Lincoln's singular way of walking, contemporaries observed, gave the impression his long, gaunt frame needed oiling. He would plod forward in an awkward manner, his hands hanging at his sides or folded, behind his back. His step had no spring, his law partner William Herndon recalled. He lifted his whole foot at once and then thrust it down on the ground rather than landing on his heel. 'His legs', another observer noted, 'seemed to drag from the knees down, like those of a laborer going home after a hard day's work'.
