UJrTRATED . s^o ' y lAXCl >i,:x R( i m\ i km n <>r ILLINOIS LIBRARY :me:m« -rial the Class of 1901 founded by II \K1 \\ IK )\ I HORNER and 111 \R1I II \ ( M.lloiN HORN1 R LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN II. 1. 1 STRATI D \ I > i < . ii i : 1 1 » 1 1 1 < ill •»!»«• 1 1- li i.i P| ■•••.iili-ii | I.IihdIii tltkrtl I r < • ■■ i \lil<«.(i "«. -| i \ i «. i.i (lit- I'ri-sjiltii fa " iiml rontnliiliiu nI\I> liall-i ■ i 1 1 u » f t a 1 1<> n - ami n«i rl I ill I I lllustr.ii. i Booklet Company ( kXti 'ii I'.tnl.lii, P3 Cap 1 LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN In the interior of the State of Kentucky, there is the county of Larue. One hundred years ago it was quite a wilderness, highly picturesque in its streams, it- forests, and its prairies; in places, smooth as a floor, and again swelling into gentle undulations like th< ocean at the subsidence of a storm. The painted Indian here had free range; a savage more ferocious than the wild beasts he pur- sued. Though Daniel I'.oone had explored this region, and had returned to the other side of the Alleghanies laden with peltry, and with the report that it was an earthly para- dise, there were but lew who were ready to plunge into the pathless wilderness, leaving all vestiges of civilization hundreds of miles behind them. But Providence, for the sake of peopling this country, seems to have raised up a peculiar class of men. who loved hard- ship and peril and utter loneliness. The In- dian- were always clustered in villages; hut these men, the pioneer- of civilization, pene- trated the recesses of the forest, and reared their cabin- in the most secluded valley-. where they seldom heard the voice or saw the face of their brother-man. VBRAHAM ■ I the Rcvol tioi .is still n < • ful \ in Virgini; ■ him. but the trail <•! the l in iX ha n thiir bad nless, ; l ha\ abled I ke ,)', ,h. mule. What moti ilized man to 1 ch • i,. imagine; and still, from tin ntil tne pr , been thousands th wildernes ation, Abraham Lin hile working one day in n j« ly ap| led b> an In ,1 *h. t dead. Hi ■« t ) ; , v will little children U h the terrible »titution, ire not in It i- one of those unwritten ill. Tl • three I ind tv. Is in the miiy ngest of • the til Thon fath< the President Unil -t prominent >" ABRAHAM LIN< ( >LN. 7 the annals of our world. Of course, n<> record has been kept of the life of one so lowly a~ Thomas Lincoln. He was among the poorest of the poor. Mis home was a wretched log- cabin; 1 1 i — food, the coarsest and the meanest. Education he had none: he could never either read or write. A- soon a- he was able to do anything for himself, he was compelled to leave the cabin of his starving mother, and push out into the world, a friendless, wander- ing boy, seeking work. He hired himself out. and thus spent the whole of hi- youth a> a laborer in the fields of others. When twenty-eight years of age, he built a log-cabin of his own. and married Nancy Hanks, the daughter of another family of poor Kentucky emigrants, who had also come from Virginia. Their second child was Abraham Lincoln, the subject of this sketch. Thomas, his father, was a generous, warm-hearted, u r ood-natured man. with but little efficiency. He greatly deplored hi- want of education, and was anxious that his children should not suffer in this respect a- he had done. The mother of Abraham was a noble woman, gentle, h>\ ing. pensive, created to adorn a palace, doomed to toil and pine and die in a hovel. "All that I am, <>r hope to be," exclaimed the grateful -on. "I owe to my angel-mother:' blessings <>n her memory!" Abraham's mother had received some edu- cation, and would often delight her children ABRAHAM LINO )LX. by reading them some story Erom the verv few book> -Ik- could command. In that remote region, schools were few, and very humble in their character. Abraham, when in his sev- enth year, was sent to one teacher for about two months, ami to another for about three. His zeal was so great, that, in that time, he learned both to read and write. Mis parent- were members of the Baptist Church; and oc- casionally an itinerant preacher came along, ami gathered the scattered families under a grove or in a cabin for religious service. Good old Parson Elkin gave Abraham his first ideas of public speaking. When he was eight year- of age, his father -old hi- cabin and -mall farm ami moved to Indiana. Three horses took the family and all their household goods a seven-day journey to their new home. Here kind neighbors helped them in putting up another log-cabin. In a home more cheerless and comfortless than tin- der- of the present day can easily compre- hend. Mr-. Lincoln, with the delicate organi- zation, both of body and mind, of a lady, sank and died beneath the burdens which crushed her. Abraham was then ten years of age. Bitterly he wept as his mother was laid in her humble grave beneath the trees near the cabin. The high esteem in which this noble woman was held may be inferred from the fact that Parson Elkin rode a hundred miles on horse back, through the wilderness, to preach her SARAH BUSH LINCOLN ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 11 funeral sermon; and the neighbors, to the numbei of two hundred, who were scattered in that sparsely settled region over a distance of twenty miles, assembled to attend the ser- vic< It was a scene for a painter, — the log-cabin, alone in it- solitude; the widespread prairie, beautiful in the light of the Sabbath morning sun; the grove; the grave; the group seated around upon logs and Mump-: the venerable preacher; the mourning family; and Abraham, with his marked figure and countenance, his a swimming with tears, gazing upon the «ne which was thus honoring the memory of his revered mother. Abraham had written the letter inviting the pastor to preach the funeral sermon. He soon became the scribe of the uneducated com- munity ar<»und him. Me could not have had a better school than this to teach him to put thoughts int.. words. Me also became an eager reader. The 1 ks he COUld obtain were lew; but these he read and re-read until they were almost committed to memory. The Bible, Aesop's "Fabl< and the "Pilgrim's Pn ress," wire his favorites. The Lives ol Wash- ington, Franklin and Clay, produced a deep impression upon his sensitive mind. All the events of their varied careers were so stored up in his memory, that he could recall them ;it any time. An anecdote is related illustrative of that Al'.KAIIA.M LINCOLN. 13 conscientiousness of character which was early developed, and which subsequently gave him the name, throughout the whole breadth of the lan a market. One morning, as he was standing by liis boat at the landing, two men came LN. 15 most important incident in my life. I could scarcely believe that I. a poor boy. had earned a dollar in less than a day. The world seemed wider and fairer before me. 1 was more hope fill and confident from that time.'" When nineteen years of age, a neighbor ap- plied to him to take charge of a flat boat to float a cargo of produce down the Ohio and the Mississippi to New Orleans, a distance of more than a thousand miles. A more ex- citing trip for an adventurous young man can scarcely be imagined. Housed safely in his capacious boat, with food and shelter; float- ing down the tranquil current of the beautiful Ohio, and swept resistlessly along by the ma- jestic flood of the Father of Waters; passing headlamN and forests, lints and villages, the tortuous river bearing the boat in all direc- tion-. — north, south, east, west; the stream now compressed within narrow banks, and now expanding to a lake, and almost to an ocean; to be borne along by an insensible mo- tion through such scenes, in the bright morn- ing sunshine or in the serene moonlight, must have enkindled emotions in the bosom of young Lincoln never to be forgotten. With a rifle, and a small boat attached to their float- ing ark. they could supply themselves with game. Whenever they wished, they could tie their boat to the shore, and visit the cabins of the remote settlers for supplies. I »ne night, when tied to the shore, they Al'.k \!l \M LINC( )l.\. 17 were attacked by seven robbers eager for plunder. Quite a little battle ensued, when the robbers were put to precipitate flight. Hav- ing arrived at New Orleans, the cargo was sold, and the boat disposed of for lumber. Young Lincoln, with his companions, retraced their passage back to Indian;, in a long and weary journey, most of the way on foot. As the years rolled on, the lot of this lowly family was the usual lot of humanity. There were joys and griefs, weddings and funerals. Abraham's sister, Sarah, to whom he was ten- derly attached, was married when a child of but fourteen years of age, and soon died. The family was gradually scattered. Mr. Thomas Lincoln, naturally restless, rinding his location unhealthy in the almost unbroken wilderness of Spencer County, Ind., and hired by the accounts which he had heard of the marvelous fertility of Illinois, sold out his squatter's claim in 1830, and emigrated two hundred miles farther northwest, — to .Macon County. 