The Last Weeks of Abraham Lincoln

by David Alan Johnson

  The president went on to proclaim that “all persons detected in that nefarious traffic” will be arrested and tried by court martial and, if convicted, “shall receive the punishment due to their deserts.”1

  During his first term in office, the president was fully preoccupied with the war and how it was being conducted—with the performance of General George B. McClellan and his less-than-successful campaign against Robert E. Lee in 1862; with General Grant's siege of Vicksburg in 1863; with the course of the US Navy's blockade of Southern ports; and his own chances of being reelected in 1864. But now all those problems were safely behind him. The war looked to be nearing its end.

  If everything went the way Lincoln hoped, the fighting might be over by early summer or even before that. He now had the time to focus on items that would occupy his time and his thoughts during the remainder of his second term, beyond the war. One of these matters was the settling of the West, which meant creating new states and protecting settlers from “hostile Indians.” His concern was no longer centered on the North and the South. He could now afford to consider the future of all the states, and the entire reunified country. Lincoln's proclamation of March 17, 1865, was a step in that direction.

  On the same day, President Lincoln made a speech to the 140th Indiana Regiment, during which he presented the regiment with a flag that it had captured a Fort Anderson, North Carolina, that past February. After making his presentation, the president turned to the main point of his remarks—the recruitment of black soldiers into the Confederate army. Or, as Lincoln put it, “the recent attempt of our erring brethren,” as he called the Confederates, “to employ the negro to fight for them.”2

  As far as Lincoln was concerned, any black man who agreed “to fight for those who would keep them in slavery” deserved to be a slave.3 But recruiting slaves was also another indication that the Confederacy was on its last legs, and that it would not be very long before the rebellion collapsed. “We must now see the bottom of the enemy's resources,” he told his audience. “They have drawn upon their last branch of resources. And we can now see the bottom.”

  The speech was good-natured, and was interrupted several times by applause and laughter. But the president's message was clear enough—the war was almost over, the end was in sight, and he “could see the bottom.” He ended with, “I am glad to see the end so near at hand,” which was received with another round of applause. “I have now said more than I intended, and I will therefore bid you goodbye.”4 But he was also afraid that there would be one more big battle before it all ended, possibly something on the scale of Gettysburg or Antietam/Sharpsburg, and he feared for the resulting loss of life during that battle.

  The president spent most of the weekend tending to administrative duties. He authorized General Edward R. S. Canby to assist in raising funds for the Orphans’ Home of the State of Mississippi, discharged a Private Charles T. Dorsett from the army at the request of the soldier's father, and annulled the sentences of two contractors named Benjamin G. Smith and Franklin W. Smith, both of whom were convicted of committing fraud against the government. Lincoln did not believe that the two had willfully defrauded the government and declared that “the judgement and sentence are disapproved and declared null.”1

  Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, who was well acquainted with the details of this particular case, thought that Lincoln's famous charity was misplaced in this instance, and that he never should have overturned the conviction. “It is, I regret to say, a discreditable endorsement,” Welles reflected, “and would, if made public, be likely to injure the president.”2 Secretary Welles did not think Lincoln was being charitable or compassionate, only unwise.

  On Sunday, March 19, Lincoln approved General John Pope's “plan of action for Missouri,” which the general had sent earlier in the month.3 Missouri was a border state that supplied men to both sides, and also had had a history of vicious guerilla fighting since the beginning of the war. General Pope's proposal was to remove all “United States troops” from the state, unless they were needed “to defend it against an armed invasion.” As long as Federal troops remained, Pope explained, “they will be a constant source of embarrassment and a difficult obstacle to the renewal of the civil administration.” General Pope recommended that the troops be withdrawn, so that Missouri could form its own state government. The president agreed with Pope's recommendation and sent his approval.

  This is another instance of President Lincoln looking beyond the war, and of taking the postwar development of the country into consideration. Most of his second term would be concerned with reconciling and reunifying the country. Approving General Pope's endorsement was another step toward reunification.

