The Last Weeks of Abraham Lincoln

by David Alan Johnson

  The end of the war was not very far off, both General Grant and President Lincoln could see that. Lee's army was still in the field, but the fighting spirit of his troops was low and he was having trouble keeping his men supplied with rations. Anything that could be done to bring the Confederates to the point of surrender—outfighting them, outmaneuvering them, or starving them into submission—would be done by Grant. The president was completely in favor of anything that Grant might do to shorten the war and bring it to an end.

  A telegram sent by President Lincoln to General Nathaniel P. Banks gives some idea of exactly how preoccupied he had become in recent weeks. General Banks had telegraphed the president that he was ready to leave for New Orleans and return to duty, as he had been instructed—“I am ready and desire any instructions you may have.” The president wired back on the same day, admitting, “I have been so much occupied with other thoughts that I really have no directions to give you.” His only orders for General Banks were to “go at once” to New Orleans and he would be in touch. Seeing the war to a successful conclusion, along with restoring the Union and securing the peace, had been too much on Lincoln's mind. He did not have any time to think about much else.1

  Along with these items, another issue causing President Lincoln anxiety was the legal readmitting of the seceded states back into the Union. John A. Campbell came on board the USS Malvern to speak with the president, as Lincoln had invited him, especially to discuss the readmission of Virginia into the United States. Campbell tried to persuade several prominent Virginians to come along with him to visit the president, but only one man, a well-known Richmond attorney named Gustavus A. Myers, agreed to accompany him.

  President Lincoln opened the meeting by handing out a document that listed three conditions for peace that he considered indispensable and non-negotiable. “He had prepared a paper which he commented on as he read each clause,” Campbell said.2 The first of Lincoln's terms called for “The restoration of the national authority.” The second condition stated that there should be “No receding by the Executive of the United States on the slavery question,” and the final clause addressed the “cessation of hostilities,” which would not take place short of an end of the war and “all forces hostile to the government” were disbanded. Lincoln's conditions also stated that “all propositions coming from those now in hostility to the government” would be “respectfully considered,” but went on to say that “if the war be now further persisted in,” the “additional cost” would be paid for by Confederate property that had been confiscated by the United States government.3

  Both John Campbell and Gustavus Myers read their copy of the document. They had no objection to the clause that dealt with “the slavery question.” According to a telegram sent by Lincoln's Assistant Secretary of War Charles A. Dana, “Slavery they admit to be defunct.”4 They also asked for “an amnesty and a military convention, to cover appearances.” If amnesty could be offered, “the rebel army would dissolve and all the States return.”

  General Weitzel recalled that the president did not promise amnesty, “but told them he had the pardoning power, and would save any repentant sinner from hanging.”5 But arranging any sort of political agreement presented its share of difficulties. The main problem was that there were no Confederate authorities available to sign any documents or agreements relating to the restoring of national authority, the disbanding of hostile forces, or anything else. Jefferson Davis, along with the entire Confederate congress, had left Richmond and were nowhere to be found. The “Confederate government” existed in name only.

  But President Lincoln had an idea of his own for bringing Virginia, as the first state to be admitted, back into the Union. According to Admiral Porter, Lincoln gave Campbell and Myers a written order that would allow the Virginia state legislature to convene in the Confederate capitol building “in the absence of all other governments.”6 Because the Confederate government had effectively been disbanded, the Virginia legislature would be acting in its place. Campbell stated that if members of the Virginia government were granted permission to meet in the Confederate capitol, they would proceed to vote Virginia back into the Union. President Lincoln gave Campbell his written permission, which General Weitzel promptly took ashore to deliver to the proper authorities. It looked as though the State of Virginia was well on its way toward withdrawing from the Confederacy and being reinstated into the United States of America.

