Chapter XXV: Front Matter (25)

By six o’clock the town was awake and alive. Troops were pouring in from all directions, shouting, singing, and cheering, but otherwise preserving the most orderly and commendable bearing. There was no straggling, no pillaging, no destruction of property or intrusion on private residences. Guards were stationed thickly in all directions, with imperative orders to keep the soldiers out of all buildings, public or private, and protect all property from destruction. The citizens were showing themselves in large numbers upon the door steps, in the doors and at the windows of the houses, indicating that but few, if any, had run away, while most of them manifested, in the expression of their faces, a gladness at the National success. They seemed, indeed, to be starved out. While there was plenty of food for the rebel army, it had been carefully hoarded, and the resident population left to shift for themselves as best they could. Perhaps it was on this account more than any other that the citizens were so ready to abandon the rebel cause. On the main business streets there was every appearance of thrift.

An army correspondent, who entered Petersburg with the Union forces, alludes thus to the damage which the city had sustained from the National bombardment: “I had much curiosity to see the effect of the numerous shellings to which the town had been subjected, and rode through that portion of the city most exposed. It was certainly wonderful that so little damage had been done. Nearly every other building in some localities had been struck; but, with the exception of now and then a chimney knocked down, or a hole through the building that a few dollars would repair, the injuries were scarcely perceptible. I found the people living in the exposed localities, and was told that they had been there throughout all the siege. But few people had been killed by the cannonading in the town.”

In the course of the day General Grant entered Petersburg, and established his headquarters there. But no halt was made by the army. All day long, with banners flying and “music on the wind,” the soldiers of the Union marched through Petersburg, in pursuit of the flying forces of General Lee. The First division of the Ninth corps was, however, left in the captured city, to do provost duty.

RICHMOND.
SURRENDERED APRIL 3, 1865.

Meanwhile, on the same memorable morning, the Mayor of Richmond, Mr. Mayo, had surrendered the capital of the Confederacy to General Weitzel, whose troops immediately marched in and took possession of the city. A portion of it was found to be in flames, General Early having caused it to be fired, on retreating during the night of the 2d instant. Major Stevens directed the alarm bells to be sounded, and at once assumed direction of the Fire Department of the city, consisting of a few men, two steam fire engines, four worthless hand-engines, and a large amount of hose, ruined by the retreating rebels. The efforts to subdue the flames were arduous, but finally successful, and before night the city was exceedingly quiet in all respects.

On personally arriving in the city, General Weitzel issued the following order:—

“HEADQUARTERS, DETACHMENT ARMY OF THE JAMES, }
“RICHMOND, Va., April 3, 1865. }

“Major-General Godfrey Weitzel, commanding Detachment of the Army of
the James, announces the occupation of the city of Richmond, by the
armies of the United States, under command of Lieutenant-General
Grant. The people of Richmond are assured that we come to restore to
them the blessings of peace, prosperity and freedom, under the flag of
the Union.

“The citizens of Richmond are requested to remain for the present
quietly within their houses, and to avoid all public assemblages or
meetings in the public streets. An efficient provost guard will
immediately re-establish order and tranquillity within the city.

“Martial law is, for the present, proclaimed.

“Brigadier-General George F. Shepley, United States Volunteers, is
hereby appointed Military Governor of Richmond.

“Lieutenant-Colonel Fred. L. Manning, Provost-Marshal-General, Army of
the James, will act as Provost-Marshal of Richmond. Commanders of
detachments doing guard duty in the city will report to him for
instructions. By command of

“Major-General WEITZEL.

“D. D. WHEELER, Assistant Adjutant-General.”

The works in front of Richmond which were occupied by the rebels; and wholly evacuated previous to the Union occupancy of the city, were found to consist of three strong lines, strictly enveloping Richmond. The outer ones were continuous lines; the inner one consisted of a series of strong redoubts and bastion forts. These works mounted upwards of three hundred heavy guns, all of which were captured.

General Weitzel also took one thousand prisoners, besides the wounded. These numbered five thousand, in nine hospitals. He captured cannon, to the number of at least five hundred pieces. Five thousand muskets were found in one lot. Thirty locomotives and three hundred cars were also seized.

The rebels had succeeded in destroying all their vessels of war; but the well known Tredegar iron works were found to be unharmed. Libby Prison and Castle Thunder were also captured, and were speedily filled with rebel prisoners. It was ascertained that the rebels began the work of destroying the city, by firing the Shockoe warehouse, filled with tobacco, as well as the large granary establishment on Carey street, near Twenty-third street. The fire was very destructive; and in addition to destroying the War Department, the general Post Office, the Treasury building, several churches, and many stores, likewise destroyed the offices of the Richmond _Enquirer_, _Dispatch_ and _Examiner_; the Virginia Bank, the Farmers’ Bank, and the Bank of Richmond. The United States Custom House was saved, by reason of its being fireproof.

On the 4th of April President Lincoln visited Richmond, where he was received with great enthusiasm. During his stay in the city, he occupied, with General Weitzel, quarters in the house which, only a little while before, had been the residence of the rebel President Jefferson Davis.

SURRENDER OF GENERAL LEE, AND HIS ENTIRE ARMY.
APRIL 9, 1865.