  General Sherman was still doing his best to join with General Grant at Petersburg, but, as ever, was being slowed by bad roads, bad maps, and General Joseph E. Johnston. “The country was very obscure,” General Sherman complained, “and the maps extremely defective.”4 All the roads were basically rivers of mud, and Joe Johnston always seemed to be somewhere nearby, just waiting for the chance to strike.

  On March 19, cannon fire came from the direction of Bentonville. “Johnston's army struck the head of Slocum's columns,” Sherman would write.5 The heaviest day of fighting was March 19, but the battle went on for several more days—Sherman considered the fighting of March 20 and 21 nothing more than “mere skirmishing.” By March 23, every one of Sherman's corps had reached Goldsboro, in spite of all opposition and inconveniences, “thus effecting a perfect junction of all the army at that point, as originally contemplated.”

  Now that Sherman's army had arrived at its goal, the next step was to move north into Virginia—“to resume our march,” according to General Sherman, “and come within the theatre of General Grant's field of operations.”6 At this point in time, Sherman thought his army could do absolutely anything he asked it to do. It had just made “one of the longest and most important marches ever made by any organized army in a civilized country”—from Savannah to Goldsboro, 425 miles in fifty days, had destroyed Columbia and Fayetteville, forced the evacuation of Charleston, had “utterly broken up” all the railroads in South Carolina, and had accomplished all of this “with the army in superb order.”

  Now that he had done all of these impressive things, what General Sherman wanted most of all was to finish up the war with his old friend Grant. He would rest his army at Goldsboro, refit, reequip, pick up some rations, and march to Petersburg. In Sherman's own words, his men were “ragged, dirty, and saucy, and we must rest and fix up a little.”7 Sherman had the idea that Grant should wait for him and his army to arrive, so that they could begin their spring offensive against General Lee together. The two armies, teamed up and fighting together, would make an unbeatable combination and would be able to achieve anything: capture Richmond, overwhelm General Lee, or whatever General Grant might have in mind—at least in General Sherman's considered opinion.

  But General Grant did not share his friend's enthusiasm. “Sherman was anxious that I should stay where I was until he could come up, and make a sure thing of it,” he later would write, “but I had determined to move as soon as the roads and weather would admit my doing so.” He would have to wait until Philip Sheridan arrived with his cavalry, “as both his presence and that of his cavalry were necessary to the execution of the plans which I had in mind.”8

  General Grant was not inclined to stay in Petersburg until General Sherman showed up. His main anxiety was still that General Lee and his army would get away from him and escape to North Carolina. He intended to begin operations against Lee around March 28, and did not have the time to wait for Sherman. “Every possible precaution was taken meanwhile to prevent Lee from withdrawing his army,” General Grant's aide, Colonel Horace Porter, recalled. “Scouts and spies were more active than ever before; about 30,000 men were kept virtually on the picket line, and all the troops were equipped and supplied, ready to make a forced march at a moment's notice in case Lee shou
ld be found moving.”9

  Although Grant was nervous about General Lee and what he had planned for the immediate future, just about everyone in Washington seemed to be optimistic about the war and its impending outcome. “The news from the army continues favorable,” Gideon Welles wrote, “and it seems impossible for the Rebel leaders to continue much longer to hold out.”10 But President Lincoln did not agree with this point of view. If anything, he was even more anxious than Grant. Lincoln wanted to end the war as quickly as possible, and with as little additional loss of life as possible. He did not want Lee to escape from Petersburg, which would extend the fighting for another three to six months, and possibly longer.

  At about 10:00 a.m., General Grant telegraphed President Lincoln, “Can you not visit City Point for a day or two? I would like very much to see you, and I think the rest would do you good.”1

  The president did not need much coaxing. He replied to General Grant later that day: “Your kind invitation received,” Lincoln wrote. “Had already thought of going immediately after the next rain. Will go sooner if any reason for it. Mrs. L. and a few others will probably accompany me. Will notify you of exact time, once it shall be fixed upon.”2

  Lincoln had been looking for an excuse to get away from Washington and everything—and everybody—that went with it for quite some time. This was his excuse. He realized that this would be a working vacation, at best, but at least it would be a change.

