 1860 election as President of the United States, and prior to his subsequent move to Washington, D.C., Lincoln sold Old Bob to John Flynn, a Springfield drayman.

[4] By 1865 Old Bob had been put to pasture, however, on April 4 of that year he was brought out of retirement to participate in a parade in Springfield celebrating the capitulation of the Confederate States capital city of Richmond, Virginia.

During the cortège preceding the funeral in Springfield, Old Bob was caparisoned in a black mourning blanket trimmed with silver fringe and tassels.

[3][a] After the funeral, it is believed there were several attempts to acquire the horse by showmen who wished to put it on exhibition, but that John Flynn declined offers to sell the animal.