On abandoning Petersburg and Richmond, General Lee betook himself in the direction of Danville, which is just upon the border of the State of Virginia, close to the North Carolina line. Here—or earlier, at Burkesville—it was designed to make another stand. General Sheridan was already in full pursuit, and aimed to cut off Lee’s army at Burkesville. On the 6th of April, he sent the following dispatch:

“APRIL 6—11:15 P. M.

“Lieutenant-General GRANT:—

“I have the honor to report that the enemy made a stand at the
intersection of the Burkesville station road with the road upon which
they were retreating.

“I attacked them with two divisions of the Sixth army corps and routed
them handsomely, making a connection with the cavalry. I am still
pressing on with both cavalry and infantry. Up to the present time we
have captured Generals Ewell, Kershaw, Barton, Corse, De Bose and
Custis Lee, several thousand prisoners, fourteen pieces of artillery,
with caissons and a large number of wagons. If the thing is pressed, I
think Lee will surrender.

P. H. SHERIDAN,
“Major-General Commanding.”

On the receipt of this message, General Grant was already pushing on in person, with his whole army, to join Sheridan and strike the deathblow to the rebellion. But there was no need of further fighting. Sheridan had captured a large part of the rebel army, and the rest was demoralized. Lee’s headquarters at this time were near Amelia Court House. On the afternoon of the 9th of April, finding all hope of success to the rebel arms to be utterly empty and vain, the rebel commander finally surrendered to General Grant the entire Army of Northern Virginia. The letters which passed between the two commanders, upon this occasion, and which telegraphed to the Northern press, created the wildest enthusiasm throughout the land, are well worthy of preservation in the pages of any History of the War for the Union—so graphic and thorough in their narrative of the closing scene of rebel discomfiture and national triumph.

GENERAL GRANT TO GENERAL LEE.

“April 7, 1865.

“General R. E. LEE, Commanding Confederate States Army:—

“GENERAL—The result of the last week must convince you of the
hopelessness of further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern
Virginia in this struggle. I feel that it is so, and regard it as my
duty to shift from myself the responsibility of any further effusion
of blood, by asking of you the surrender of that portion of the
Confederate States army, known as the Army of Northern Virginia.

“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

“U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General, U. S. A.”

GENERAL LEE TO GENERAL GRANT.

“April 7, 1865.

“GENERAL—I have received your note of this date.

“Though not entirely of the opinion you express of the hopelessness of
further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Virginia, I
reciprocate your desire to avoid useless effusion of blood, and
therefore, before considering your proposition, ask the terms you will
offer on condition of its surrender.

“R. E. LEE, General Commanding.”

GENERAL GRANT TO GENERAL LEE.

“April 8, 1865.

“GENERAL—Your note of last evening, in reply to mine of same date,
asking the conditions on which I will accept the surrender of the Army
of Northern Virginia is just received.

“In reply, I would say that, peace being my first desire, there is but
one condition that I insist upon, viz.:—

“That the men surrendered shall be disqualified for taking up arms
again, against the Government of the United States, until properly
exchanged.

“I will meet you or designate officers to meet any officers you may
name for the same purpose at any point agreeable to you, for the
purpose of arranging definitely the terms upon which the surrender of
the Army of Northern Virginia will be received.

“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

“U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General, U. S. A.”

GENERAL LEE TO GENERAL GRANT.

“April 8, 1865.

“GENERAL—I received at a late hour your note of to-day in answer to
mine of yesterday.

“I did not intend to propose the surrender of the Army of Northern
Virginia, but to ask the terms of your proposition. To be frank, I do
not think the emergency has arisen to call for the surrender.

“But as the restoration of peace should be the sole object of all, I
desire to know whether your proposals would tend to that end.

“I cannot, therefore, meet you with a view to surrender the army of
Northern Virginia; but as far as your proposition may affect the
Confederate States’ forces under my command and tend to the
restoration of peace, I should be pleased to meet you at ten A. M.
to-morrow, on the old stage road to Richmond, between the picket lines
of the two armies.

“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

“R. E. LEE, General C. S. A.”

GENERAL GRANT TO GENERAL LEE.

“April 9, 1865.

“GENERAL—Your note of yesterday is received. As I have no authority to
treat on the subject of peace, the meeting proposed for ten A. M.
to-day, could lead to no good. I will state, however, General, that I
am equally anxious for peace with yourself; and the whole North
entertain the same feeling. The terms upon which peace can be had are
well understood. By the South laying down their arms they will hasten
that most desirable event, save thousands of human lives, and hundreds
of millions of property not yet destroyed.

“Sincerely hoping that all our difficulties may be settled without the
loss of another life, I subscribe myself,

“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

“U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General, U. S. A.”

GENERAL LEE TO GENERAL GRANT.

“April 9, 1865.

“GENERAL—I received your note of this morning on the picket line,
whither I had come to meet you and ascertain definitely what terms
were embraced in your proposition of yesterday with reference to the
surrender of this army.

“I now request an interview in accordance with the offer contained in
your letter of yesterday for that purpose.

“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

“R. E. LEE, General.

“To Lieutenant-General GRANT, commanding United States armies.”

GENERAL GRANT TO GENERAL LEE.