111. It was a weary spring journey over swol- len streams and through roads of mire. The teams, containing the personal effects of the emigrants, were dragged by oxen; and fifteen days were occupied in reaching their new home upon the hanks of the Sangamon. Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years of age. With vigorous hands, In- aided his father in rearing another log-cabin. It was made of hewn timber. Tin- only tools they ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 19 had to work with were an axe, a saw, and a drawer knife. A smokehouse and barn were also built, and ten acres of land were fenced in by split-rails. Abraham worked diligently at this until he saw the family comfortably Settled, and their small lot Of enclosed prairie planted with corn; when he announced to his father his intention to leave home, and to go out into the world to seek his fortune. Little did he or his friends imagine how brilliant that future was to be. But the elements of greatness were then being developed. He saw the value of education, and was intensely earn- est to improve his mind to the utmost of his power. He saw the ruin which ardent spirits were causing, and became Strictly temperate; refusing to allow a drop of intoxicating liquor to pass his lips. And he had read in God's Word, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God. in vain;" and a profane ex- pression he was never heard to titter. Re- ligion he revered. His morals were pure, and he was uncontaminated by a single vice. It is difficult to explain the reason for the fact, that one young man, surrounded by every inlluence which should elevate, sinks into ruin; and that another, exposed to all the tempta- tions which would naturally tend to degrade, soars to dignity and elevation which render him an honor to his race. Young Abraham worked for a time as a hired laborer among the farmers. Then he went to Springfield, --. 1-1 m ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 21 where he was employed in building a large flat boat. In this he took a herd of swine, floated them down the Sangamon to the Illinois, and thence by the Mississippi to New Orleans. Whatever Abraham Lincoln undertook, he per- formed so faithfully as to give great satisfac- tion to his employers. In thi> adventure his employers were so well pleased, that, upon his return, they placed a store and a mill under his care. A blessing seemed to follow him. Customers were multiplied. His straightfor- ward, determined honesty secured confidence. In settling a bill with a woman, he took six and a quarter cents too much, lie found it out in his night's reckoning, and immediately, in the dark walked to her house two miles and a half distant, to pay it hack to her. Just as he was closing the .-tore one night in the dusk, he weighed out half a pound of tea for a woman. In the morning he found, that by an accidental defect in the scales, the woman had received scant weight by four ounces. He weighed out the four ounce-, shut up the store, and carried them to her; a long walk before breakfast. A bully came into the store one day, rioting, blustering, insulting beyond endurance, trying to provoke a fight. "Well, if you must be whipped," said Abraham at last, "I -uppose I may as well whip you as any other man."' He seized him with his long, powerful arm-, threw him upon the ground as though he had ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 23 been a child, and. gathering in his hand -cine "-mart weed," which chanced to be near rubbed it in his face, until the fellow bellowed with pain, and cried for mercy. Abraham, with "malice towards none," helped him up, got some cool water to bathe his burning face, and made him ever after one of his best friends. IK- borrowed an English grammar, studied it thoroughly, and completely mastered it. lie sought the society of the most intelligent men in that region, joined a debating club, and took "The Louisville Journal." which he not only read, but carefully pondered all it- lead- ing articles. Every leisure moment was de- voted to study and thought. In 1832, the celebrated Indian Chief Black Hawk crossed the Mississippi, and. with a large band of savages, was ascending Rock River. Volunteer- were called for to resist him. Lin- coln, with enough others in his immediate neighborhood to make a company, enlisted. Who should be their captain? There were two candidates, — Mr. Lincoln and a Mr. Kirk- patrick, a man of extensive influence, and who had been a former employer of Mr. Lincoln, but who was so arrogant and overbearing, that Mr. Lincoln could n<>t live with him. The mode of election was very simple. The two candidate- were placed apart, and each man was told to go to the one whom he preferred. Nearly the whole band was soon found clus- tered around Lincoln. This was with Mr. Lin- < z o u z > h w K H O o z w u o \i:K Ml \M LINO )l.\. 25 coin the proudest hour of his life. The little army of twenty-four hundred ascended Rock River in pursuit of Black Hawk. The savages were attacked, routed, and Black 1 1 auk was taken prisoner. Zachary Taylor was colonel and Abraham Lincoln captain, in this cam- paign. Nothing then seemed more improbable than that either of these men should ever be- come President of the United States. Upon hi- return t<> Sangamon County, he was proposed a- a candidate for the State I .< islature. lie was then twenty-three year- < » t age, and was the political admirer of Henry Clay, and not of Gen. Jackson. The great ma- jority oi the county were Jacksonian Demo- crats; hut Mr. Lincoln's personal popularity was such, that he received almost every vote in hi- own precinct; though, in the general vote, he was defeated. He again tried his hand at store-keeping, and, with a partner, purchased a lot of g Is. But his partner proved fickle and dissipated, and the adven- ture was a failure. He now received from \ndrew Jackson the appointment of post- master for New Salem. The duties were light, and the recompense small, in that wilderness Hi- only posl office was his hat. All the let- ter- he received he carried there, ready to de- liver a- he chanced to meet those to whom they were addressed. The new country was constantly demanding the services of a surveyor. Mr. Lincoln stud- M LII LN ■ 11 In : ^e . la him such Mr. ^ > back 1 il. he ran M the s an the si I th - • rth an ura: Al'.R \! I AM LINCOLN it w. i public meeting in Springfield that he electrified the audience, and was at on nized a- <>iu- of the in<>-t eloquent nun in the In 1836, he was re-elected to the State ature. Mr. Lincoln was now twent) en \ . and a pr. iminent man in th. if 1 1 1 1 11 . • i ~ . It was during this ■ the legislature that Mr. Lincoln first met Stephen A. Douglas, who was then but nty-three year The slaver) question nning t' the country. Both parties were bowing submissive to that ■ i ictremt slavery resolutions the legislature. ["here were but two men who ventured t<> remonstrate. Abraham I incoln was one. "Slavery," Mr. Lincoln said in his protest; which was entered upon the journal of the house, "is founded on both in- justice and 1 * . i » 1 policy." He was -till ]>«.., r. He Iked t-> Vandalia. He walked home; his only I a bundle in his hand. M; Springfield, now proposed that Mr. Lincoln should become his partner in the law; and accordingly, in April, 1839, he removed I Id, and commenced the l>raiT his new profi n. In the mean- time, the capita] was removed to Springfield; and Mr. Lincoln, by successive elections, v. a d in the legislature, and was n nized as it- leading member <-n the Whig side. In the practice of the law, his success with • ■ ■■<'■■' 'i -■ --v- ■ i 1 ; ' J ■ iH - r - . -: r -yu - .'• • \; ' i ■ • > ^*3 /• ABRAHAM LIN( I >LN 31 the jni, in ah: m lh< Mr. i •it tl i le would • winch ! it belu dium «»r mi; him from < thought the right w.i> with his cli< that time willii who had helped \ man wh( • la. in Spi ; m> ad ■ declined that he should imperil all I litical prosp< . nm'.. He then applied I he, "to Mr. I. inc. li | !. if raid of an unpopul; r to defend an arrested fugiti other lawyers will r. me; but it Mr ■ Judg< ' • ii said <>t' him, "'I lis mode ak I plain and nnimp ed uthor • beautiful and eloquent pa ir la: . which, if ted, would i trihnt: rature." him after 1 ith, r m\ elf, I have, foi irded Mr Lim lawyer I .1 of a prof< ir- higl nd honorabli without from the claii LINCOLN S OFFICE, BOOK-CASE, CHAIR AND INKSTAND ABRAHAM LINI I '1 him t<> be ; the pi a 11 well w • ■ r 1 1 1 > the cl I >rumm< II and III \\ ith .i rill metimes almost dis with much in the outward man indi without quickm iprehci rid cl< 1> mastered th< ■ rs at our bar. V\ ith ;.r..l>it ill, w ith an in- rt, witl • which was usi w ith • mon i illusti ith that r which f the -nil jur\ -law > ers \\ e I) 1 in the 1U- al. ■ • >r the ar- iment nent. 1 1< both i ly, 1 it' h( cplain th« the other. - ■ -1 it. He rti mi 1 the law in! Ili- \t Mr Lincoln lishly ; hut at tl with tic ABRAHAM LINCOLN m \ lady wi in Springfield, whi me mi ,,,,,, ]., published "Tl i irnal." I he law perati i upon the editor, ai d d. the nan the auth The edit. •I. it »le to simlity In throwing it upon a lady. 11, I Mr. Li ho was a per* ■>■ form him," was the prompt it I assume the r< sibilit) " \ c 'j '1 accepted. Mr. I. intendii mply i lh ' - interposed; and the silly rencounter which, had it resulted in the dei Mr. Lincoln, would have proved a nal ilamity, was prevents In allusion to this t. Mr. Carpenter AIr - I n himseli rded the circumsl h much regret and mortification, and hoped m »K»Jt '" In Februarj pr :Ii. a distingushed officer of the anm call< at the Unite- House, d was entertained by the len J •'" ,, l Mrs. Lii :oln for an hour in the I)ur " 1 nversation, the- gentleman I. turning to Mr. 1 ,■ coin, 'Is it true Mr ,v ' have heard, thai wen t Bht a duel for the sake of the lady by v it,' replied Mr I ,,.'