Lincoln: A Photobiography

by Russell Freedman

  Booth hobbled offstage and out the stage door, where a horse was saddled and waiting. Twelve days later he would be cornered by federal troops and shot in a Virginia barn.

  The theatre was in an uproar. People were shouting, standing on chairs, shoving for the exits, as Laura Keene cried out from the stage, "The president is shot! The president is shot!"

  Two doctors rushed to the president's box. Lincoln had lost consciousness instantly. The bullet had entered his skull above his left ear, cut through his brain, and lodged behind his right eye. The doctors worked over him as Mary hovered beside them, sobbing hysterically. Finally, six soldiers carried the president out of the theatre and across the fog-shrouded street to a boardinghouse, where a man with a lighted candle stood beckoning. He was placed on a four-poster bed in a narrow room off the hallway. The bed wasn't long enough for Lincoln. He had to be laid diagonally across its cornhusk mattress.

  Five doctors worked over the president that night. Now and then he groaned, but it was obvious that he would not regain consciousness. The room filled with members of the cabinet, with congressmen and high government officials. Mary waited in the front parlor. "Bring Tad—he will speak to Tad—he loves him so," she cried. Tad had been attending another play that evening. Sobbing, "They killed my pa, they killed my pa," he was taken back to the White House to wait.

  Blandishing a knife, Booth leaps from the presidential box to the stage. From Harper's Weekly.

  At the stage door, Booth jumps onto a waiting horse and escapes. From Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.

  Robert Lincoln was summoned to join the hushed crowd around his father's bedside. Outside, cavalry patrols clattered down the street. Another assassin had just tried to murder Secretary of State William Seward. Everyone suspected that the attacks were part of a rebel conspiracy to murder several government officials and capture the city.

  By dawn, a heavy rain was falling. Lincoln was still breathing faintly. Robert Lincoln surrendered to tears, then others in the room began to cry. At 7:22 A.M. on April 15, Lincoln died at the age of fifty-six. A doctor folded the president's hands across his chest. Gently he smoothed Lincoln's contracted face muscles, closed his eyelids, and drew a white sheet over his head. It was then that Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton murmured, "Now he belongs to the ages."

  The funeral was held in the East Room of the White House four days later, on April 19. Afterwards, the long funeral procession, led by a detachment of black troops, moved slowly up Pennsylvania Avenue to the muffled beat of drums and the tolling of church bells. When the procession reached the Capitol, Lincoln was carried inside to lie in state under the huge Capitol dome. The next day, thousands of people, black and white, soldiers and civilians, stood patiently in the rain, waiting to file past the open coffin.

  On April 21, a funeral train set out on a sixteen-hundred mile journey to Illinois, carrying Abraham Lincoln home to his final resting place in Springfield. The train followed the same route Lincoln had taken when he came to Washington as president-elect. It stopped at major cities along the way, so mourners could again file past the coffin. Where it did not stop, men and women with their children stood silently along the route to watch the train pass.

  On the night of May 2, the train left Chicago and puffed its way southward through the rain across the Illinois prairie. People had built bonfires along the railroad tracks, and they stood outlined against the glowing red flames at every prairie village and country crossroads as the funeral train passed through.

  At 9 A.M. it approached Springfield with its bell tolling. It steamed slowly through the business center and pulled up at the station, where regiments of soldiers and delegations of officials were waiting to meet it. Tens of thousands of people jammed the streets around the station and stood on nearby rooftops. A military band began to play a funeral dirge. All the bells of Springfield tolled. Guns fired a salute. And the crowd fell silent as the train came to a stop.

  Lincoln's funeral procession on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C., April 19, 1865.

  Citizens of Springfield wait their turn to file into the state capitol to view Lincoln's body.

  On the morning that Lincoln died, someone emptied the contents of his pockets and placed them in a box, which was wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string. Robert Lincoln passed the box on to his daughter, who presented it to the Library of Congress in 1937. Labeled "Do Not Open," it remained locked in a vault until 1976, when the string was untied and the paper unwrapped as the library staff looked on.

  The morning he died, Lincoln had in his pockets a pair of small spectacles folded into a silver case; a small velvet eyeglass cleaner; a large linen handkerchief with A. Lincoln stitched in red; an ivory pocketknife trimmed with silver; and a brown leather wallet lined with purple silk. The wallet contained a Confederate five-dollar bill bearing the likeness of Jefferson Davis and eight newspaper clippings that Lincoln had cut out and saved. All the clippings praised him. As president, he had been denounced, ridiculed, and damned by a legion of critics. When he saw an article that complimented him, he often kept it.