“April 9, 1865.

“GENERAL—Your note of this date is but this moment (fifty minutes past
eleven A. M.) received.

“In consequence of my having passed from the Richmond and Lynchburg
road to the Farmville and Lynchburg road, I am, at this writing, about
four miles west of Walter’s Church, and will push forward to the front
for the purpose of meeting you.

“Notice sent to me, on this road, where you wish the interview to take
place, will meet me.

“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

“U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.”

GENERAL GRANT TO GENERAL LEE.

“APPOMATTOX COURT HOUSE, }
APRIL 9, 1865. }

“In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the 8th
inst., I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of Northern
Virginia on the following terms, to wit:—

“Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate; one copy
to be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained
by such officers as you may designate.

“The officers to give their individual paroles not to take arms
against the government of the United States until properly exchanged,
and each company or regimental commander to sign a like parole for the
men of his command.

“The arms, artillery and public property to be parked and stacked and
turned over to the officers appointed by me to receive them.

“This will not embrace the side arms of the officers, nor their
private horses or baggage.

“This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to their
homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they
observe their parole and the laws in force where they may reside.

“Very respectfully,

U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.”

GENERAL LEE TO GENERAL GRANT.

“HEADQUARTERS, ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, }
APRIL 9, 1865. }

“GENERAL—I have received your letter of this date, containing the
terms of surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia as proposed by
you. As they are substantially the same as those expressed in your
letter of the 8th inst., they are accepted. I will proceed to
designate the proper officers to carry the stipulations into effect.

“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

“R. E. LEE, General.”

* * * * *

The national rejoicing over the capture of Lee’s army was, as may well be imagined, deep and general. Throughout the length and breadth of the land, thanksgiving to the God of battles—as of Peace—went up from the hearts of a whole people, happy in the rescue of the American Republic from division, and from the plague of human slavery.

The following documents were issued from the war office, at Washington, immediately after the great victory:

“WAR DEPARTMENT, }
“WASHINGTON, D. C., April 9—9:30 P. M. }

“Lieutenant-General GRANT:—

“Thanks be to Almighty God for the great victory with which he has
this day crowned you and the gallant armies under your command.

“The thanks of this Department, and of the government, and of the
people of the United States—their reverence and honor have been
deserved—will be rendered to you and the brave and gallant officers
and soldiers of your army for all time.

“EDWIN M. STANTON,
“Secretary of War.”

“WAR DEPARTMENT, }
WASHINGTON, D. C., April 9—10 P. M. }

“Ordered—That a salute of two hundred guns be fired at the
headquarters of every army and department, and at every post and
arsenal in the United States, and at the Military Academy at West
Point, on the day of the receipt of this order, in commemoration of
the surrender of General R. E. Lee and the army of Northern Virginia
to Lieutenant-General Grant and the army under his command; report of
the receipt and execution of this order to be made to the
Adjutant-General, Washington.

“EDWIN M. STANTON,
“Secretary of War.”

SKETCH OF THE REBEL GENERAL LEE.

Robert E. Lee was born in Virginia about the year 1808. He entered West Point, where he received the usual military education. He graduated honorably in 1829, and received an appointment as Second Lieutenant of Engineers. For eighteen years he served in the army, drawing the usual pay from the government, and rising to the rank of Major and Lieutenant-Colonel of cavalry. In the Mexican war he was further honored by a brevet of Colonel, and on the appointment of Albert S. Johnston to the command of the Utah expedition Lee succeeded him in command of the Second cavalry. After filling this honorable and agreeable post in the military service of his country for several years, he was tempted with others, to desert his flag at the moment of his country’s sorest need. When the Richmond politicians passed their Ordinance of Secession, Robert E. Lee threw up his commission, and accepted the rank of General in the rebel army.

In Mexico, Lee had been Chief of General Scott’s Staff, and won high praise for his skill. It was a common remark in our army, before the war, that “Bob Lee” was the ablest strategist we had. His first performances in the rebel array did not increase his reputation; he was eclipsed for a time by both Beauregard and Johnston. After the latter was wounded, however, at Fair Oaks, Lee took the whole command of the rebel army in Virginia, and directed its operations during the seven days’ battles before Richmond. He likewise led the rebels into Maryland, and commanded them at Antietam, and subsequently at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, and all the other battles incident to the closing campaign in Virginia.

ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN.
NIGHT OF APRIL 14, 1865.

A glorious sunburst parted the clouds over Abraham Lincoln’s head just as he took the inauguration oath which made him President for a second term—and from that period his life was one series of cheering events. Was it a promise of redemption to the Nation, or the _halo_ of martyrdom? The rebellion melted away like snow from that hour. Richmond was taken; Lee surrendered his grand army. The brave blood which had crimsoned the wilderness with a terrible rain, bore quick and glorious fruit all over the land. Lincoln was a good man. Even his enemies said this, when they found themselves a mere handful among millions that loved him for his honesty, his simple truthfulness, and that genuine patriotism which no man doubted and all men revered. Triumphant as a President, happy in the bosom of a family that adored him, blessed with an attached wife, a son of fine promise and faultless character, another son whom he loved with intense affection, and who returned it with all the touching ardor of early childhood, worshiped by many and respected by all, the 14th of April found him a happy and triumphant man.

