1865 Assassination of Lincoln. 293 63. Lee retreated to the southwest, hoping to be able to join Johnston in North Carolina; but his troops were hotly pursued. "There was no rest for them either by night or by day. If they attempted to snatch a few moments' sleep, they were roused by the hoof-clatter Surrender of Lee and of Sheridan's cavalry." At last, overtaken, and Johnston. seeing no hope of escape, Lee agreed to surrender. In the largest building of Appomattox Court House, which boasted of only five dwellings, he and Grant met. "Lee stood beside a table, wearing a bright bluish gray uniform, a military hat with a gold cord, buckskin gauntlets, high riding-boots, and a beautiful sword. Grant, with his slouched hat, dark blue frock-coat covered with mud, pantaloons tucked in his soiled boots-wore no sword. They shook hands, sat down," and soon agreed to the terms of surrender (April 3). The surrender of Johnston soon followed, and the Great Civil War was at an end. 64. The North had triumphed, and on every side were joy and gladness. Flags waved, bells rang, guns were fired, houses were illuminated; but this great joy was soon and suddenly turned into mourning. Just forty days Assassination after President Lincoln had entered on his second of Lincoln. term, but less than a week after Lee's surrender, he was assassinated in a theater at Washington by a person named 1 He On this occasion Grant exhibited the greatest magnanimity declined to receive the sword of Lee, and in his capitulation paroled him and the less than eight thousand Confederates who then and there grounded their arms."-Alex. H. Stephens. 2 As the President sat in his box in Ford's theater, with his wife and friends, the assassin stealthily approached, entered the box, and shot his victim in the back of the head. Then leaping to the stage, he waved his pistol, and shouted, Sic semper tyrannis!" (the motto of Virginia-So be it to tyrants), and rushed away. In jumping, however, his spur had caught in the American flag which draped the box, and he fell, injuring his leg severely. He nevertheless succeeded in making his escape, and fled into Maryland, where he was tracked to his hiding-place, and refusing to surrender, was shot by one of the soldiers. Another assassin, with similar feelings of revenge, on the same evening broke into the chamber of Wm. H. Seward, the Secretary of State, who was lying sick, and made an almost fatal attack upon his life. Booth, who, sympathizing with the Confederate cause, had become frenzied by its failure, and fancied that in killing the President he was avenging the wrongs of the South. The dying President lingered till morning in entire unconsciousness, and then passed away (April 15). the American people was deep and bitter. public man more sincerely lamented." Cost of the war. The grief of "Never was a 65. Probably no other war in the history of the world called forth such mighty efforts as were made by both parties in this, the great "American Conflict;" nor was any similar struggle ever waged on so grand a scale, or with so vast a destruction of men and material, especially in proportion to the time of its duration-about four years. On the side of the National government nearly two million seven hundred thousand men were enlisted during the war, of whom at least one million and a half were actually and effectively engaged in the service. The Confederates, it is stated, could enlist only about six hundred thousand men. Of this number one third were either killed outright upon the field or died of disease and wounds." The total losses, both sides included, probably amounted to about six hundred thousand men ; and, with the wounded and disabled, did not fall far short of a million. 66 66. The national debt, at the close of the war, amounted to about twenty-seven hundred millions of dollars. "To it, should be added, the sums expended by the individual states and local bodies. The total rises above four thousand millions of dollars." To raise the enormous sums for the support of the great armies and fleets, and for other purposes in carrying on the war, the Federal government had asked for loans, which were freely granted; taxes were imposed on incomes and manufactures; and revenue stamps were required for bonds, deeds, receipts, etc. The Confederate debt, which must have amounted to a vast sum, was never paid. 67. “In a land where every man is free to think and free 1865 Funeral of Abraham Lincoln. 295 to act as he likes-where, one might suppose, there would of necessity, be a Babel hubbub of confusion, and society only a rope of sand, the shot of a gun at their flag Miracles brought half a million of riflemen into the field. of the war. The waste of battle and of the hospitals was for years more than supplied. With admirable energy, an iron-clad navy, that could match the navies of the world, was sent to sea. Never was there such an exhibition of public resolution and of private charity. If an army of a hundred thousand men melted away before cannon and by fever, there was another army a hundred and fifty thousand men put into its place. The wars of Europe, even those of the French Empire, were outdone in brilliancy and in result." of Johnson's Administration. 