  But Admiral Porter had something to say that immediately changed the president's mind. The admiral reminded President Lincoln that Richmond was currently under military jurisdiction, which meant that no civil authority would be able to exercise any power without the permission of the general in command of the army—namely General Ulysses S. Grant. Admiral Porter went on to advise President Lincoln that “this order of yours should go through General Grant,” who would be certain to “protest against this arrangement of Mr. Campbell's.”7

  By this time, General Weitzel had already gone ashore with the president's written order. As Admiral Porter remembered, Lincoln immediately called for the order to be returned to him as quickly as possible and asked the admiral to write an order that would rescind his original order. Admiral Porter wrote, “Return my permission to the Legislature of Virginia to meet, and don't allow it to meet at all.”8 Lincoln's order was returned, a possible embarrassment was avoided, and Campbell “never returned to try and reverse the decision.”

  John A. Campbell and the readmission of Virginia to the Union continued to occupy the president's mind. But Lincoln also decided that it was time to leave Richmond and return to City Point; his journey took precedence over everything else that day. Commander Barnes, aboard the USS Bat, left City Point first. The president left later in the day, aboard the USS Malvern, and took time to indulge in some sightseeing along the way. When the Malvern reached the Dutch Gap Canal, “which was one of the engineering features of the day,” President Lincoln wanted to go through it. Admiral Porter ordered a boat lowered, “and we passed through the canal to the James below.”9 The president enjoyed the diversion, and nobody aboard the Malvern objected to the delay it caused.

  As soon as he returned to City Point, President Lincoln went to the telegraph office to read the dispatches that had come in while he was away. One of the telegrams informed him that Mary Lincoln would be returning from Washington with a group that included Lincoln's old friend Attorney General Joshua Speed, Senator Charles Sumner, French aristocrat the Marquis de Chambrun, and Elizabeth Keckley. One Lincoln biographer wrote that Mary Lincoln was “determined to show that she had recovered from her bout of paranoia.”10

  Another telegram, sent by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, stated that Secretary of State William Seward had been seriously injured in a carriage accident at about four o'clock in that afternoon that day. “Mr. Seward was thrown from his carriage…his head and face much bruised and he is in my opinion dangerously injured.”11

  The horses pulling Secretary Seward's carriage had bolted and run off at full speed, with Seward inside the carriage. He tried to jump from the carriage when the horses slowed to make a turn but lost his balance and was thrown to the pavement. Bystanders carried the secretary to his nearby house, badly hurt and unconscious. Along with a broken arm, Secretary Seward's jaw had been fractured in two places, and his face was bruised and swollen almost beyond recognition.

  “I think your presence here is needed,” Secretary Stanton continued. “Please let me know when you might be expected.”12

  Earlier in the day, Secretary Seward had telegraphed the president on the subject of his returning to Washington. “We need your personal attention to several matters here which are important and urgent in conducting the Government but not at all critical or serious,” he said.13 “Are you coming up or shall I go down to you with the papers?” President Lincoln immediately replied, “I think there is no possibility of my remaining here more than two days longer. If that is too long come down.”

  L
incoln was hoping to stay at City Point until General Lee surrendered, which looked to be within the week. He enjoyed City Point, and felt completely refreshed by his visit. But the injury to Secretary Seward forced him to change his plans; there could be no possibility of Seward traveling to City Point, not in his condition. The president would have to go back to Washington sooner than he either wanted or expected.

  At this point in time, while President Lincoln considered returning to Washington, General Robert E. Lee was at the village of Amelia Court House waiting for supplies and rations. General Grant received a dispatch from General Phil Sheridan informing him of the fact: “The whole of Lee's army is at or near Amelia Court House,” and emphasized that “General Lee is at Amelia Court House in person.”14 General Sheridan also pointed out that the Confederates were out of rations, “or nearly so.”