A box had been taken that night for the President and a select party at Ford’s Theatre, a fashionable place of amusement in Washington, where Thomas Taylor’s comedy of Our American Cousin was to be performed by Miss Laura Keene and her company. A private box in the upper tier, on the right of the audience, had been all that season so frequently used by the President, that it was generally known as the “President’s box.” That evening it was richly draped for his reception. The Stars and Stripes glowed brightly above it, and easy chairs were placed for the President’s occupancy. It had been announced that General Grant would accompany the Presidential party and a brilliant audience had assembled, eager to greet the two most popular men of The Nation.

The first act of the American Cousin had commenced, when President Lincoln, Mrs. Lincoln, Miss Harris, and Major Rathbon entered the theatre. General Grant was not of the party; he had left Washington a few hours before. They seated themselves, with the National flags draped above them, and the eyes of a brilliant audience turned that way. The President was always deeply interested in the dramatic performances before him, and sometimes, doubtless, sought the theatre as a refuge from political cares. That night no premonition seemed to haunt him. He was tranquil, silent, and interested. Usually, when he visited any place of amusement, his youngest son might have been seen hanging about his chair, whispering his observations in childish confidence, and sometimes leaning for half an hour together upon his father’s knee. The devotion and companionship which existed between Lincoln and this warm-hearted lad was touching in its simple tenderness. No frown was ever seen on that kindly face when the boy, in his ardent affection claimed what might have been deemed untimely notice. Whatever thought harassed his mind, those connected with the boy always brought smiles with them.

But, in mercy, this most ardently loving of sons was spared the horrors of a scene that soon sent an awful shock through the audience, and threw the whole nation into bitter mourning.

The play went pleasantly on, and nothing happened to disturb the cheerfulness of the occasion, till, close on ten o’clock. Then John Wilkes Booth was first seen in the audience.

This young man was a member of the profession, and had a free entrance to all parts of the theatre, where he was a great favorite. The son of perhaps the most talented tragedian known to our country, belonging to a family of young men all rich in genius, accomplished and endowed with wonderful physical beauty, he had found a respectable place even in the best social life of Washington, during the three months that he had spent in apparent idleness at one of the most fashionable hotels of the city.

When this man entered the theatre that night, many people knew him, and some remarked the intense pallor of his face. He was remarked, at this time, to be slowly working his way through the crowd towards the door of the President’s box. For a moment he was observed leaning against the wall, pale, and with a startling wildness of the eyes, looking over the audience. Then he attempted to enter the box, but was challenged by the sentry stationed there. Booth answered that he was a senator of the United States, and that the President had sent for him.

He was admitted; the door closed behind him, which he immediately fastened by placing a wooden bar, arranged in advance, across it.

He moved toward the President, and stood for an instant behind his chair. The stage was almost deserted. Asa Trenchard, represented by Mr. Hawk, was its sole occupant. Mr. Lincoln was watching the scene with his eyes bent on the stage, quiet, calm, almost smiling. Booth crept closer to his victim, drew his pistol, and fired. A spring toward the front of the box, a backward lunge with the bowie-knife, held in one hand, which pierced Major Rathbon’s arm, wounding him severely; then a wild dangerous leap over. His spur entangled itself with the flags, and the impetus flung him forward on the stage, where he fell upon one knee. An instant, and he leaped up, brandishing the naked bowie-knife in his hand, which was red with the blood of Major Rathbon. In a strong, clear voice, thrillingly dramatic, he cried out the old Latin motto of the State of Virginia, “_Sic semper tyrannis_.” With these defiant words on his lips, Booth rushed across the stage, down a side passage, where his red hand almost brushed against Laura Keene, and out of a rear door which opened to a lane back of the theatre.

There a horse stood ready, held by an accomplice, on which he leaped, and dashed down the lane. The audience for one awful minute were struck dumb. The smoke from the President’s box, the excited shrieks of Mrs. Lincoln, which rang with awful meaning over the crowd, threw the whole multitude into bewildering confusion. Only one man had presence of mind enough to understand the awful truth, and pursue the assassin. Colonel J. B. Stewart, a tall, powerful man, full of cool courage, leaped upon the stage from the orchestra seats, and rushed after Booth across the stage to the rear of the theatre. Once his hand almost grasped the assassin’s garments, but the door which was flung open fell to with violent force, and Stewart lost a precious moment in attempting to open it. It swung back at last, but Booth had already leaped to his horse, and, in an instant, was engulfed in the murky darkness of the lane.

Meantime the crowd swayed wildly to and fro; shrieks of anguish from distracted wife rang through the multitude with maddening effect. The President had fallen forward, with his head on his breast, breathing, but senseless. The ball had entered his head just back of the left ear, passed completely through the brain, and lodged above the right eye. Laura Keene rushed to the box, calling for help, and aided Miss Harris to support the murdered man in his seat. There, pale with terror, one pleading for help, the other crying out for water, those two frightened ladies kept him from falling forward with their trembling hands.