- ' ,,l,t - ." > sire my friendship, you will er mentu , , : ' :1 ,n; '- 1,1 Robert S Id, of Lekington! ABRAHAM LIN< I »l N K> . who had 1 irniK th< 1 cont< ' . - ; \, Mr. Lincoln 1 th< litical idol, H< In tl quired much celebrii .krr I hs ^1). i^i in c that an intelligent people nlil prefer Mr. Polk t-- Mr CI be nM^tt ^..\ . : • ed t> i ha re to do Willi j In 1846 Mr. Lincoln w inated fi m the ingamon Distri ed l ' and in 1 >ecem I in the thirtieth Congress. 1 1 ins the same \ D< >ugla • I k 1 1 « ^ in the Mr. Doug! the champii f the Democratic part) in the •< Mr Lincoln was the warm advocate \\ big principles in the 1 1 »ed tin- Mexican war. as "unne< i un- nstitutionally begun by the Pn United Si A h which he made on tin-* subject e of a ven high <-i abilil Hi torical impn r iiit-> the midst il Mexic purpose I) to brii BRAHAM LINCOLN 39 1 will • • that he pit ■ he k- \\ •u- ■• I in I • In- \\ I ■ ■ ■ the sul ■ the \\ ill of the peoph r repr< rrii Mr I . pithily and appr ]>!, "I lu- peoph I It 'What about the ill our i! md ha: lin- i please h' ■•I the tariff, '. im- pr all. I will u ; re thi in. I will ipt 1 ni» your members % CAPTAIN LINCOLN DEFENDING THE INDIANS Al:k \IIA.M LINO 'I.N with ■ 1 l! the) ai th, them, I shall ha if th< them, 1 shall n< t. es w hat< ttcnipt their i|>1|n1)i: Mr Lincoln contin resident t) ■ as I But i. m he, in the nature things, k will hundn from all the \ [f so, wher< • Th the platform upon which Mr I I It w.i- u 1 that ral l«'r v the Mexican war. He ive instead Ic- lr 1 i • • iln d irdially sup|u.rt him in i t!u- 1 in:) ndidate. I le advocated the Wilm I -. which excluded from the Territory ll< red a hill which declared tl per- in the I district I loluml :!'la\> re • r the titut m. with that the "right of pi i in the I tuti term m THE EARLIEST PORTRAIT OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, ABOUT 1848, AGED 39 ABRAHAM 1.1 LN i him rl< i the '1 the .ill the rriu ■ I t«> him in. • the pi the Missoui ■ : Mr. I :i. 1 le had lonj ed th< hmenl nd that tin ■: : the conflict until either . . Stepl m Mr Lincoln had 1>uk intimat< Will repealing the Missouri I It . - his I id : the president Mr. 1 man lectual -kill in «':■ ir in Id, 111 1 a \ in ka Bill as it ct day Mr. Lincoln replied hin: h three hours in length. "The • report s "He quivered w i 1 1 1 emotion Th< death. He attacked the l»i!l with un- irmth 1 all felt that a man jth w that he intended ABRAHAM LIN( I >LN 45 it. i! he COUld, I' I mauls lie u d the h( 1 the gl< i ritim | ili of truth l.\ 1, • I loud continued hu; Women waved th< handkerchiefs in token "t woman's silent but •it." I he fundamental principle of the Ka brask that t: rit had a righi t ide whethei the) \\«'ii] distil hed ft s it is an ii suit • mts t ind Nebi that tin- ,, t i, c -i, , We musl r an argument tin it ha; to tickle It mil ■ right t It was the aim nt 24, », — "You inquire where 1 now stand. Tha disputed 1 think I am a Whig; but oth< md that I am \\ hen I \\ VVashi \\ ilm< • forty tim< 1 1 never heard of any attempt t<» unwhig me 1 do net more than oppose th< in (I. appea [,, i»rc-tt> rapid. A- tion, we beg 1,\ all men wei \\ , it, All men 1 .un IK't ;i How could I be? How h..r> tlu- oppression "i tl •■ white i the • Nothini 'All nun ijial, t .md Cat hoi i W hen it ild prefer en to c < p < > < - r. D O 55 H [fl ABRAHAM LI V I '1 ■ thout • I li- ne M I :1 " pidl) nit" p i himself with it. g the part} m llln ... of which id, •i aud b) human t upon the bencl 1 the wavii iker had wrought up raham Lincoln now the mos in in the Republican part) in all the W est i ted t«- the National I upon the Ir. I> ! con rudel terrupted, in ut I, — it true that you 1 this Mr 1 k that I men in this *» *i> forth The - at I oocld t the >_; he stiT. i err.: * THE BLACK HAWK AM LINCOLN ( l„ But he would ,1,, i armed mob from Mis Mr Buchanai II ithor the I I, but Mr !> the i « Di ind thej rallied <1 him. The tion met at Springfield June, lij one thousand Mr. Lincoln mani- i mated for the Si nate in opp< to Mr i In the evening he addressed the lint idea of this remarkable divided I | that tlii- rnment cam and half-free. I «1" n to I ed, I «1" " th< I; but I do that it w divided It will become all one thii ither the opp tin- further 1 of it. and place it w! lie mi' in tli- f that it js in t: ultimate extinction, <»r it«< ad- aiII push ' irward till it -hall become LINCOLN HOME. SPRINGFIELD, ILL. AI'.K alt ih. "In the notable argument ■liur. no third man shall be all • 1 h' 1. A M r 1 Mr. I the 24 Mr. I 1 tin • I i i he : At I ir. and Mr 1 then Mr I • ■' Mr I > Th< Mr. I b) lii* trim phant repl> u «1 thej aln literal!) b< >re 1 ul- II!!!! rV 11H til) r< 1. The LINCOLN DELIVERING HIS INAUGURAL ADDRESS ABRAHAM U.M < >LN wli 1 lu i publi* u ith Mr I ■ th< that Mr I ■ ir .i]-; mcnt of tl .- Mr I himself, her pri Mr Lii coin \V1 t like the bo) who and t Mr. I tional fai 1 1 V \\ the most eloquent men in the n Ht le deb man I min. attainmei rm I part) introduced t Ii i - stat< raai I man ble cl i the '"rail-split:. id. in his admirable Li: raham Lincoln," r the countrj I that Mr I • r It took ish • man to the public had them. It took j i them to compn LINCOLN AND HIS SON. THOMAS, FAMILIARLY KNOWN - TA] ABR \h wi LIN( I >LN 61 u ' •I tin- ho had occupied tii< chair it .'" II- here h< m . He v isil 1- tin him. Hi h. thai I lu- ll. til . In- shed men "t th I Mil Round afti Mr I • i in id, : the publi Mr. 1 ■ <1 wi- • It u ■ with intellij him li- •i.l h. It was « ABRAH \M LING 'I.N which he di markable. A dis tinguished clergyman said, I learned more of the art of public speaking in listening to Mi Lin- last evening, than 1 could have learned from a whole course "t lectures on rh A pi i rhetoric in Yale College in- speech, and nude them the sub to his class the next daj I le followed Mr. Lincoln t<> his next appoint- t. that he might hear him again. "What u.is inquired Mr. Lincoln of the Rev. Mr. Gul- liver, who ¥ mplimenting him upon hi ch, "which : ted you so much?" The repl) w "It was the ch i your reasoning, and i iallv \.«ur illustrations, which were romance and pat! and fun and l< all welded to- lu r." Alludi the thr< [ the proslavery men would break up the Union should y be excluded from the Territories, he "In that ^n; j you will de- Union; and then you saj the destroyed it will be upon That is cool. A highwayman hold- a pistol t" in d nir.- • through his teeth, 'Stand ill kill \ ou, and then you will i murder* I" be sure, what the r<>l>l>er d< •- mands of i y money— was my own, and 1 had a clear right t>> keep it; hnt it was no more in than my vot< d threat "i me t my money, and threat of \i:R \!! \M LINO M tin- l i ■ itii Kr\ Mr < iulli\ cr it l Mr. 1 "\\ hat 1 1 . i ~ "\\ • ■ I I ted whei tnd. I «1 I t anythii ■ to in\ ter he ith m> father, and spendi night walking ii| »ut \\ hat \\ a> the exact 'I could not sleep, although I ■ ••• w\ ch a hui I -I. when I thought I 1 :1 I had r ! had put it ill ' i I thought, '11 > a km«! i I am handling a thought, till I nh. 1 unded it i. ABRAHAM LINCOLN In the my law reading I wtl) ami : I thought, first, that I und< canu I lhat I did id t-» i \\ hat >!" I mean \\ hen I than when I II monsi liflfci other i»r>" I consulted \\ . That told tain • ml tl • sibilit) of <1<": but 1 could form rt of idea what - i f that was I thought that thing re proved beyond the possibility doubt, without :tra ordii - I undi "1 consulted all the dictionari ! c< iuld find, but with n<> b( ults. might as well have defined i l>lin«l man. At 1, 'Lincoln, you can i). make a la u <1" not understand what iml I left m\ situation in Springfield, went home t<> my father's house, and there until I couiu ition in tl iclid at sight. I then found ..nt what (/.• «iine Sunday n iw a tall, remarkable look- ter the room, and tak among He ii ed attention to oui •z. D D H 0£ BR Ml \M l.l\< I >l.\ dm - ind bis i ount< • I appn him, lu- might be \* illinv: • imethi i" th M< tion with i, which little ind Iui>Ik«1 tli< i into silcn i His I edingl) beautiful, and ln> ;il with intei The little faces would droop into sa«l conviction ;i> i tered t warning, and would 1 • r i v: 1 • " inti shine ;i> he spoke cheerful v» promi ttempted to cl< >se his but the ni)|K • shout of 'G "li. «' would compel linn t«> resume. Vs I l"--ki learn somethi iik.:. and, while he w a> quietl) leav- ing tl, i. I begged t-> know lu^ name. It i \ Lincoln, from Illinois d now resolved, at all li k ti|» the Union. I he great object w t< i find a plausible excus Th< th.it :h< ir. rapidly, both in numb : population, that the retain the < : th« The) at tint time had i" the army, the na> tl,< tn urj 11 red the navj ed LINCOLN AT GEN. MCCLELLAN S HEADQUARTERS A ! UNO >LN 71 th< tlu imulat* .r in ■ ■ ■' ■ ■ m. hel rh< h- Tl 11.. the pn n. ABR (AM . i and t<< • ■ dati Then 1 1 It . hundn I tw trai two It tl ± Thus cfa lied t fn I sympathd un, tl; a the thund< g anon was unheard by uch in t: m. u, upon which v. As I reclined, my • fell up th« w distinct!