Six days later, April 9th, 1865, General Lee surrendered, and generous peace terms were signed. Men could go to their homes and be safe as long as they did nothing against the Federal government.
There was a roar in Washington when these terms were known. They were “far too easy,” it was said. And how did it happen, many asked, that both Grant and Sherman wrote the peace agreement in almost identical words? Politicians rushed to complain to the President. No one seemed to remember the conference on the River Queen. That trip had not been publicized.
“It’s too late for a change, gentlemen,” Mr. Lincoln told them firmly. “Our generals have announced terms which have been accepted. Now we must stand by our given word.” Thus he showed himself to be a master politician.
On the afternoon of the fourteenth of April the President held a long and important cabinet meeting. Plans for the government of the South were informally discussed. Let private citizens go about business unmolested, the members advised, if they committed no hostile act against the government. Put war frictions aside. Let departments of government, the post office, and the treasury begin to work as best they could as though the South had never rebelled.
General Grant had met with the cabinet. As the meeting adjourned the President invited the general and his wife to be his guests at the theater that evening. But they were leaving the city and had to decline the honor.
The day was fine. After the meeting the President and Mrs. Lincoln went for a drive, alone. He talked of their future plans. “Mary,” he said, “we have had a hard time of it since we came to Washington, but the war is over, and with God’s blessing we may hope for four years of peace and happiness; then we will go back to Illinois and pass the rest of our lives in quiet.”
Planning happily, they drove home to supper.
• CHAPTER NINETEEN •
APRIL 15, 1865
Visitors detained the President at the White House; so he and Mrs. Lincoln and their guests, Major Rathbone and his fiancée, were late in arriving at the theater that evening. The place was crowded; many in the audience were returning soldiers who had come in the hope of seeing their President. When Lincoln appeared, the play stopped and the band struck up “Hail to the Chief.” The audience rose and cheered. The President bowed, and the play went on.
At noon that very day, John Wilkes Booth, a mad fanatic favoring the South, had heard that Lincoln was to attend the theater. He promptly made plans for a deed that had been in his mind for some time.
Abraham Lincoln’s home in Springfield.
About ten o’clock that evening he left his horse by the rear door of the theater and went to the hallway by the President’s box. He carried with him a knife and a pistol. Sneaking into the box, he fired directly at the back of Lincoln’s head.
Major Rathbone grabbed Booth, and was terribly cut in the arm. Booth shook the major off and leaped to the stage. The shot, then the leap, made many think that this was a part of the play. They were uneasy, but not frightened, until Major Rathbone shouted.
“Stop him! He has shot the President!”
The audience stared in horror. The theater was in wild confusion. Booth had caught his spur on a flag draped over the box; he fell on the stage and broke his leg. But the uncertainty of the audience gave him the chance to regain his balance, reach his horse, and gallop away.
In the President’s box it was seen at once that Lincoln was fatally hurt. Doctors came. He was tenderly carried to a home across the street. Members of the cabinet, more doctors, his son Robert, and dozens of friends hurried to offer aid. But the man they wanted to save was injured beyond hope of recovery. After hours of unconsciousness, the President died about seven o’clock on the morning of April 15th.
By that hour, grieving crowds thronged Washington streets grabbing extra editions of newspapers which printed the awful news in great black letters:
EXTRA
THE PRESIDENT SHOT AT
THE THEATRE LAST EVENING
DEATH
OF
THE PRESIDENT
Black-bordered columns told the sad story. All over the country wires and presses were worked overtime carrying the news. People wept openly as they met on the street. The President’s death was a shocking blow to the nation. The South lost a friend it hardly knew. The country lost a wise and experienced guide it sorely needed.
Services were held in the White House on Tuesday and among the Bible verses read were some phrases that told people’s thoughts better than commonplace words:
“Man is cut down as a flower. Yet death may be swallowed up in victory.”
Then began the long, sad journey back to the prairie state.
Lincoln’s fellow countrymen wanted to pay personal tribute to their fallen hero, so arrangements were made for many stops—in New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago, and other places. The black-draped train crept across the country between rows of weeping citizens. Cities, shrouded in crepe, echoed to the sound of funeral dirges, and ordinary business was suspended during two weeks of mourning. The final rites were held in Springfield on the fourth of May.
All this while the newspapers were filled with accounts of Lincoln’s life. They recounted his hope of saving the Union, his faith, his hard work, his good judgment, and his kindness. He was a friend of all, the papers said, North and South, slave and free, and never had a man had higher ideals for his country.
Years have passed. And with each changing season the figure of Abraham Lincoln has grown. People have seen that his genius was many-sided. He chose law and politics for his lifework, but he might have been an actor: his sense of timing was perfect, and he had that gift for mimicry. Or he might have been a writer: he wrote poetry and satire as well as his excellent speeches. Instead he had poured all his gifts into the work he cared for most, political life. The stirring times in which he lived rewarded him with enduring fame.
