Samuel Adam Shields (1828–1912): Bodyguard to President Abraham Lincoln

Samuel Adam Shields

Plot 45, Lot 120

Samuel Adam Shields served as a bodyguard to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War years. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1828, Shields enlisted early in the Civil War and served with distinction in the Union Army.

Following the war, Shields moved west, settling first in Placerville, where he became well known as a civic-minded man and orator. A 1909 article in the Placerville Mountain Democrat celebrated his 81st birthday, calling him a “living link to Lincoln” and a figure of great local pride. That same year, the San Francisco Call profiled him as one of the few surviving members of Lincoln’s protective detail, describing him as still vigorous and fond of recounting his memories of the martyred President.

In his later years, Shields relocated to Oakland, where he became a familiar figure around town, easily recognized by his military bearing and white beard. In 1912, newspapers across Northern California reported his death at the age of 84. The Oakland Enquirer noted that he had married a much younger woman, who survived him, and that he was “a man of sterling character, whose recollections of Lincoln were as vivid as though they had occurred yesterday”.

Though no official documentation places Shields at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865, contemporary reports indicate that he was on duty with the President’s guard detail earlier that evening, and was likely relieved before the fatal shooting — a common rotation practice among the Washington guards. His later references to having been “near the theater that night” support this interpretation.

Samuel Adam Shields was buried with military honors in Mountain View Cemetery.

Sources:
Placerville Mountain Democrat, Aug. 7, 1909; San Francisco Call, July 29, 1909; Oakland Enquirer, Mar. 9, 1912; Oakland Tribune, Mar. 9, 1912; Find a Grave Memorial #239347771.