  General Grant contacted General Sherman by written dispatch on April 5, although it would not reach him for three days. In his letter, Grant sent General Sheridan's estimate that Lee's “much demoralized” forces numbered about 20,000 troops, including cavalry.15 Grant also advised Sherman, who was at Goldsboro, North Carolina, “All indications are not that Lee will attempt to reach Danville with the remnants of his force.” He went on to advise “If you can possibly do so push on from where you are, and let us see if we cannot finish the job with Lee's and Johnston's armies,” and to judge for himself whether it would be better for him to strike from Greensboro or nearer to Danville. He ended with, “Rebel armies are now the only strategic points to strike at.”

  General Grant decided to join General George Meade at his headquarters, which was about sixteen miles away. General Grant, Colonel Horace Porter, and three other officers, escorted by fourteen mounted soldiers and led by a scout named Campbell, started on their way when it was nearly dark. After riding for about two hours, enemy campfires could be seen off in the distance. The mounted escort also saw that fence rails had been taken down in several places, an indication that cavalry was on the move in that area. Everyone was well aware that no Federal cavalry units had been in that particular section of the country.

  Colonel Porter began to grow suspicious of the scout Campbell. The colonel was well aware that “scouts are seldom trustworthy, and are often in the employ of both sides,” and he did not know this particular scout very well.16 Also, Campbell was acting in a suspicious manner. At one point, the scout dropped back and turned his horse into a patch of woods that General Grant and his escort had avoided.

  From Colonel Porter's point of view, Campbell “seemed to be acting in a manner that indicated either confusion or treachery.” Fearing that Campbell might be acting in some sort of conspiracy against General Grant, the colonel cocked his revolver and fell in behind the scout, watching to see if he gave any “suspicious signals” to some unseen contact.

  As it turned out, the colonel's suspicions turned out to be completely groundless. Campbell was “only looking for a short cut through the woods,” and had not been thinking of either treason or assassination. But Colonel Porter had not been overreacting. The threat of assassination was very much on everybody's mind, not just relating to President Lincoln but also concerning his general-in-chief and high-ranking government officials in Washington. Confederate agents and sympathizers were rumored to be everywhere. Colonel Porter did not want to take any chances with General Grant's safety.

  General Grant did not even mention the incident, which was typical of him. In his Personal Memoirs all he said was “the night being dark our progress was slow through the woods in the absence of direct roads.”17 The possibility that his scout might be a Confederate assassin probably did not even occur to him. He did mention that he had some difficulty in convincing the soldiers on picket duty “of our identity” when he reached the Union lines, but did not go into any details.

  Colonel Porter did give a few particulars of the general's arrival in camp, noting with amusement that the pickets “could hardly be made to understand that the general-in-chief was wandering about at that hour with so small an escort, and so near the enemy's lines.”18 When word of General Grant's arrival spread through the ranks, the reaction was spirited and a bit sardonic, as might be expected. “Why, there's the old man,” one soldier said. “Boys, this means business.” And, “Uncle Sam's joined the cavalry sure enough. You can bet there'll be lively times here in the morning.”

  After paying his respects to General Sheridan, and after “a good supper of beef, cold chicken, and coffee,” General Grant rode over to General Meade's camp, which was not very far away.19 He discovered that General Meade was not feeling well, still suffering the effects of a recent illness. General Meade had the idea of trying to outmaneuver General Lee, of moving by the right flank and overtaking him. But General Grant was afraid that Meade's strategy would only serve to give Lee “the coveted opportunity of escaping us.”20 He explained to Meade that “we did not want to follow the enemy; we wanted to get ahead of him.” After listening to what Grant had to say, General Meade immediately changed his orders. “They were now given for an advance to Amelia Court House, at an hour early in the morning.”

  Back at City Point, President Lincoln was not aware of any of these details. His most immediate concern was the arrival of his wife, who was on her way from Washington with her entourage, along with thoughts of John A. Campbell and his proposal for bringing Virginia back into the Union. The best news of the day came in the form of his salary warrant in the amount of $1,981.67, his salary for the month of March, 1865.21

  Jefferson Davis left Richmond on April 2, arriving in Danville the next afternoon. From Danville on April 5, he issued what he called a “proclamation” to rally his fellow Southerners to fight on in spite of the fall of Richmond and other recent reverses. In fact, President Davis said, losing the capital city was actually a blessing in disguise. General Lee and his army had been “greatly trammeled” by having to keep a “constant watch over the approaches to the capital.”22 But now that Richmond was in enemy hands, General Lee no longer had that responsibility.