The crowd understood the awful catastrophe now, and a mad rush was made for the stage—all too late. By that time Booth was galloping through the stormy night, on a horse whose swiftness defied pursuit. Then the inner bar was forced away from its rude sockets, and there was a rush to the box where President Lincoln was still supported by those feeble women, who stood by him firmly, their hands red with his blood, and their garments wet with the crimson rain which never came from a more thoroughly kind heart. On the back of the cushioned chair, on the partition, and on the floor, that martyr blood had fallen. On the carpet lay a single-barreled pistol.

They lifted the dying man, carried him through the heaving surges of the crowd, to the house of Mr. Peterson, in Tenth street, close by the theatre. Then the multitude swayed doorward, and filled the street, packing it with white, anxious faces. A guard was placed at the door, who in vain strove to answer the questions urged upon him. All he could say was, that the President was dying; a few minutes or hours, at least, must close his life. Then a dreadful stillness fell upon the crowd; some went away in painful silence; others—stout, strong men, too—turned away weeping like little children.

At five o’clock on Saturday morning, the President lay in his death agonies. He was lying upon the bed, apparently breathing with great difficulty. He was entirely unconscious, and had been ever since his assassination. His eyes were protruding from their sockets and suffused with blood. In other respects, his countenance was unchanged. At his bedside were the Secretary of War, Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of the Interior, Postmaster-General, and the Attorney-General; Senator Sumner, General Farnsworth, General Todd, cousin to Mrs. Lincoln; Major Hay, M. B. Field, General Halleck, Major-General Meigs, Rev. Dr. Gurley, George Oglesby, of Illinois; Drs. E. N. Abbott, R. K. Stone, C. D. Hatch, Neal, Hall, and Lieberman. In the adjoining room was Mrs. Lincoln, her son, Captain Robert Lincoln; Miss Harris, who was with Mrs. Lincoln at the time of the assassination of the President; Rufus F. Andrews, and two lady friends of Mrs. Lincoln.

Mrs. Lincoln was under great excitement and agony, wringing her hands and exclaiming, “Why did he not shoot me instead of my husband? I have tried to be so careful of him, fearing something would happen, and his life seemed to be more precious now than ever. I must go with him,” and other expressions of the intense agony of her coming widowhood. She was constantly going back and forth to the bedside of the President, exclaiming in great anguish, “How can it be so!” The scene was heart-rending, and it is impossible to portray it in its living light. When General Farnsworth went in, hoping to comfort her, she seized him by the arm and with touching appeal besought him to save her husband, as if any human help could avail then.

Captain Robert Lincoln bore himself with great firmness, and while quivering with anguish himself endeavored to assuage the grief of his mother by telling her to put her trust in God and all would be well. Occasionally, being entirely overcome, he would retire into the hall and give way to most heart-rending lamentations. In his affliction, as in the sunshine of the greatest prosperity, this young man proved worthy of the father who was dying—worthy of the nation with whom his after fortune should be held as a sacred inheritance. Let what will come in the hereafter, the orphaned sons of Abraham Lincoln have a right to claim adoption from the American people.

About a quarter of an hour before the President died, his breathing became very difficult, and in many instances seemed to have entirely ceased. The surgeons who were holding his pulse supposed him to be dead, but he would again rally and breathe with so great difficulty as to be heard in almost every part of the house. Mrs. Lincoln took her last leave of him about twenty minutes before he expired—she could not endure to await the awful footsteps of death.

The surgeons and the members of the Cabinet, Senator Sumner, Captain Robert Lincoln and Rufus Andrews stood leaning over the headboard of the bed watching every motion of the heaving breast of the dying President. Robert Lincoln was supporting himself upon the arm of Senator Sumner. The members of the Cabinet were standing by the side of the bed—Secretary Stanton at the left of Mr. Andrews—Mr. Andrews near Mr. Lincoln’s head. Next to him was Mr. Dennison, and the others arranged along at his left, and the surgeons were sitting upon the side and foot of the bed, holding the President’s hands, and with their watches observing the slow declension of the pulse, and watching the faint ebb of that noble spirit. Such was the solemn stillness for the duration of five minutes that the ticking of many watches could be heard in the room. At twenty-two minutes past seven, A. M., the soul of Abraham Lincoln fled from its earthly tabernacle “to that bourne from which no traveler returns.” As he drew his last breath the Rev. Dr. Gurley addressed the Throne of Grace with a fervent prayer for his heart-broken family and his mourning country.

Mrs. Lincoln sat in an adjoining room, hushing her tears and waiting solemnly. When they told her in such tender words as pity finds for grief, that her husband was dead, the growing stillness of her heart gave way and she cried out in sudden anguish, “Oh, why did you not tell me that he was dying?” Abraham Lincoln was dead, but scarcely had the cold hand touched his features when over them dawned that gentle smile which those who have seen him in his happiest moments will never forget. Except the blackness of his eyes his face appeared perfectly natural. He died without a struggle, or even a perceptible motion of the limbs. The morning was calm, and the rain was dropping gently upon the roof of the humble apartment where they had laid him down to die. Guards had been stationed to keep the people from the house, and no sound could be heard in the streets save the footsteps of the sentry passing to and fro, as he guarded all that remained of Abraham Lincoln.

NATIONAL LAMENTATION. FUNERAL OF THE PRESIDENT.