In time he became the symbol of the American dream, the backwoods boy who, uneducated and lacking wealth and influence, won the highest office in the land. And he had not won by lucky political chance alone but by his honesty, dignity, and kindness. At a time when he might have gained popularity he stood stanchly for what he believed was true; when he might have compromised and had an easier entrance into the White House, he held to his given word.
The boy Abe Lincoln had pondered on the Declaration of Independence in Azel Dorsey’s school and had memorized the stirring words, All men are created equal.
The grown man Abraham Lincoln had learned that men are not equal in all ways. He would never be as rich as Senator Douglas; neither would Douglas be as tall as Lincoln. The Declaration did not promise impossibilities. Its signers were forming a new government. They wrote down what they proposed men’s rights should be under the law. The document they wrote declared a man’s right to live, to be free, and to try to be happy.
Abraham Lincoln gave his life to keep united a country dedicated to that ideal for men and women of every race and every creed.
LINCOLN’S OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Abraham Lincoln is best known, of course, for being the president to preserve the Union of States and abolish slavery. But he was responsible for many other accomplishments that still have impact on us today.
1. He reinforced the idea that the duty of the Executive Branch of government is to enforce the laws enacted by Congress. He did not believe that a President should actively steer the laws themselves but simply enforce them. To this day, this is a principle the Republican Party champions.
2. He signed the Homestead Act, which gave millions of acres of government-owned land to settlers at low cost. This helped develop the western territories very quickly, creating the nation we know today.
3. He signed the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act, providing the lands for colleges and universities in each state.
4. He supported the creation of the transcontinental railroad through the Pacific Railway Act.
5. In 1861, he created the first U.S. incom
e tax by signing the Revenue Act.
6. He led the creation of a national banking system through the National Banking Act of 1862.
7. He made Thanksgiving a national holiday, not just a regional New England celebration.
Tickets to Ford’s Theater.
The box in which assassin John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln during the president’s visit to Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.
⋆ CAST OF CHARACTERS ⋆
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
The 16th President of the United States.
MARY TODD LINCOLN
Abraham Lincoln’s wife, born in Lexington, Kentucky.
JOHN T. STUART
Abraham Lincoln’s first law partner; the man credited with getting Lincoln interested in the law.
MENTOR GRAHAM
An influential teacher of Abraham Lincoln’s during Lincoln’s young adult years in New Salem, Illinois.
MAJOR GENERAL GEORGE MEADE
Leader of the Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Gettysburg.
GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT
Commanding General of the United States Army from 1860 to 1864 and later 18th President of the United States.
STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS
U.S. representative and senator from Illinois and candidate for the presidency in 1860.
JOSHUA SPEED
A close friend of Lincoln’s and his partner in ownership of a general store in New Salem, Illinois.
WILLIAM HERNDON
A fellow employee at Joshua Stuart’s law firm, Lincoln and Herndon formed their own law firm in Springfield, Illinois, in 1844.
WILLIAM SEWARD
Although a political rival to Lincoln for the party presidential nomination in 1860, Seward was named Secretary of State by Lincoln.
GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE
Commanding general of the Army of Northern Virginia and the most important military leader of the Confederacy.
JOHN WILKES BOOTH
American stage actor and Confederate sympathizer who assassinated President Lincoln.
INDEX
A
Adams, John Quincy, 61
Allen, Charles, 135–137
Armstrong, “Duff,” 135–138
Armstrong, Jack, 83–84, 135
Army of the Potomac (Union Army), 187–188, 193–194, 199–200
Ashmun, George, 153, 155
B
Baker, Edward, 124, 175
Bell, John, 164
Bergen, Abram, 80
Berry, William, 95, 96
Billy the Barber, 114–115, 168
Black Hawk War, 91–92
Booth, John Wilkes, 209–210
Breckinridge, John, 164
Brown, John, 152
Burnside, Ambrose, 188
Butler, William, 110
C
Camron, John, 74–75
Cartwright, Peter, 125
circuit courts, 134–138
Civil War
Antietam, 184, 187
Bull Run, 180
Chancellorsville, 193
Chattanooga, 200
Emancipation Proclamation and, 182–185
end of, 206–207
fall of Richmond, 204–206
Fort Sumter and, 178–179
Gettysburg, 194
Gettysburg Address, 195–197
Lincoln and his generals in, 187–188, 191–194, 199–200, 206
Lincoln’s grief about, 191–192
presidential election (1864) and, 201–202
as “railroad war,” 189–190
slavery and, 180, 182
start of, 179
threat of, 166–167
Vicksburg, 192–193, 200
Clary Grove boys, 83–84
Clary, John, 81, 83
Clay, Henry, 25, 36, 61
Confederate States of America (CSA), 166, 178–179, 191, 204–205, 206
Congressional Medal of Honor, 191
Crawford, Andrew, 40
Crawford, Josiah, 53–54
D
Davis, David, 134–135, 153
Davis, Jefferson, 166, 179, 205
Democratic Party, 117, 143, 147, 151–152, 164, 166
Department of Agriculture, 190
Dill brothers, 55–57
Douglas, Stephen A.