} m that one was a ht- •her. I • down with the sam< It. It made me quite r a few mon but, some friend- coming in, the matter ; >f my mil •The ne ■ t in th< t, I '.v reminded of the circum -id LINCOLN IN 1864, AGED 55 ABRAHAM L1N( I >LN M th< 11 produced bj it turned. I determined I home, and place my- If in the same position; and, if the same luced, I would make up my mind that it was the natural result of some principle of which I did no! understand, I tried the experiment with I said to mj self, account! C principle unkimw n t' > 1 me. •ne time ago, I tried t.> produce the by arranging ich ition, with. nit effect. My \\ was somewhat \\"rne< be elected I . and that the paid • an omen that I should not see life through tlu <1 term.'' his nomination Mr I. in. l hut little doubt that he Would he elected. their hom i imm< i pan It became n< im :rt in the State From morning till night h< In lookii k which Ins friends 1 which contained th< .It "i f the city "i Springfield, sh< how each man \\ « >nl«l vote, he was surpi ieved I-' lind that m< lie min- THE LAST PORTRAIT OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN, TAKEN APRIL 9, l865, THE SUNDAY BEFORE HIS ASSASSINATION ABRAHAM LINCOLN tins! him. As he closed the hook. he said - "1 !. twenty-three ministi rent nominate nd all of them ai tinst me but three. Mr. Bateman, I am not a Christian; .1 knows, 1 would l>c one: but I ha ble, and I do not so understand book. 1 1 en well know that I am I im in the rerritories, freedom everywh< ( nstitution and laws will permit; and that my opp< for slavery. They know this; and yet with this hook in their hands, in the light <>f which human bonda] a moment, the) ai to vote I du not understand thi Then, after a moment's pau« idded, "1 >< »esn't it appear strange that men can the moral >f this cout, ■ \ revelation could not make it plainer to me that slavery or the govern- ment mu It seems as if G ha with tl very until the very teach- ion have come to defend it from the and to claim for it a divine character :. cup of iniquity is full, and the wrath will be poured out." Th< tion day came. Mr Lincoln r< a hundred and eighl Mr 1 twelve; Mr. Breckenridg enty-two; Mr. Bell, thirty-nine. Tl ult of the election w len irlv in November. Nearly four mouths uld transpii [arch, 1861, when : his term of S4 ABRAHAM LINCOLN* The spirit manifested by the slaveholders on this occasion is fairly developed in the following article contained in "The Richmond Examiner" of April 23. 1861 :— "The capture of Washington City is perfectly within the power of Virginia and Maryland, if Virginia will only make the ettort by her con- stituted authorities ; nor is there a single moment to lose. The entire population pant for the unset. There never was half the unanimity among the people, nor a tithe of the zeal upon any subject, that is now manifested to take Washington, and drive from it every black Republican who is a dweller there. "From the mountain-tops and valleys to the shores of the sea, there is one wild shout of fierce resolve to capture Washington City at all and every human hazard. That filthy cage of un- clean birds must and will assuredly be purified by lire. The people are determined upon it, and are clamorous for a leader to conduct them to the onslaught. The leader will assuredly arise: ay, and that right speedily. "It is not to be endured that this flight of abol- ition harpies shall come down from the black North for their roosts in the heart of the South, to defile and brutalize the land. They come as our enemies. They act as our most deadly foes. They promise us bloodshed and tire ; and that is the only promise they have ever redeemed. The fanatical yell for the immediate subjugation of the whole South is going up hourly from the BR Ml AM LIN( I »I..\- united \ making their w< .rk to hold Washington Cil w I is their brutal wai in take it ; tin- . .it the archtrait nd Lincoln the m- l)n . t it Th( plj -injured pe< >ple will ich the Illinois ape t«> repeat In the border "t' th net ill m»>rc rapidl) than Ik- came; the traitor will be the opj to try the dim : i betwi an lly pauses to inquire the cause of all this wrath; and no one can refrain from bei find that it was simpl) that a majority the nation »ed to th< the I err:- and that that ma- jority had titutionally elected as Presi f the best and most eminent men in the nation, who was pledged to opp i far as lie onall) could, slaver} extension lin and again Mr. Lincoln had dec' id LINCOLN ENTERING RICHMOND, LEADING TAD LN f - ■ ' - ' 1 w m * ^ . a «*K \JA , - ABRAHAM LINCOLN thought fit to express the hope that I shall be able to relieve the country from the present, or, I should say, the threatened difficulties. I am sure that I bring a heart true to the work. For the ability to perform it. I trust in that Supreme Being who has never forsaken this favored land. Without that assistance I shall surely fail; with it, I cannot fail.*' At Philadelphia, where he was received with the greatest enthusiasm, he gave utterance to the following noble sentiments: "I have often in- quired of myself what great principle or idea it was that kept this confederacy so long together. was not the mere matter of the separation of the colonies from the mother-land, but that sen- timent in the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty, not alone to the people of this coun- . but. I hope, to the world for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weight would be lifted from the shoulders all men. This was a sentiment embodied in the Declaration of Indepedence. Xow. my friends, can this country be saved on this basis? If it can, [ shall consider myself one of the happiest men in this world if I can help save it; if it can- not be saved on that principle, it will be truly awful. But if this country cannot be saved with- out giving up that principle, I was about to say I would rather be assassinated upon this spot than surrender it. Now, in my view of the present as- pect of affairs, there need be no bloodshed or war. There is no necessitv for it. I am not in favor Al'.k \I1 \.\i i.r ■ J 99 til upon :l ■ \l ! t.c [an ingl) militai e here, and »ur pr that up' .1 (lr • prcclu I do in. • r them; that it will never me their du shed I. I pi is I n have wisdom | • t, if - ilt shall in any wise be bi thr a bill the Leg ■ i their seal l The • their pre] IT.. From Mr. Bu in, and their object - their Mr. Lii. rt Moull and cotter William Aikin BR Ml AM I. IN' I >LN - in North I .ui.l the arsenal at '11 tlu- 3d an armed m>>\> from < - Pulaski and . and th. nal tnah. The next day, the 4th, Fort M and tl I at M< >bile \\< band of Alabami; th< 3th Fi >rts J Smithville, X. I red without the 9th, I !)■ the W n unarmed steam- to the garrison in Fort Sum- ter, « t'l upon b) a rebel battery and drivi mi the 12th Fort M'Rae, Fort Barram d the lorida, \\< The d trmed in I. rts Pike, Phili] . and the ar R 1 hi forts had cost the national pier adapted for a war garrison of 5,4 n. Mr. Buchanan did not lift er to an i ■ 17th of December the c-invi-nti.>ii lared the Union dissolved, and that rolina . n. This ad lily '" ! other sla I he f thesi .lark not space hen le- The air was filled with rum 92 ABRAHAM LINCOLN President Lincoln was to be assissinated on his journey to Washington. In taking leave of his friends at the depot in Springfield, he said, in a speech full of tenderness and pathos, — "My friends, no one not in my position can appreciate the sadness I feel at this parting. I know not how soon I shall see you again. A duty devolves upon me which is perhaps greater man since the days of Washington. He never would have succeeded except for the aid of Di- vine Providence, upon which he at all times re- lied. 1 feel that I cannot succeed without the same divine aid which sustained him. In the same Almighty Being I place my reliance for support, and I hope that my friends will all pray that I may receive that divine assistance, without which I cannot succeed, hut with which success is certain. Again I bid you all an affectionate fare- well." In every city through which he passed he was greeted with enthusiasm perhaps never before ecpialed in the United States. It was evident, however, that the secessionists were seeking his life. At one time an attempt was made to throw the train off the track. At Cincinnati a hand- grenade was found concealed upon the train. A gang in Baltimore had arranged, upon his ar- rival, to "get up a row," and. in the confusion, to make sure of his death, with revolvers and hand-grenades. A detective unraveled the plot. A secret and special train was provided to take him from Harrisburg, through Baltimore, at an abraha: x ted hour :it halt past ten, and, t.. prevent an) p-.s-iM, munication <>n the pari ionists with t In i r Baltimon ti , •: raph \\ irr- w- Mr 1 ed di- Balti re t" W ashingt »n, wh( he .urn ed at halt k m tin- momii lh irrivaJ was immediately telegraph* i r the <• tuntry. tnxiet; r< ■ . the i daj . \\ ashingt< »n