The following dispatch, received in New York city on the morning of the 15th of April, announced to the country and to the world the death of the President of the United States:—

“WAR DEPARTMENT, }
WASHINGTON, April 15, 1865. }

“To Major-General DIX, New York:—

“Abraham Lincoln died this morning at twenty-two minutes after seven
o’clock.

“EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War.”

This grievous intelligence fell upon the heart of the Nation like the storm which follows the thunderbolt. The fierce, mad excitement and indignation which had fired the bosoms of all Americans at the news of their beloved President having been struck down by the hand of an assassin, was instantly followed by passionate grief and lamentation at the speedy news of his death. A deep gloom hung over the whole North—a gloom which might be compared to the dark clouds from whose bosoms flash forth vivid streams of destroying fire. In every heart arose a stern demand for retribution against the man who had bereaved a great nation in destroying its leader. This feeling gave force and depth to the mournfulness which fell solemnly on the land. In every city throughout the North, in every village,—in every place where men dwelt, strangers grasped each other by the hand, and with tear-wet eyes bewailed their country’s loss; for the universal grief made all men feel their universal fraternity. The whole country was draped in mourning. No man was so poor that his sorrow did not show itself in some touching acknowledgment of his country’s bereavement and his own sorrow. For thirty days the emblems of mourning remained on every public building; while flags heavily draped with crape were hung in the windows, or streamed from the flagstaffs of thousands on thousands of private dwellings.

The body of the martyred President lay in state at the White House for four days, where, upon the 19th of April, the funeral services were celebrated in every church throughout the North, and in most of the Canadian cities. The ceremony at the White House being over, the President’s remains were removed to the Capitol, where they lay in state for two days. On the 21st they were placed within a handsome and grandly imposing funeral car, and proceeded on their melancholy journey, stopping a certain length of time at each of the following cities: Baltimore, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, New York, Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, and Chicago; arriving in Springfield, Illinois, at eight o’clock on the morning of May 3d. There—amid the scenes that had witnessed his manly labors, his successful career, his prosperity, his home affections, and his honorable progress in the esteem of his fellow-workers and fellow-citizens, the good President was laid down to his last earthly sleep. The love and the prayers of a whole people followed him to his grave, and the veneration of posterity will hallow it forever.

And there his countrymen shall come,
With memory proud, with pity dumb,
And strangers far and near,
For many and many a year.

For many a year and many an age,
While History on her ample page
The virtues shall enroll
Of that Paternal Soul.

SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
BORN FEBRUARY 12, 1809. DIED APRIL 15, 1865.

Abraham Lincoln was born at Hodginville, Kentucky, on the 12th of February, 1809. His parents were poor, and his youth was thus a youth of labor. From the age of seven to that of nineteen, he worked on his father’s farm—his parents having removed to Indiana, and subsequently into Illinois. When nineteen years of age he left home and sought labor on the Mississippi river, as a hired hand on a flatboat plying between St. Louis and New Orleans. He subsequently built a similar vessel, which he personally managed, in the river traffic. Until 1832 his life was a continual struggle against adverse fortune, but it was prosecuted with a strong heart and firm hand. In 1832 the Indian war with Black Hawk broke out. Mr. Lincoln raised a company of volunteers in Menard county, Ill., and served through the war under General Samuel Whiteside.

The early career of Mr. Lincoln as a pioneer and in camp, had gradually trained and formed his character for more active life. His prominence in his county, as the former captain of a company, naturally gave him additional influence at home, on his return from the war, and, after beginning life as a lawyer, he soon became, also, a politician. In 1834, at the age of twenty-five, he was elected on the whig ticket, to the Illinois Legislature. In 1836, he was re-elected for a second term, during which he avowed conservative principles on the subject of slavery, and added much to his popularity by efforts to make Springfield the capital of the State. He also won credit by his action as Chairman of the Finance Committee in the Legislature. In 1846, after several years of retirement from political life, during which he had established himself as a highly successful lawyer, Mr. Lincoln was nominated for Congress, and was elected by the largest vote ever given to a whig candidate in his district. He served until 1849, and was active—in connection with Seward, Chase and Giddings—in the agitation of the Wilmot proviso, and in opposition to the Mexican war. From 1849 to 1854 he remained secluded at Springfield, taking, however, an active, though not prominent part, in the organization of the republican party, and in 1856 he ardently supported its first candidates, Fremont and Dayton. He had just been defeated in the Illinois Legislature for United States Senator, and, except during the Presidential canvass for 1856, when he was brought frequently in contact on the stump with Stephen A. Douglas, he remained quiet in his office at Springfield until 1858, when he became a candidate for Senator. During this canvass he made some of the most remarkable speeches of his life. In 1860 he was elected President of the United States.

On January 1st, 1863, President Lincoln declared in accordance with a previous proclamation, the freedom of all the slaves in the rebellious territory, a work which has since been consummated throughout all the Union by act of the States and the Federal Congress.

In 1864, Mr. Lincoln was re-elected to the Presidency, and was duly inaugurated, on the 4th of March, 1865. He will be remembered as long as the history of the American Republic endures, as a good man, who labored to do his duty, who bore the honors of a high station with meekness and humility, and who guided his country through dreadful perils to a happy and secure peace, upon the safe basis of democratic institutions.