1. On the death of the lamented Lincoln, the vice-president, Andrew Johnson, became the third "accidental President." The funeral obsequies the whole people. His remains were borne to Springfield, Illinois, the former home of the deceased; and, as the procession moved on its long journey of nearly two thousand miles, the people everywhere sought to give expression to their reverential At the great cities the body lay in state, and all business was suspended. ANDREW JOHNSON. sorrow. 2. The great work of disbanding the army was the first to be attended to. The leading newspaper in Europe had said: "It is true that the United States have easily raised great armies, but they never will be able to return to a peace footing. The soldiers are masters of the situation ; The army. they cannot be disbanded. Military employment must be found for them." This prediction, it was soon shown, had no sufficient foundation; for just as quickly as the soldiers were paid they gave back the arms they had used so bravely, and returned to their homes. 3. The manner in which the States of the South should be restored to their former political standing, and the conditions that should be imposed to insure the protection of the emancipated slaves, occupied the attention of the PresiReconstruction. dent and Congress for a considerable time, as they were not able to agree upon the proper policy to be pursued. Proclamations were issued by the President, removing restrictions on commerce in the South, and declaring amnesty, or pardon, to all persons (except certain specified classes) who had been concerned in the organization and defense of the Confederacy. Several of the States that had belonged to the Confederacy hastened to repeal their secession ordinances, and accept a proposed amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery in every part of the United States. This amendment-the thirteenth-having been duly approved by three-fourths of all the States of the Union, slavery was declared to be constitutionally abolished (Dec. 18, 1865).' 4. Much of the progress of "reconstruction" had been effected by Congress, in spite of the President's opposition. The latter held that the Southern States were never legally out of the Union, their ordinances of secession being void; therefore they were entitled to representation at once in the United States Congress. Congress, however, while agreeing with the president, that the ordinances were void, insisted that, before the States which had been at war with the Union were admitted to their former relations to the Government, they should be required to retrace certain steps they The next amendment, the 14th, was adopted in July, 1868. 1869 Reconstruction Completed. 291 had taken in legislation, respecting secession, and be further required to give certain guarantees. 5. The President declared the position taken by Congress to be a "new rebellion ;" and in his messages and speeches he manifested open hostility to that body. The quarrel was brought to an issue by the passage of a resolution in the House of Representatives, impeaching President Johnson of high crimes and misdemeanors. The impeachment articles, eleven in number, were duly submitted to the Senate, according to the provisions of the Constitution, and the President was tried on three of them. After a long trial, he was acquitted, a large majority, but not two-thirds of the Senators, having pronounced him guilty, when the Senate, as a court, adjourned (May 26, 1868). 6. Previous to this, in 1867, the number of States had been increased to thirty-seven, by the admission of Nebraska, originally a part of the "Louisiana Purchase." During the same year the territorial possessions of the United Nebraska States were very greatly enlarged by the addition and Alaska. of Alaska, formerly known as Russian America, a country valuable for its coast fisheries, its furs, and its forests of white pine and yellow cedar. This vast tract, larger than the original thirteen States, was purchased of Russia for seven million two hundred thousand dollars in gold. Grunt's Administration 1. The candidate of the Republican party for President, in the fall of 1868, was General Grant; that of the Democrats was Horatio Seymour. The former was elected by a very large majority. Grant's administration commenced on the 4th of March, 1869. During that year the Reconstruction three States, Virginia, Mississippi, and Texas, completed. were restored to representation in Congress, and thus the "reconstruction of the Union" was fully accomplished, |