w -v had so debauched the in the eholding Si that l n <.f a i r- the inauguration, and then ■ ultitudt thronged the I with bowie-kniv< revolvei Tli' t March dawi it i ful. in early h< l'< human ' I it 1< At :n • White House. \ . •T^-^i EDWIN M. STANTON. SECRETARY OF WAR ABRAHAM LINCOLN the t thirt) . it\ I tul youi picturesquel) dressed, as repi ;eral : e being r< 1 .1- ha\ mu seceded. Mr Buchanan and Mr. Lincoln rode side ded I ht of steps o! the Capitol arm-in-arm. It that Mr. Buchanan looked p and that he was nervous ccited Mr. Lincoln's ta lightly flushed, his 1 his countenance wore an ex- pression of great firmness and - Gen- :t. in his Autob . — "The inauguration of President Lincoln « perhaps the most critical and hazardous event with which 1 have ever been connected. In the ling two months I had received more than . many from points distant from each irnestly dissuading me from beii l>r h I :t the event, and others distinctly thra I ssination if 1 dared t the by military forc< But for the formidable military display, tl •aid unquestionably have been tumult and a ation. Genera ■■ called out the Wash- Volunteers; brought from a distance t. rtillery, with detachments of ind ii . all regulai The volun- the President, while the regul; flanked the movement, marching in parallel A fine companj of sa] and mini i advan It was under tin- imposing 96 ABRAHAM LINCOLN array of cannon and bayonets that it was neces- ry to conduct the legally-chosen President of the United States to his inauguration. Mr. Lincoln took his stand upon the platform cf the eastern portico of the Capitol. Thirty thousand persons stood before him. There were many sharpshooters, who, from the distance of nearly a mile, could throw a bullet into his heart. It is hardly too much to say, that the nation trembled. Mr. Lincoln unrolled a manuscript, and in a clear voice, which seemed to penetrate with its distinct articulation the remotest ear, read his inaugural. We have not space for the whole of this noble document. "Apprehension," said he, "seems to exist among the people of the Southern States, that, by the accession of a Republican administration, their property and their peace and personal security are to be endangered. There has never been any reasonable cause for such apprehension. Indeed. the most ample evidence to the contrary has all the while existed, and been open to their inspec tion. It is found in nearly all the published speeches of him who now addresses you. 1 do but quote from one of those speeches, when I de- clare that I have no purpose, directly or indirectly. to interfere with the institution of >iavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no law ful right to do so; and I have no inclination to do so. Those who nominated and elected me did so with the full knowledge that I had made tin- and made many similar declarations, and had AM I.I . I ■ ■ "1 i the which, whatever < I ■ Al \M LINO 'I 99 mcnl proper ever 1 ■ ill tl md tl ■ ■ if tin r. hut the but i ■ mplation, ti the 1 • tlu- l " I ! i. It 1. in fact, by the articl< ■ 1776 It rther matun 1 the faith ted 1 thai the in 177- r ordaini to foi m< tin having I the ! clem< ■ • 100 ABRAHAM LIXCOLX "It follows from these views, that no State, upon its own mere motion, can lawfully get out of the Union; that resolves and ordinances to that effect arc legally void; and that acts of vio- lence within any State- or States, against the au- thority of the United States, arc insurrectionary or revolutionary, according to circumstano "I therefore consider, that, in view of the Con- stitution and the laws, the Union is unbroken; and, to the extent of my ability, I shall take care. as the Constitution itself expressly enjoins upon me. that the laws of the Union shall he faithfully executed in all the States. Doing this, which I deem to he only a simple duty on my part. I shall perfectly perform it. so far as is practicable, un- less my rightful masters, the American people, shall withhold the requisition, or in some authori- tative manner direct the contrary. "I trust this will not be regarded as a menace. but only as the declared purpose of the Union. that it will constitutionally defend and maintain itself. "The power confided to me will he used to hold, occupy, and possess the property and places be- longing to the government, and collect the duties and imposts ; but. beyond what may be necessary for these objects, there will be no invasion, no using of force against or among the people any- where. "All the vital righis of minorities and of in- dividuals are si | lainly assured to them by af- firmations and negations, guaranties and pro- LN hil ■ t" th. ***k ■ - - - :-- " 3MJI W is 5HO! ¥1 BOOTH AIM - 2T< "- w it. I 104 ABRAHAM LINCOLN of having the national Constitution amended. While I make no recommendation of amendment. I fully recognize the full authority of the people er the whole subject, to he exercised in either the modes prescribed in the instrument itself; and I should, under existing circumstances, favor rather than oppose a fair opportunity being af- forded the people to act upon it. "My countrymen, one and all. think calmly and well upon this whole subject. Nothing valuable can he lost by taking time. "If there he an object to hurry any of you in hot haste to a step which you would never take deliberately, that object will be frustrated by tak- ing time; but no good object can be frustrated by it. Such of you as are now dissatisfied still have the old Constitution unimpaired, and. on the sen- sitive point, the laws of your own framing under it: while the new administration will have no immediate power, if it would, to change either. '"If it were admitted that you who are dissatis- fied hold the right side in the dispute, there i- still no single reason for precipitate action. In- telligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm re- liance on Him who has never yet forsaken this favored land, are still competent to adjust, in the best way. all our present difficulties. '"In your hand-, my dissatisfied fellow-country- men, and not in mine, is the momentous issue ^i civil war. The government will not a>sail you. '"You can have no conflict without being your- ■ I shall have the in >lemn it. "I am loath We • • • it inn-' : null: ■ h< w ' ■ >olemn and imp Mi .1 back t-» the \\ I man t<...k li him. H< larmed at . whiU t. had ik- on tlk of toil ith Mr. - had no that it that the permai ent upon this ,1 thai rth v. their d< ther th ■ ABRAHAM LINCOLN 107 "The 'S d 1 will pl< in tli hand and to drink 1 1 that will be sh( lemon mappeased I i < Ipenl) avowed tr.ut the Union wei n ever) department of tin •aid be taken, leliberation, which w t imn rted t" tl I lure wen i en oth< i h -t was absolute!) necessary ti uld secure in order t<> have any ih In the l-'th of \pnl the re' ton opened fire upon Fort Sum I ln> introduced the war. \\. infatu anticipate victor The) bad already inaugurated tlu-ir rnment at Montgomery. Elated with the !• i the bombardment and capture mter, Mr. Walker, the rebel S< r) War. addn houting thr< lid, — in tell where this u.ir. commenced tin- will end; but I will prophes) that the •• Inch now flaunt^ the bl .ill float er the dome of the old Capitol at Washington May. Let them u> Southern chivalr extent of Southern 1 n m< • ntually over Faneuil Hall it With wonderful unanimity, the North rallied und the imperiled flag of the nation. The 108 ABRAHAM LINCOLN rebels crushed out all opposition to secession within tluir borders, and forced every available man into the ranks. Mr. Lincoln, three days after the capture of Sumter, issued a proclamation call- ing for seyenty-five thousand troops to defend the national capital* which the rebels threatened to e; and soon after he declared the ports in the rebellious States under blockade. In an evil hour Virginia joined the rebels. Ter- rible was her punishment. Mr. Douglas nobly came forward, and gave all of his strong influ- ence to Mr. Lincoln. As he read the President's proclamation calling for seventy-five thousand men, he said, — "Mr. President, I cordially concur in every word of that document, except that, in the call for seventy-live thousand men. T would make it two hundred thousand. You do not know the dishonest purposes of those men as well as 1 do." "On the 1st of May Senator Douglas addi an immense gathering in the city of Chic Ten thousand persons thronged the Wigwam. The eloquent senator spoke in strains which thrilled the heart of the nation. "1 beg you to believe," said he, '"that I will not do you or my- self the injustice to think that this magnificent ovation is personal to myself. I rejoice to know that it expresses your devotion to the Constitu- tion, the Union, and the flag of our country. 1 will not conceal my gratification at the incontro- vertible test this vast audience presents, — that whatever political differences or party questions \| l.l\< < >LN i Mt th. i I f ■ M I li.i. i I t what \\;i- t 1 I 1 • obstruct i ll!