Abe’s debates with, 147–151
congressional campaign, 116
Lincoln’s inaugural address and, 174
pictured, 156
and presidential campaign, 147, 151
and slavery issue, 140–142, 144, 147–151
in state legislature, 102–103
Dubois, Jesse, 153
E
Emancipation Proclamation, 176, 182–185
Everett, Edward, 194
F
Farragut, David G., 204
Fleurville, William de “Billy the Barber,” 114–115, 168
Fort Sumter, 167, 178–179
G
Gentry, Allen, 51, 61–62
Gentry, James, 51–52, 65
Gettysburg Address, 195–197
Graham, Mentor, 80–81, 81, 85, 96, 98, 174
Grant, Ulysses S., 179, 192–193, 198, 199–200, 202, 204, 206
Greeley, Horace, 183
Greene, Billy, 80, 81
H
Hall, Levi, 65, 69
Hall, Matilda Johnston, 65
Hanks, Dennis, 15–16, 19, 25, 36, 41, 44, 61, 65, 69
Hanks, John, 64, 65, 72, 72–73, 160
Hanks, Joseph, 64
Harper’s Ferry, 152
Herndon, James, 94–95
Herndon, Rowan, 90–91
Herndon, William, 125, 129–130, 133–134, 153, 167
Homestead Act, 213
Hooker, “Fighting Joe,” 188, 193
I
Illinois
Lincoln family move to, 64–67, 69
“Long Nine” in, 107–108
Sangamon County elections, 86–87, 92, 94, 98
settlement of, 69–70
slavery and, 123
state capital of, 107–108, 111, 119
state legislature of, 103, 107–109
“In God We Trust” motto, 189
Indiana, 27, 61. See Pigeon Creek, Indiana
J
Jackson, Andrew, 61
Johnston, Elizabeth, 42, 65
Johnston, John, 42, 44, 65, 72–73, 76
Johnston, Matilda, 42, 51, 65
Jones, William, 52, 59–60
K
Kansas-Nebraska Act, 142–143, 150, 191
Keckley, Elizabeth, 181
Kelso, Jack, 81, 82
Kentucky, 24, 27, 56–57
L
Lee, Robert E., 179–180, 191, 194–195, 206
Lincoln, Abraham
assassination of, 209–211
birth of, 11
books and, 44–46, 52–54, 59, 82, 85–86, 92, 94–95
childhood of, 10–17, 21–25, 30, 46–47
debt and, 95–97
Emancipation Proclamation, 182–185
Executive Branch of government and, 213
on free speech, 118–119
Gettysburg Address by, 195–197
“House Divided” speech of, 144
inaugural addresses of, 174–175, 177, 203–204
legacy of, 212, 213, 215
license to practice law, 108
“Lost Speech” of, 143
mother’s death and, 37, 39–40
move to Indiana, 30–32, 34
personal qualities of, 54, 70, 84, 98
pictured, 48, 100, 120, 186
political issues and, 60–61, 65–66, 80, 86–87, 94, 105–106, 123, 127–130
presidental accomplishments of, 189, 213
presidential campaign (1860), 151–155, 164
presidential election (1860), 165–166
presidential election (1864), 201–202
public speaking and, 51, 72, 81, 94, 143, 149
re-election
to state legislature, 105–106, 119
Sangamon County elections, 86–87, 92, 94, 98
schooling of, 19–21, 45–46
slavery issue and, 142–145, 147–151
as state representative, 99, 101–103, 107–109
stepmother and, 41–45
in U.S. Congress, 125, 127–130
Lincoln-Douglas debates, 147–151
Lincoln, Edward Baker (son), 125, 133, 138,
Lincoln, Mary Todd
pictured, 126
relationship with Lincoln and, 112, 124
in Springfield, 139
in Washington, 173, 177–178, 181, 200, 203–204
Willie’s death and, 181, 203
Lincoln, Nancy Hanks (mother), 13–15, 22–24, 26–27, 34, 37, 39
“Lincoln Penny,” 189
Lincoln, Robert Todd (son), 125, 133, 173, 178, 204
Lincoln, Sarah Bush (stepmother), 41–45, 64, 167
Lincoln, Sarah (sister), 13–15, 19–21, 31–32, 34, 36–37, 40–43, 45, 65
Lincoln, Thomas (father), 10–13
first wife’s death and, 37, 39–40
land problems of, 25–27
move to Coles County and, 76
move to Illinois and, 64–67, 69–70
move to Indiana and, 29–32
political issues and, 61
second wife and, 41–45
young Lincoln’s reading habit and, 52–53
Lincoln, Thomas “Tad” (son), 138–139, 155, 159, 173, 178, 180–181, 188, 204, 205
Lincoln, William Wallace (son), 138, 155, 159, 173, 178, 180–181, 191, 203
Logan, Stephen T., 94, 95, 121–122, 153
Louisiana Purchase, 127, 140–142
M
McClellan, George B., 182, 186, 187–188
McNeil, John, 81, 98
Meade, George, 193–194, 199
Mexican War, 127–130
Missouri Compromise, 140–142, 143, 166
N
National Banking Act of 1862, 213
Abraham Lincoln Page 14