  One clipping found in Lincoln's wallet quotes the British reformer John Bright. Shortly before the presidential election of 1864, Bright wrote to the American newspaper publisher Horace Greeley and said:

  "All those who believe that Slavery weakens America's power and tarnishes your good name throughout the world, and who regard the restoration of your Union as a thing to be desired ... are heartily longing for the reelection of Mr. Lincoln.... they think they have observed in his career a grand simplicity of purpose and a patriotism which knows no change and does not falter."

  The president lies in state, flanked by honor guards. "I saw him in his coffin," wrote David R. Locke. "The face was the same as in life. Death had not changed the kindly countenance in any line. There was upon it the same sad look that it had worn always, though not as intensely sad as it had been in life....It was the look of a worn man suddenly relieved."

  "With malice toward none; with charity for all." Speaking from a temporary platform in front of the Capitol, Lincoln delivers his second Inaugural Address on March 4, 1865.

  A Lincoln Sampler

  Fellow citizens, I presume you all know who I am. I am humble Abraham Lincoln. I have been solicited by many friends to become a candidate for the legislature. My politics are short and sweet, like the old woman's dance. I am in favor of a national bank. I am in favor of the internal-improvements system and a high protective tariff. These are my sentiments and political principles. If elected, I shall be thankful; if not, it will be all the same.—From an early political speech given at Pappsville, Illinois, July, 1832.

  "Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition....I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem."—From letter to the editor of Sangamo Journal, June 13, 1836.

  Let reverence for the laws be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping babe that prattles on her lap; let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in Primmers [sic], spelling books, and in Almanacs; let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in halls of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation.—From speech to the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, January 27, 1838.

  The better part of one's life consists in his friendships.—From letter to f. Gillespie, May 19, 1849.

  Resolve to be honest at all events; and if in your own judgment you cannot be an honest lawyer, resolve to be honest without being a lawyer.—From notes for a law lecture, undated (1850s).

  No man is good enough to govern another man, without that other's consent. I say this is the leading principle—the sheetanchor of American republicanism.—From speech at Peoria, Illinois, October 16, 18 54.

  Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than any other one thing.—From advice to an aspiring law student, Isham
Reavis, November 5, 1855.

  I think the authors of [the Declaration of Independence] intended to include all men, but they did not intend to declare all men equal in all respects. They did not mean to say that all were equal in color, size, intellect, moral development, or social capacity. They defined with tolerable distinctness, in what respects they did consider all men created equal—equal in "certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." This they said, and this they meant.—From speech at Springfield, june 26, 1857.

  If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.—From speech at Clinton, Illinois, September 8, 1858.

  He who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave. Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, cannot long retain it.—From letter to H. L. Pierce and others, April 6, 1859.

  Writing, the art of communicating thoughts to the mind through the eye, is the great invention of the world.... enabling us to converse with the dead, the absent, and the unborn, at all distances of time and space.—From lecture before the Springfield Library Association, February 22, 1860.

  Neither let us be slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, nor frightened from it by menaces of destruction to the Government nor of dungeons to ourselves. Let us have faith that Right makes Might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.—From address at Cooper Institute, New York, February 27, 1860.

  I am not ashamed to confess that twenty-five years ago I was a hired laborer, mauling rails, at work on a flatboat—just what might happen to any poor man's son. I want every man to have a chance—and I believe a black man is entitled to it—in which he can better his condition.—From speech at New Haven, March 6, 1860.

  We [the North and the South] are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break, our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.—From First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861.

  And, by virtue of the power and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States and parts of States are, and henceforward shall be, free; and that the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.—From Emancipation Proclamation, signed on January 1, 1863.

  Common-looking people are the best in the world; that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them.—Remark by Lincoln, from diary of his secretary, John Hay, December 24, 1863.

  I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me.—From letter to A. G. Hodges, April 14, 1864.

  The people's will, constitutionally expressed, is the ultimate law for all.—From response to a Serenade, October 19, 1864.

  Fondly do we hope—fervently do we pray—that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.—From Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865.

  I have always thought that all men should be free; but if any should be slaves, it should be first those who desire it for themselves, and secondly those who desire it for others. Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.—From address to an Indiana Regiment, March 17, 1865.

  Bad promises are better broken than kept.—From Lincoln's last public speech, April 11, 1865.

  ***

  The quotations that appear at the chapter openings are from the following sources: Chapter i, letter to Jesse W. Fell, December 20, 1859. Chapter 2, interview with newspaperman John Locke Scripps, Lincoln's campaign biographer in 1860. Chapter 3, letter to Jesse W. Fell, December 20, 1859. Chapter 4, letter to A. G. Hodges, April 4, 1864. Chapter 5, Lincoln's comment at the official signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863. Chapter 6, Lincoln's comment while traveling to Gettysburg, November 18, 1863. Chapter 7, Lincoln's remark to Secretary of State William Seward.