\)t. I he qu ■ ■ ■\\ I ■ ith th- ■ ■ i it that ti I in the modi • thai their i \\ hat se- I dci HOUSE ON IOTH ST.. WASHINGTON, D. C, IN WHICH LINCOLN DIED I \M U\< < >I 111 ov \\ I - the ■ mi. ' 1 I in th. ■l the rii;lit> of I under tlu the land than th- time when the) had n nn \\ hat v;.".,i which hi undt "I l' t: . rial i. for tlu 1»- itii 1 1 n be tl - plaints I have heard and faithful tnl- lau . Tl hat lilt l»r< he present by li Ive in. »nt r tlu now k \ : • have b< n I hei must 112 ABRAHAM LINCOLN be for the United States <>r against it. There can be no neutrals in this war, only patriots or traitors." We have no space here to enter into the de- tails of the war which ensued, which cost half a million lives, and an expenditure of treasure and a destruction of property which cannot be com- puted. On the 6th of March. 1862. Mr. Lincoln recommended that the L'nited States should co- operate with any State "which may gradually adopt abolishment of slavery, by giving to such State pecuniary aid, to be used at its discretion to compensate for inconvenience, public and pri- vate, produced by such changes of system." The rebels were continually cheered by the hope that all the border State- would join them. Mr. Lincoln invited the representatives of those States to a conference with him. in which he -aid to them, urging them to accept emancipation with compensation, — "Let the States which are in rebellion see definitely and certainly, that in no event will the States you represent ever join their proposed confederacy, and they cannot much longer main- tain the contest. Can you, for your State-, do 1 letter than take the course I urge? The inci- dents of war cannot be avoided. If the war continue long the institution in your States will la- extinguished by mere friction and abrasion. It will be gone, and you will have nothing valuable in lieu of it. Much of its value is gone alreadv. How much better for vou and your ABRAHAM I.I\> I >l..\ 113 r that which i- sun I ! : i llli 1 It ■ S ptemlx ■ ■ "I I « • I • \\ hich t! ted hich : made he a "Wh.it I did, 1 di JOHN WILKES BOOTH VBR I LIN( ' 'I 115 bilit) I "I that I h.i\ »• ma turned, it is th< admini and the ■ ; ;nl tl,< •l in tl it — "It ha mmer, \Si until 1 felt tl. i the the plan had been pursuing, that we li m played our last card, and must cha n < I now determined up< loption of the emancipation p<>' id, with- • tion with <>r the knov f the •. I prepared the original dr.ii't of the proc- much an> t. call< 1 n the This ..r the first part of the month • "Tl I think, up \" were present except Mr. Blair, ral, who \\ • at the •' • Is • that 1 1 ailed them them, r after th< had '1 116 ABRAHAM LINCOLN* "Various suggestions were offered. Secretary Chase wished the language stronger in reference to the .inning of the blacks. Mr. Blair, aft r he came in. deprecated the policy, on the ground that it would cost the administration the fall elections. Nothing, however, was offered that I had not already fully anticipated, and settled in my own mind, until Secretary- Seward spoke. He said in substance, — " 'Mr. President, 1 approve of the proclama- tion; but I question the expediency of its issue at this juncture. The depression of the public mind, consequent upon our repeated reverses, is so great, that I fear the effect of so important a step. It may be viewed as the last measure of an exhausted government, — a cry for help ; the gov- ernment stretching forth her hands to Ethiopia. instead of Ethiopia stretching forth her hands to the government.' "His idea was," said Lincoln, "that it would be considered our last shriek on the retreat. 'Now." continued Mr. Seward, 'while I approve the meas- ure, I suggest, sir, that you postpone its issue until you can give it to the country supported by military success, instead of issuing it, as would be the case now, upon the greatest disasters of the war.' "This wisdom of the view of the Secretary of State struck me with great force. It was an aspect of the case, that, in all my thought upon the subject, I had entirely overlooked. The re- sult was, that I put the draft of the proclamation BRAHAM LI! 11/ 1 i Ik-! Well, tl had in. Thi darker thai wie the « i the n. I determined I longer 1 1 1 «. news came, 1 tlimk. on \\ < ■ir side I was I it the I lome, thr« • \\ shed writing th< (Iran of tl proclamation : up it : final t; ivhich t«><.k plai 20th • icoln read t' •And il rnment «»>' the I ncludii military and naval tli the freedon Mr. - him, - '•! think, Mr Pr< I thai . in that sent it." lent replied, that he I lered the import of that < in tl he had refi he did Ilk' that which 1 he "But Mi l't rds v. It ■ - ■ ' ^ I WATCHING AT THE BEDSIDE OF THE DYING PRESIDENT AI'.K \| LIN( « 'I 119 mation w nblc, he alio hi 1 Abraham 1 immandei the authoi tin l nd m th. ght hundred ai h my purj. publicly proclaimed for the full i< ir-'in tin- day first in. >rder and d< n tin- people the) ilii^ llion >l the Alt'* Th< mir- rder and d< ill i.l hei rth 1 that tli. nt ncluding nd in- I pei •:.!«•.! with i ■ 120 ABRAHAM LIXCOLX lieved to be an act of justice warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gra- cious favor of Almighy God." Of this proclamation "The London Spectator" says, "We cannot read it without a renewed con- viction that it is the noblest political document known to history, and should have for the na- tion, and the statesmen he left behind him, some- thing of a sacred and almost prophetic character. Surely none was ever written under a stronger sense of the reality of God's government; and certainly none written in a period of passionate conflict ever so completely excluded the parti- ality of victorious faction, and breathed so pure a strain of mingled justice and mercy." The country abounded with spies and inform- ers; and, as another measure of military necessity, the writ of habeas corpus was suspended. The President issued a circular letter to the army, urg- ing the observance of the Lord's Day, and rever- ence for the name of God. Sunday desecration and profanity are ever two great evils in an army. At one time twenty-four deserters were sen- tenced by court-martial to be shot. Mr. Lin- coln refused to sign the warrants for their ex- ecution. An officer said to him, "Mr. President, unless these men are made an example of, the army itself is in danger. Mercy to the few is cruelty to the many." Mr. Lincoln replied. "Mr. General, there are already too many weeping wid- ows in the United States. Don't ask me to add to : \M I l\» I II 121 til' \ ■ . — IN tli >uld i ■ I t which is tun:: ; the 1 murderer, thai he can i mj 1: \ her li lu-r j>! heart, si that I Mr 1 the ur 1 le !. — • much ■ 111 Ul • . • thmk. tl. ■ THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN \i:k Ml \M LINl i -I • nil tr Mr. Li "I I: iiat I had i ■ r thai I sumpti thi day thought that I which ha m into ' . \\ ithout the aid • .11 oth< Mr Car- tist wh< in the be Pi : him. — • I im | I intently >iu tlu- refrain rang in i Vbraham Lincoln !' " ram one da) announced a t- 111 ! ,r ' Mr. Lincoln paced tlu- floor pale unable t-. eat, and fearfullj appi \ lady said t«. him "\\ and, taki 1,1 e hastened t-. his room. The pra •id. m tlu- intensit) •i childlike faith, it w; ,[. From human lips I n 1 •I a Union victi ime back 1,1 1» ' with »od new s! i . - I like pi •i.l pr; l\ , that, during the war - N ' r I • n hout 128 ABRAHAM LINCOLN There was a peculiarity in the character of this most remarkable man, a peculiarity conspicuous from the cradle to the grave, which no one yet has been successful in satisfactorily explaining. Take the following as an illustration : — A poor old man from Tennessee went to Wash- ington to plead for the life of his son. lie had no friends. Almost by chance, and after much delay, he succeeded i" working his way to the President through the crowd of senators, gov- ernors, and generals who were impatiently wait- ing for an audience. Mr. Lincoln looked over his papers, and told the man that he would give him his answer the next day. The anguish-strick- en father looked up with swimming eyes, and said, "Tomorrow may be too late! My son is un- der sentence of death ! The decision ought to be made now !" "Wait a bit," said the President, "and I will tell you a story. Colonel Fisk of Missouri raised a regiment, and made even - man agree that the colonel should do all the swearing of the regi- ment. One of his teamsters, John Todd, in driv- ing a mule team over a boggy road, completely lost his patience, and burst into a volley of oath<. The colonel called him to account. 'John,' said he, 'did you not promise to let me do all the swearing of the regiment?' 