  City Point was General Grant's headquarters, and was also the main supply depot for the Army of the Potomac. Since 1861, it had evolved from a small riverside village to a burgeoning seaport on the James River, about ten miles northeast of Petersburg. The base was dirty and overcrowded, with wharves and docks that stretched all along the riverfront for over a mile. All these wharves and warehouses kept the army supplied with everything it needed, from artillery ammunition to fresh bread. City Point was nobody's idea of a vacation resort, but at least the trip would get Lincoln away from the White House for a while.

  But the trip would not be all rest and relaxation. While he was at City Point, the president would also meet with General Grant to discuss the end of the war and what to do about the Army of Northern Virginia. Specifically, he wanted to make certain that Grant did not discuss any subjects with General Lee except purely military matters. Grant was forbidden to make any mention at all regarding peace negotiations, or any subject outside the surrender of Lee's army.

  But before the president did anything else, he had to make arrangements for the journey to City Point. It was decided he would sail from Washington aboard the USS Bat, a side-wheeled steamer that has been described as fast and well-armed. The Bat's captain, Lieutenant Commander John S. Barnes, reported to the White House on this particular Monday to meet with President Lincoln regarding the trip. The president was very friendly and approachable, but Commander Barnes noted that Lincoln had a general look of sadness that upset him. After a few minutes of casual conversation, Lincoln mentioned that Mrs. Lincoln would be joining him on the trip. He asked Commander Barnes if the Bat would be able to accommodate his wife and her personal servant and dresser, Mrs. Elizabeth Keckley.

  Commander Barnes also spoke with Mrs. Lincoln about the coming trip. He was introduced to the president's wife, who also was very cordial and friendly. She explained that she would be accompanying her husband to City Point and wanted Barnes to make arrangements to take herself, Mrs. Keckley, and a bodyguard aboard his ship along with the president.

  This presented a problem. USS Bat was a warship. It was built in Liverpool, England, and had been purchased by the Confederate government as a blockade runner. In October 1864, the ship was captured by Union warships off the North Carolina coast and became part of the US Navy's blockade squadron in January 1865. It had not been designed for luxury, and did not have any amenities for women. The Bat would have been fine if the president was going to City Point by himself. He would have been quite comfortable aboard the small, fast boat. But having women on board brought another set of circumstances into the picture. Commander Barnes would discuss the situation with Assistant Secretary of the Navy Gustavus Fox. Between the two of them, they would decide exactly what arrangements would have to be made.

  At City Point, General Ulysses S. Grant was glad that President Lincoln had taken him up on his invitation, but he had more urgent and immediate things on his mind than a presidential visit. General Grant's main concern was still General Robert E. Lee and exactly what Lee was planning for the immediate future of his army. He later found out that General Lee and Confederate president Jefferson Davis had met to discuss “the situation of affairs in and about Richmond and Petersburg,” and also that the two of them had reached the decision that “these places were no longer tenable for them, and that they must get away as soon as possible.”3 Lee and Davis were just waiting for the first opportunity to slip out of the trenches south of Petersburg, which Grant realized would be as soon as the weather and the roads allowed the army to travel. “They, too, were waiting for dry roads,” Grant remembered, “or a condition of the roads which would make it possible for them to move.”