  In Lincoln's Footsteps

  Lincoln memorials, monuments, and museums attract millions of visitors every year. The historic sites listed here played an important part in Lincoln's life, career, and death. Hours and days are subject to change.

  Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site, 3 miles S of Hodgenville, KY, on U.S. 31E. (502) 358-3874. Located on the site Sinking Spring Farm, where Lincoln was born. An original Kentucky log cabin from the early nineteenth century has been reconstructed inside the Lincoln National Birthplace Memorial. Hours: 8 A.M.-6:45 P.M. lune through August; 8 A.M.-4:45 P.M. rest of year. Closed: Christmas. For further information write: Superintendent, Route 1, Hodgenville, KY 42748.

  Lincoln's Boyhood Home, 7 miles NE of Hodgenville, KY, on U.S. 31E. (502) 549—3741. Site of the Knob Creek farm where Abraham lived from age two to seven. A replica of the family log cabin contains historic items and antiques. Open daily, April 1 through November 1.

  Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial and adjacent Lincoln State Park, 4 miles W of Santa Claus, IN, on State Route 162. (812) 937-4757. Site of the farm where Abraham did most of his growing up. Includes a reconstructed log cabin, a living pioneer farmstead with crops and animals of Lincoln's time, the graves of Lincoln's mother and sister, a school attended by Lincoln, and the Lincoln family church. Hours: 8 A.M.-5 P.M. Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day. For further information write: Superintendent, P.O. Box 1816, Lincoln City, IN 47522.

  Lincoln's New Salem State Park, 20 miles NW of Springfield, IL, near Petersburg on State Route 97. (217) 632-7953. Reconstructed logcabin village where Lincoln spent his early adult years. Features twenty-three timber buildings, including a sawmill and gristmill, the Rutledge tavern, the Lincoln-Berry store, the village school, and a stagecoach stop, along with oxen and farm animals, and craftspeople and guides in period clothing. Hours: 9 A.M.— 5 P.M. summer; 8 A.M.—4 P.M. winter. Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day. For further information write: Superintendent, R.R. 1, Petersburg, IL 62675.

  Lincoln Home National Historic Site, 8th and Jackson, Springfield, IL. (217) 492-4150. The only home that Lincoln ever owned. The family lived here for seventeen years, until their departure for Washington. Furnished with period pieces, including many associated with the Lincoln family. Hours: 8:30 A.M.—5 P.M. summer; hours may be reduced in winter. Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day.

  Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices, 6th and Adams, Springfield, IL. (217) 782-4836. The only surviving building in which Lincoln maintained working law offices. Hours: 9 A.M.—5 P.M. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day.

  Old State Capitol, 5th and Adams, Springfield, IL. (217) 782-4836. The center of Illinois government from 1839 to 1876. Restored and furnished as it was during Lincoln's legislative years. Hours: 9 A.M.—5 P.M. Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day

  Lincoln's Tomb State Historic Site, Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, IL (217) 782-2717. Resting place of Lincoln and his family, built with public donations. Hours: 9 A.M.—5 P.M. Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day.

  For more information about these and other Lincoln sites in Springfield, write: Springfield Visitors Bureau, 624 E. Adams, Springfield, IL 62701. Phone: (217) 789-2360. 1-800-545-7300. In IL: 1-800-356-7900.

  For information about the Lincoln Heritage Trail, which includes historic sites in Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, write: Lincoln Heritage Trail Foundation, 702 Bloomington Road, Champaign, IL 61820.

  Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA. (717) 334-1124. Site of the bloodiest battle in American history, and of Linc
oin's most famous speech. Includes a National Cemetery and more than 1300 monuments, markers, and memorials. Visitors' Center Hours: 9 A.M.—5 P.M. Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day. Park roads are open from 6 A.M. to 10 P.M. year-round. For further information write: Superintendent, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA 17325.

  Ford's Theatre National Historic Site, 511 10th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. (202) 426-6924. Restored to its original appearance on the night of April 14, 1865, when Lincoln, sitting in the presidential box, was shot by John Wilkes Booth. The Lincoln Museum in the basement contains many objects associated with Lincoln's life and career. Across the street, at number 516, is Petersen House, where Lincoln died on April 15. Hours: 9 A.M.- 5 P.M. Closed: Christmas. During the theatrical season, Ford's Theatre is closed for afternoon matinees and rehearsals on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, but the Lincoln Museum and Petersen House remain open. For more information write: Site Manager, Ford's Theatre, 511 10th St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20004.