THE ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE SECRETARY SEWARD.
APRIL 14, 1865.

While the murder of Abraham Lincoln was in progress at Ford’s Theatre, another scene in the bloody tragedy was being enacted at the house of the Secretary of State. Mr. Seward, suffering from severe injuries, received shortly before by an accidental fall from his carriage, was lying in his bed, sick, suffering, and helpless. Within the invalid’s chamber all was sadness and gloom; for Mr. Seward’s life was the subject of much uncertainty and anxious fear. About nine o’clock in the evening the chamber of the Secretary was forcibly entered by a tall, muscular man, whose face could hardly be distinguished beneath the broad and drooping brim of his slouched hat, which was drawn over his brow. This man was Lewis Payne,—who had been procured to murder the Secretary of State, and who had effected his entrance into the house by stratagem, and had forced his way from the street-door to Mr. Seward’s chamber, pretending to be a messenger from the physician with medicine for Mr. Seward. Payne had pushed past the servant who had admitted him, and met with no opposition till he reached the Secretary’s door. There he was confronted by Mr. Frederick Seward, with whom he had a moment’s parley regarding his message to Mr. Seward; but finding that he could effect nothing in that way he struck the Secretary’s son on the head with a pistol, felling him to the floor, and crushing in his skull. Upon the instant he burst into the Secretary’s room, rushed up to the bed, and attacked the helpless, sick old man with a knife. Mr. Seward succeeded in rolling out on the floor; but not until he had received many and severe cuts about the throat and face.

All this had passed in so brief a time that not even a cry for help had been raised. The terrified nurses raised screams of distress about half a minute after the assassin’s entrance to the room, and a soldier, followed by Major Seward, rushed into the apartment. The soldier at once leaped upon the assassin, and tried to pull him backward; but Payne turned upon him, and stabbing him in the side, contrived to break away. He also struck and wounded Major Seward, and one of the attendants, who precipitated themselves upon him, and in the dreadful confusion following he succeeded in making his escape from the house.

THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON.

On Saturday morning, April 15th, immediately after the death of President Lincoln, the following communication was addressed to Hon. Andrew Johnson, hitherto Vice-President of the Republic:

WASHINGTON CITY, April 15, 1865.

“SIR:—Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, was shot by an
assassin last evening at Ford’s Theatre, in this city, and died at the
hour of twenty-two minutes after seven o’clock. About the same time at
which the President was shot, an assassin entered the sick chamber of
the Hon. W. H. Seward, Secretary of State, and stabbed him in several
places in the throat, neck and face, severely if not mortally wounding
him.—Other members of the Secretary’s family were also dangerously
wounded by the assassin while making his escape. By the death of
President Lincoln the office of President has devolved under the
Constitution upon you. The emergency of the Government demands that
you should immediately qualify according to the requirements of the
Constitution, and enter upon the duties of President of the United
States. If you will please make known your pleasure, such arrangements
as you deem proper will be made.

Your obedient servants,
HUGH MCCULLOCH, Secretary of the Treasury.
EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War.
GIDEON WELLES, Secretary of the Navy.
WILLIAM DENNISON, Postmaster-General.
J. P. USHER, Secretary of the Interior.
JAMES SPEED, Attorney-General.

To ANDREW JOHNSON, Vice-President of the United States.”

Mr. Johnson requested that the ceremonies should take place at his rooms at the Kirkwood House, in Washington, at ten o’clock on the morning of the 15th.

The Hon. Salmon P. Chase, Chief-Justice, of the United States, was notified of the fact, and desired to be in attendance to administer the oath of office.

At the above-named hour the following gentlemen assembled in the Vice-President’s room to participate in the ceremony: Hon. Salmon P. Chase, the Hon. Hugh McCulloch, Secretary of the Treasury; Mr. Attorney-General Speed; F. P. Blair, sr.; Montgomery Blair; Senators Foot of Vermont, Yates of Illinois, Ramsay of Minnesota, Stewart of Nevada, Hale of New Hampshire, and General Farnsworth, of Illinois.

After the presentation of the above letter, the Chief-Justice administered the following oath to Mr. Johnson:

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

After receiving the oath and being declared President of the United States, Mr. Johnson remarked:

“Gentlemen: I must be permitted to say that I have been almost overwhelmed by the announcement of the sad event which has so recently occurred. I feel incompetent to perform duties so important and responsible as those which have been so unexpectedly thrown upon me. As to an indication of any policy which may be pursued by me in the administration of the Government, I have to say that must be left for development as the Administration progresses. The message or declaration must be made by the acts as they transpire. The only assurance that I can now give of the future is reference to the past. The course which I have taken in the past in connection with this rebellion must be regarded as a guarantee of the future. My past public life, which has been long and laborious, has been founded, as I in good conscience believe, upon a great principle of right, which lies at the basis of all things. The best energies of my life have been spent in endeavoring to establish and perpetuate the principles of free government, and I believe that the government, in passing through its present perils, will settle down upon principles consonant with popular rights, more permanent and enduring than heretofore. I must be permitted to say, if I understand the feelings of my own heart, I have long labored to ameliorate and elevate the condition of the great mass of the American people. Toil and an honest advocacy of the great principles of free government have been my lot. The duties have been mine—the consequences are God’s. This has been the foundation of my political creed. I feel that in the end the government will triumph, and that these great principles will be permanently established. In conclusion, gentlemen, let me say that I want your encouragement and countenance. I shall ask and rely upon you and others in carrying the government through its present perils. I feel in making this request that it will be heartily responded to by you and all other patriots and lovers of the rights and interests of a free people.”