'Yes, I did, colonel,' he replied : 'but the fact was. the swearing had to be done then, or not at all ; and you weren't there to do it.' " The President laughed at this story most \ll\M ': in • • ■ ■ ■ • • I milli Hi it without \\'h< . • the bin Mr. I . \r- Th with ■ ■ r !'r. 130 ABRAHAM LINCOLN stratingly, "I did not come here this morning to hear stories. It is too serious a time." The President paused for a moment, and then said, "Sit down sir. I respect your feelings. You cannot be more anxious than I am constantly. And I say to you now, that if it were not for this occasional vent I should die!" Mr. Lincoln's literary taste was of a high or- der. Xo man more correctly appreciated poetic beauty. The most delicate shades of thought, and the purest sentiment, were those for which his mind had an intuitive affinity. His memory was stored with beautiful fragments of verse, and these were invariably of the highest literary and moral excellence. "There are," said he on one occasion, "some quaint, queer verses, written, I think, by Oliver "Wendell Holmes, entitled, 'The Last Leaf,' one of which is to me inexpressibly touching." He then repeated, — "The mossy marbles rest Have carved On the lips that he has pressed In their bloom : And the names he loved to hear Have been carved for many a vear On the tomb." He then added, "For pure pathos, in my judg- ment, there is nothing finer than these six lines in the English language." On another occasion *- — < _ _ h 132 ABRAHAM LIXCOLX he said. "There is a poem that has been a great favorite with me for years, to which my atten- tion was first called, when a young man, by a friend, and which I afterwards saw and cut from a newspaper, and carried it in my pocket till. by frequent reading. I had it by heart,"' Ik- then repeated eleven verses of a poem of which we here give the first and last stanzas : — "Oh! why should the spirit of mortal be proud? Like a swift-fleeting meteor, a fast-rlying cloud, A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave, He passeth from life to the rest of the grave. 'T is the wink of an eye, 't is the draught of a breath. From the blossom of health to the paleness of death. From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud : Oh! why should the spirit of mortal be proud?" Mr. Lincoln was very remarkable for his fund of anecdote. He always had his little story with which to illustrate any point, and the illustration was often found to contain resistless argument. It has been said that his stories were sometimes coarse. Upon this point Mr. Carpenter says, after six months of the most intimate daily acquain- tance. — "Mr. Lincoln, T am convinced, has been greatly wronged in this respect. Every foul-mouthed ABRAHAM LINCOLN man in the countrj ■ currei I filth of lus own imagination by attributing the President. It is but simple justice to ln> mi • that I should ring th< en- 1 of my staj in Washington, after wit- w ith nearly all cl of men, embracing govern tors and memb< I the army, and intimate friends, I cannot recollect t«> have heard him i Lit ircumstance to anj i f them which uld have been <>ut of place uttered in a lad drawii m. "And this testimony i^ n<>t unsupported bj that well entitled t<» consideration. Dr Family physician, came in <>iu- day to studies. Sitting in front of thai of the lent, with whom he \ iiu < i physician t" probe deepl) the •r lives of men, and I affirm that Mr Lin- coln is the purest hearted man with whom 1 e> j Seward, who of the probably tlu- most intim with tlu- President, exj the same sentinn in !»till stronger lanj He once said t>» tin Rei I )r Bell< Mr Lincoln is the best man I ever k- The tact which the President displayed in all to the various kindnesses he re iccited universal admiration. < )n such • his aw k\\ ar.hn med ^u\ - plain fa utiful \- the Presidei I red BRAHAM LINCOLN [35 White li ■ • -.IK wit with M, • ment ' admiring ■ . which u ith illy, madam, 1 think I them • i • 1 the Prince of > ■ ■ married that he might commu- W ith much t ; the White I '7 1 1 the I hold in in , r •1 i,, • per trimoi Prii mark 136 ABRAHAM LINCOLN for some moments, he placed the letter in the hands of the President. Mr. Lincoln took it, and, with a peculiar twinkle of the eye, simply re- sponded, "Lord Lyons, go thou and do likewise." Mr. Carpenter, in narrating this incident, adds. "It is doubtful if an English ambassador was ever addressed in this manner before; and it would be interesting to learn what success he met with in putting the reply in diplomatic language, when he reported it to her majesty." In conversation at the White House, a gentle- man referred to a body of water in Nebraska, which was called by an Indian name signifying weeping water. Mr. Lincoln instantly replied, "As laughing water, according to Longfellow, is Minnehaha, this, evidentlv, should be Minneboo- hoo." A gentleman who had called upon the Pres- ident, in the course of conversation inquired of him how many men the rebels had in the field. Promptly and very decidedly he replied, "Twelve hundred thousands." The interrogator, in amaze- ment, exclaimed. "Twelve hundred thousand! is it possible?'' "Yes, sir." the President replied: "twelve hundred thousand ; there is no doubt of it. You see, all of our generals, when they get whipped, say the enemy outnumbers them from three or five to one. T must believe them. We have four hundred thousand men in the field. Three times four make twelve. Don't vou see it?" Some gentlemen from the West called one day, ABRAHAM LINCOLN h bitter compl tinst the administrate I he I his \\<>ni li patiently, and then replied, tlemen, suppose all the i :> you w w.»rth was in gold, and you had put it mt" tlu- h;n ! Blondin to can - the Niagara Rivet n a rope, would you shake the cable, or keep shouting out to him, 'Blondin, stand up lit- tighter; Blondin, stoop a little mon tn .1 little moi el I north ; i little more to the south?' would Id your breath a: our I ind our hands off until he was safe I Ik- /eminent an n immense weight Un- told treasures arc in their hand Tlu-> are do- ing the vcrj best th< Don't badger them. Keep - ■ nee, and we'll gel you "I ho| lid ;i clerg>'man t<> him one day, "that tlu Lord is <>n our side." "I am not .it all con- d about that," was Mr. Lincoln's repl) ; "' 1 kn..u that the Lord i~ >s on the side hi. . But it i^ mj xiet) ;m k< clear of the little vixen who had torn In* clot! ABRAHAM LI LN 139 him. At length he kc«l the matti the rv ' h a trouble to nn it, thei id the gentleman. 'Hus id the boy. '1 k>n'l you see that he I am let him do then I v. home, and tell the folks ly before hi return from Richmond, stopj 1 ! here w extensive hospi- tal illed with sick and wound* - M: «1 the head n that he wish< sit all the hospil he might shake The surg< de him, saying that thei nd pal : n the h< • 1 that he would find trength to visit all it Mr. 1 ii .— "I think that I an i .1 to tin- task. .' t any 1 Wl!1 tr : in. I shall i want them • that I appi hat the\ ha doi their countr g that he could not di • NIr I in his rounds nt from ' bed. man his hand, a '"path) . IU .,I |„ al , 140 ABRAHAM LINCOLN with heartfelt cordiality, he came to a ward where there was a wounded rebel. The unhappy man raised himself upon his elbow in bed as the Pres- ident approached, and. with tears running down his cheeks, said, "'Mr. Lincoln. I have long wanted to see you to ask forgiveness for ever raising un- hand against the old flag." Tears rilled the President's eyes. Warmly he shook the young mans' hand, assuring him of his good will and heartfelt sympathy. Several hours were occupied in the tour, when the Pi ident returned with the surgeon to his office. They had. however, hut just taken their -eats. when a messenger came, saying that one of the wards had been missed, and that "the boys'' were very anxious to see the President. The surgeon, who was quite tired out, and who knew that Mr. Lincoln must be greatly exhausted, endeavored to dissuade him from going back; but Mr. Lin- coln persisted, saying, "The boys will be so dis- appointed!'" He therefore went with the messen- ger, and did not return until he had visited every bed. Mr. Lincoln retained at the White House, to a very remarkable degree, the simple habits to which he had been accustomed in his home in Il- linois. Mr. Holland relates the following char- acteristic anecdote: — "He delighted to see his familiar Western friends, and gave them always a cordial welcome. He met them on the old footing, and fell at once into the accustomed habits of talk and story- \BRAH \M 11 ith hi Mi the presidei ir- It sho I in that the two 1111-11 had prohabh ther with cl their from the ^" • • I « I Mr the White !!-• nk his lu- .Irav. hile Mr raw his No, i pi d, tug| it up your glovi In.' the ' tern i had their ride after tli< i rhaddi e with a wh Her son 1 in the army, but f< >r s< »n i had i. and im - i at hard lal i circuri •man a 1 attentive lu ;id, "D Mr THE LINCOLN MONUMENT AT SPRINGFIELD, ILL. ABRAHAM LINC01 which will warrant my inter! "V. my kl jurti. Ay, "I Id ha\ i 1 Mr 1 rdon him " I urn d handed it ther Her gratitudi .... less, taking th. with Mr • irned to him, a id vei "1 u refer, Mr. Si inquin "W by, t! : . "that hi be is the hand* I evei in my lift uty in that f A ' ted with the Christian Commission had several inl with him, consulting him in ref< her hu- At th : one of 1 Mr Lin her, with thai child- frankness and simplicit u — •n. I h.i\ i ed a 1 . or charact< I ur • in her judgn • infuli - rid • • rt; thai ,1 144 ABRAHAM LINCOLN would differ; but when one was really brought to feel his need of divine help, and to seek the aid of the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance, it was satisfactory evidence of his having been born again." With deep emotion he replied, "If what you have told me is really a correct view of this great subject, I think that I can say with sincerity, that I hope that I am a Christian. I had lived, until my boy Willie died, without realizing fully these tilings. That blow overwhelmed me. It showed me my weakness as I had never felt it be- fore; and, if I can take what you have stated as a (est, I think that I can safely say that I know something of that change of which you speak; and I will further add, that it has been my in- tention for some time, at a suitable opportunity, to make a public religious profession." , "Oh, how hard it is," said he one day. "to die and not leave the world any better for one's little life in it.'" Four years of civil war passed slowly and sad- ly away. There was another presidential el - tion. Those who were opposed to Mr. Lincoln and the war rallied in great strength; but Mr. Lincoln was triumphantly re-elected, receiving two hundred and tweive out of two hundred and thirty-three electoral votes. The evening of his election, he said, in reference to this emphatic approval of his administration by the people, — "I am thankful to God for this approval of the people; but while deeply grateful for this mark ABRAHAM LINCOLN 145 ,Ml,r it. my 'I'll I «'• lll.