  Lieutenant Commander John S. Barnes returned to the White House with some disappointing news for President Lincoln: USS Bat would not be suitable as transport for his wife to City Point. The Bat was a steel-hulled warship, designed as a blockade runner. It was one of the fastest ships afloat—it was certainly capable of outrunning anything the Confederates sent to challenge her—but it did not have the toilet facilities or any of the amenities that Mrs. Lincoln would require. The president seemed more amused than annoyed by this report. Commander Barnes remembered that Lincoln “translated our difficulties” with accommodating women aboard a warship in “very funny terms.”1

  But Commander Barnes and Assistant Secretary Fox had another idea. Instead of traveling to City Point aboard the Bat, the side-wheeled passenger boat River Queen would be put at the president's disposal. The River Queen was unarmed and was manned by a civilian crew, but was also larger, much more luxurious, and would be much more comfortable for Mrs. Lincoln. In other words, the River Queen was not as safe as the Bat but was much more spacious. The president gave his consent—he and his wife would travel to City Point aboard the River Queen, with the Bat as an armed escort.

  The president may have been satisfied to be traveling aboard the River Queen, but Assistant Secretary Fox, along with Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, were apprehensive, to put it mildly. Both Fox and Welles were very concerned over the president's safety and were also well aware that Lincoln was under threat of assassination by Confederate fanatics. From the time of his election in November 1860 and all throughout his four years as president, he had received a steady influx of threatening letters.

  The secretary of war, Edwin M. Stanton, had been against the trip from the beginning. As far as Stanton was concerned, City Point was no place to be visiting as a vacation stop—it was a military base, not a holiday resort, and was also on the edge of a war zone. He was afraid that the Confederates would somehow find out that the president was visiting Grant's headquarters and stage some sort of guerrilla raid to either kill or capture Lincoln. A bomb had recently exploded at one of the base's docks, damaging at least one ship, blowing up stores and equipment, and making a wreck of dockside facilities. Taking Lincoln prisoner, or killing him, would not give the South any sort of military advantage, but it would certainly give a boost to Confederate morale. And the South was just desperate enough to resort to such a plot.

  Both Commander Barnes and Assistant Secretary Fox were just as alarmed as Stanton. They also agreed that Lincoln would be putting himself in danger just by going to City Point. Traveling aboard the unarmed River Queen would increase the danger. The large passenger ship would make a very inviting target for enemy gunners.

  The problem of the president's safety was at least partially solved by assigning the USS Bat as an escort. The president and his wife would be aboard the River Queen, but the Bat and
her guns would be right beside her. Fox and Stanton were still anxious about the president's trip, but giving him an armed naval escort helped to put everyone's mind at least slightly more at ease.

  President Lincoln had no anxieties at all over his impending trip. He was looking forward to it and could not wait to get out of Washington. As far as he was concerned, assassination plots and kidnapping conspiracies were not worth worrying about. If Fox and Welles and Stanton wanted to wring their hands in anxiety, that was up to them. He was determined to enjoy himself, or at least to do his best.

  The president never paid much attention to his own personal safety. Some referred to this trait as physical courage, others thought that it was fatalism on Lincoln's part, and some people put it down to stupidity. Whatever his reason, he never gave any thought to the possibility that he might be shot, in spite of the fact that there were Southern fanatics in Washington who would have thought nothing of sacrificing their own lives for the chance to kill the president.

  In July 1864, Lincoln had decided to visit Fort Stevens, one of the installations defending Washington, during Confederate general Jubal A. Early's raid on the capital. He arrived unannounced, riding in a carriage with his wife. His main reason for the visit was to see the situation at Fort Stevens for himself—the fort was under attack at the time—as well as to raise the morale of its defenders.

  Lincoln was met by the commander of the Sixth Corps, General Horatio Wright, who asked the president if he would like to see some of the fighting. To General Wright's surprise, Lincoln said yes. The president then proceeded to climb up on one of the fort's ramparts, where he could get a good view of the shooting that was going on just outside.

  Jubal Early's sharpshooters could see the president a lot better than he could see them. Lincoln was very tall—six feet, four inches tall, with a few extra inches added by his boots and his stovepipe hat. Confederate snipers occupied the upper stories of houses near the fort and were routinely picking off any Union soldiers who showed themselves. A medical officer standing only a few feet from Lincoln was hit in the leg (some sources say the ankle) by a sharpshooter's bullet. But in spite of this, knowing that he had placed himself in danger, the president continued to stand where he was.