  “We have now entered upon a new phase of the struggle,” President Davis announced. “Relieved from the necessity of guarding particular points, our army will be free to move from point to point, to strike the enemy in detail far from his base.” He went on to state, “I will never consent to abandon to the enemy one foot of the soil of any of the States of the Confederacy,” and promised that no peace would ever be made “with the infamous invaders” of Confederate territory. The proclamation ended with, “Let us, then, not despond, my countrymen, but rely on God, meet the foe with fresh defiance and with unconquered and unconquerable hearts.”

  This was exactly the attitude that President Lincoln did not want to hear, especially coming from Jefferson Davis. Lincoln wanted to end the war and stop the killing as quickly as possible. President Davis was doing his best to extend the war for as long as possible, to “meet the foe with fresh defiance,” and never even consider the possibility of surrender. The war was clearly winding down. Lee's army was on the verge of crumbling, with hundreds of men deserting every day. Now that President Davis was no longer in Richmond, President Lincoln could only hope that Davis's call for defiance would go unheeded.

  The president received a telegram from Secretary of War Stanton, which gave him an update on the condition of Secretary of State Seward. The news was that Secretary Seward's injuries were not as severe as they had first appeared. “Mr. Seward although seriously injured is not in danger,” Stanton reported, and went on to say that the surgeon general “saw no reason for alarm.”1 This came as very welcome news for the president. Not only did it mean that his secretary of state was not in any mortal danger, which everyone seemed to believe on April 5, but it also meant that he would now be able to stay on at City Point for a few more days. There would be no need for him to rush back to Washington and its stress and strain and partisan politics. Instead, he would be able to remain at army headquarters and read the dispatches from
Grant and Sheridan as soon as they came in, which was much more satisfying.

  John A. Campbell and his plan involving the Virginia legislature still had to be dealt with. Lincoln gave a great deal of thought to the situation, and telegraphed General Godfrey Weitzel in Richmond to give instructions regarding “the gentlemen who have acted as the Legislature of Virginia”—he did not want to say “the Virginia legislature,” since this would imply that he was recognizing the Confederate governing body, and, by implication, the Confederacy itself.2 Lincoln instructed General Weitzel that if these “gentlemen” wanted to assemble in Richmond “and take measures to withdraw Virginia troops” from General Lee's army, the general should “give them permission and protection” until such time that they might “attempt some action hostile to the United States.” Anyone attempting any hostile action should be given “reasonable time to leave,” and placed under arrest if they did not leave Richmond within the set time limits. The president ended his message by telling General Weitzel, “Allow Judge Campbell to see this but do not make it public.”

  President Lincoln also contacted General Grant regarding Judge Campbell and the “gentlemen” from the Virginia legislature, probably with Admiral Porter's advice regarding Richmond being under military jurisdiction in mind. The president first summed up what he had said to General Weitzel, namely that the legislature should be allowed to meet in Richmond for the purpose of withdrawing Virginia troops from the Confederate forces—he did not mention anything about the reinstating of Virginia to the Union—and then went on to give his thoughts on Judge Campbell's proposal.

  The president had certainly mulled over his conversation with Judge Campbell and Gustavus Meyer aboard the River Queen, and he evidently had lost his enthusiasm for what had been discussed. “I do not think it very probable that anything will come of this,” he advised General Grant, but thought it best to notify him of the meeting “so that if you should see signs, you may understand them.”3 He added that the measure regarding the withdrawal of Virginia troops from Lee's army was totally unnecessary—“it seems that you are pretty effectually withdrawing the Virginia troops from opposition to the government.” This comment probably gave General Grant a small chuckle.