At the conclusion of the above remarks the President received the kind wishes of the friends by whom he was surrounded. A few moments were devoted to conversation. All were deeply impressed with the solemnity of the occasion.

THE CLOSE OF SHERMAN’S CAMPAIGN. SURRENDER OF GENERAL JOHNSTON.

In the latter part of March and the first days of April, 1865, the rebel army under General J. E. Johnston was encamped in the neighborhood of Smithfield, North Carolina, and was protecting Raleigh. General Sherman’s forces were at Goldsboro’, and in that vicinity. On the 6th of April the news of the Virginia victories reached General Sherman. Four days later, on the 10th inst., at daybreak, his army commenced its final advance against the enemy. Major-General H. W. Slocum took the two direct roads for Smithfield; Major-General O. O. Howard made a circuit by the right, and feigned up the Weldon road, to disconcert the enemy’s cavalry; Generals Terry and Kilpatrick moved on the west side of the Neuse river, and aimed to reach the rear of the enemy between Smithfield and Raleigh. General Schofield followed General Slocum, in support. All the columns met, within six miles of Goldsboro’, more or less cavalry, with the usual rail barricades, which were swept away as chaff; and by 10 A. M. of the 11th, the Fourteenth corps entered Smithfield, the Twentieth corps close at hand. Johnston had rapidly retreated across the Neuse river, and, having his railroad to lighten up his trains, could retreat faster than the National forces could pursue. The rains had also set in, making the resort to corduroy absolutely necessary to pass even ambulances. The enemy had burned the bridge at Smithfield, but, as soon as possible, Major-General Slocum got up his pontoons, and crossed over a division of the Fourteenth corps. News of the surrender of Lee’s army, at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, was here received, and was announced to the armies in orders, creating universal joy. “Not an officer or soldier of my armies,” says General Sherman, “but expressed a pride and satisfaction that it fell to the lot of the armies of the Potomac and James so gloriously to overwhelm and capture the entire army that had held them so long in check; and their success gave us new impulse to finish up our task.”

Marching still onward in rapid pursuit, General Sherman’s soldiers passed through Raleigh, on the 13th. Johnston was at Greensboro’, and his army was retreating from Hillsboro’, on all the roads leading to the former point.

Such was the position of affairs, when General Sherman received the first communication from his adversary, in reference to terms of capitulation. At noon, on the 17th, the two commanders met.

Says General Sherman: “Our interview was frank and soldier-like, and he gave me to understand that further war on the part of the Confederate troops was folly; that the ‘cause’ was lost, and that every life sacrificed after the surrender of Lee’s army was the highest possible crime. He admitted that the terms conceded to General Lee were magnanimous, and all he could ask; but he did want some general concessions that would enable him to allay the natural fears and anxieties of his followers, and enable him to maintain his control over them until they could be got back to the neighborhood of their homes, thereby saving the State of North Carolina the devastation which would result from turning his men loose and unprovided on the spot, and our pursuit across the State.

“He also wanted to embrace in the same general proposition the fate of all the Confederate armies that remained in existence. I never made any concession as to his own army, or assumed to deal finally and authoritatively in regard to any other; but it did seem to me that there was presented a chance for peace that might be deemed valuable to the government of the United States, and was at least worth the few days that would be consumed in reference. To push an enemy whose commander had so frankly and honestly confessed his inability to cope with me, were cowardly, and unworthy the brave men I led.”

On the 18th, the two Generals again met, and agreed upon a basis of terms for capitulation of the rebel army, to be referred to the President of the United States; and, in the mean time, a truce was declared between the belligerents. General Sherman improved the delay by rushing on the work on the railroad to Raleigh, and thus strengthening himself for battle—if battle should come. On the 23d, General Sherman learned that the government—President Lincoln being dead—disapproved of his basis for Johnston’s capitulation, and ordered the truce to end. He immediately notified his opponent, to that effect, and that the truce would end at noon on the 26th. On the night of the 25th, General Sherman received a letter from General Johnston, asking for another interview. By this time General Grant had arrived at Raleigh, and was in communication with General Sherman. The interview was granted; and, on the 26th of April, at 2 o’clock, Generals Sherman and Johnston met, and signed the articles of capitulation, by which the latter surrendered his whole army to the former.

General Sherman’s conduct, at this stage of the war, has been made the subject of adverse criticism by official persons of high station. These pages, however, have not space enough for the details of this controversy. Yet it should be said, in justice to one of the greatest warriors of history, that, throughout all his negotiations, and down to the close of his connection with the war, General Sherman’s conduct was that of a patriot, a soldier, and a gentleman. The terms finally allowed to General Johnston were the same that had previously been allowed to General Lee.

The following is General Sherman’s farewell address to his army:—

“HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, }
“In the Field, Washington, D. C., May 30, 1865. }