-tl. but I thank \1 nment and the rights ' h< ebels v. It that • uld nol it to up b) tr. he a d( • h war u l t the "It h .1 th.it a ]-. rti- . l! I: the world that t! It that we I when the war G n its i but li ,,1 p a | ■\ that tlu- Rebel 1 1 • t-. i- The triumphs henna n, and Sheridan were stril with dismay, an.! inspiring all h hope 1 he natioi l tin- field, am mounting I «nd men ; and six hundred an,' ent ur CATACOMB AND SARCOPHAGUS VBRAHAM LINCOLN 147 k luu. \t Preside Lincol • : i libitinj rent \\ by the country with I In- r the •n Iru-ii.ls and ike admitted tl i it ability of Abi ham I In. An ::!;': In- 1 lis addn • i the - which ever fell froni tin- lips llu- ch other in tlu- war, I and ; kes ln> ;n t tlu- her. It i' that any nun »h<-tilr. |. 11 • ed fully. I lu- Almighty • ■ it must be that of- that man by whom the th !" "It i- which, in the pr d, nil-. huh. i n- tinued through hi ted time, lu- now wills 148 ABRAHAM LINCOLN" to remove, and that he gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern there- in any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may soon pass away. Vet if God wills that it continue un- til all the wealth piled by the bondmen's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid with another drawn with the sword, — as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, 'The judg- ments of the Lord are true and righteous alto- gether.' '•\Yith malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and orphans; to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." On the morning of the 3d of April, 1865, it was announced -by telegraph that the Union army had entered Richmond; that Lee was in full re- treat, pursued by Grant ; and that President Lin- coln had gone to the front. No pen can describe the joy with which these tidings were received. The war was over; slavery was dead: and the Union, cemented in freedom, was stronger than ABRAHAM LINCOLN 149 rer be! him sell. Mr 1 ill- \s « I> mi bel ;l. w Inch •. ith i . \\ ith uard l>ut the >.nl«>i liathei i with j( • • ried out, " \t last the r<>ad became multil • ■ W - und t: IV • irned i with M »ln i tin- pi It thai m • STATUE OF EMANCIPATION ABR \H \M LIN( l 'IX 151 struction <>i tlu- .nu! sho • war. Mr Lit d '• k man. I Ic did n doubt in I h- liinkniK mind In a letter 1 Wadsworth, hi written, . in tli- I our com- eld, tl lowed heerful submission <»n the part »uth, it universal amnestj should n<>t l,< mpanied with uni surTi g< Since you km.w my private inclii s to what terms should 1«< ted t" the South in the contingent ■ 1. 1 will here add, that should «>ur suc- ni- be i l. foll< >wed l>> such i <1 universal amnesty how under the circumstances, I can avoid in return, universal buA or at Ic sufl "" the bi t intelligence and military We h poken of th< which w< ma inate lent 1 .incoln before I inauguration. His life was tantly tin ed Hi nds urged him t.. pi aution; but tin- re, that i ild not aded to do so He walked the stree . unattended, and as fr my •i. 14th of April < leneral in the l tlu- rnanagi F< ird's Theatre \n\ to 152 ABRAHAM LINCOLN the President and the general to witness on his boards the representation, that evening, of "Our American Cousin." To assist in drawing a crowd, it was announced in the play-bills that they would both be present. General Grant left the city. President Lincoln, feeling, with his charac- teristic kindliness of heart, that it would be a dis- appointment if he should fail them, very reluc- tantly consented to go. With his wife and two friends, he reached the theatre a little before nine o'clock; and they took their seats in a pri- vate box reserved for them. The house was full in every part ; and the whole audience rose as the President entered, and he was greeted with the greatest enthusiasm. As the President, having taken his seat, was apparently listening with great interest to the play, a play-actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth worked his way through the crowd, in the rear of the dress-circle, and, reaching the door of the box where the President was seated, pre- sented a pistol within a few inches of his head, and fired a bullet into his brain. Mr. Lincoln, re- clining in his chair, instantly lost all conscious- ness, and did not move. The assassin, brandish- ing a dagger, leaped upon the stage, and shouting theatrically, "Sic semper tyrannis!" rushed across it in the terrible confusion which ensued, mounted a fleet horse at the door, and escaped. The helpless form of the President, bleeding and unconscious, was borne across the street to a private house. A surgical examination showed VBRAHAM LINCOLN th.it thr l pon pillow s dn with bl< ■ ■ r\ helmi ■ • derl) held the ha ii.l wept with un \t I IlllUlt It ah th. ral Gi th- . . . tim '. Mr ■ ST. GAUDENS' STATl'E OF LINCOLN LINCOLN PARK. CHICAGO IBR -.1 \M LINO >LN •u. thi the •I led in Uu lied from hi i the with his ttempti him in hi A kinrld, v. the liam I tli triot l 156 ABRAHAM LINCOLN guish. It is not too much to say that a nation was in tears. As the awful tidings Hew along the wires, funeral-bells were tolled in city and in country, flags everywhere were at half-mast, and groups gathered in silent consternation. It was Saturday morning when the murder was an- nounced. On Sunday all the churches were draped in mourning. The atrocious act was the legiti- mate result of the vile Rebellion, and was in char- acter with its developed ferocity from the begin- ning to the end. The grief of the colored people was sublime in its universality and its intensity. A northern gentleman, who was in Charleston, S. C, when the tidings of the assassination reached there, writes, — "I never saw such sad faces or heard such heavy heart-beatings as here in Charleston the day the dreadful news came. The colored peo- ple, the native loyalists, were like children be- reaved of an only and a loved parent. I saw one old woman going up the street wringing her hands, and saying aloud as she walked, looking straight before her, so absorbed in her grief that she noticed no one, — " 'O Lord, O Lord, O Lord! Massa Sam's dead ! Massa Sam's dead ! O Lord ! Massa Sam's dead !' ' 'Who's dead, aunty?' I asked her. " 'Massa Sam !' she said, not looking at me. 'O Lord, O Lord! Massa Sam's dead!' " 'Who's Massa Sam?* I asked. ABR \li.\M LIN< < 'I •• •; Lord, rd!' 1 that ^lu- meant the Pi in. 'Who's M.i ni. auni Mi Linkum,' - ttci a i iu- i" " >r creatun was int :i the lid th( il l'r. ; hut her that he \\ hom 1 1< a'ci her pi ind h< were . f the White I loll! ich tli. :. It \\ hite I louse to tal the !'■ M- Baptist le tri "Pi irmly iham i mistaken i He 1 it well, desei it all. 1 haracter, bj his and by th< spirit of hi [•. iaid that the funeral train i 158 ABRAHAM LINCOLN to Springfield, 111. Groups gathered as mourn -rs at every station, hells were tolled, and hands of music breathed forth their plaintive requiems. In some places the railway, for miles, was lined with a continuous group of men, women, and children, standing in silence, with uncovered heads and swimming eyes, as the solemn pageant swept by. It would require a volume to describe the scenes which were witnessed in the various cities and villages through which the funeral procession passed. The train reached Springfield, 111., on the morn- ing of the 3d of May. Bishop Simpson of the Methodist Church, a personal friend of the Pres- ident, in his funeral address quoted the following words from one of the speeches of Mr. Lincoln in 1859. Speaking of the slave-power, Mr. Lin- coln said. — '"Broken by it, I, too. may he; how to it I never will. The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to d'eter us from 'the sup- port of a cause which I deem to be just: and it shall not deter me. If ever I feel the soul with- in me elevate and expand to those dimensions not wholly unworthy of the almighty Architect, it is when I contemplate the cause of my country, deserted by all the world besides, and I standing up boldly and alone, and hurling defiance at her victorious oppressors. Here, without contemplat- ing consequences, before high Heaven, and in the face of the world. I swear eternal fidelity to the ABRAHAM LI! N jttsl land im lil ■< • ind in> •i.l vied with \i if I ! "Tin world." hand, rote a let I In. think that il ■ l»r«'th livion. *&-