Full Title

Admission Ticket to the White House

Description

A black-bordered admission ticket to call at the White House during the official mourning period.

Transcription

EAST.

Admit the Bearer to the
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
On WEDNESDAY, the 19th of April, 1865




[Transcription by: Dr. Susan Corbesero, Ellis School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]

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United States Government. "Admission Ticket to the White House". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/682

Creator

United States Government

Date

April 19, 1865

Material

Paper

Full Title

Original draft of plans for President Abraham Lincoln's funeral procession, [April 1865]

Description

Outlines plans for the procession starting at the Executive Mansion on April 18, where the public can view the remains of the President in the East Room. The procession will then continue on the 19th with religious ceremonies, after which the remains will be brought to the Capitol and placed in the Rotunda. After that, the delegation from Illinois will bring the President's body home to Springfield by train.

Transcription

Proposed arrangements for the funeral and disposition of the remains of the late President, submitted for approval.

The Executive Mansion, under proper police and guards, to be thrown open during Tuesday, the 18th inst. For the public to show their respect, -the remains to be in the East Room, under a guard of commissioned officers of the Army.

On Wednesday, the procession to form at 11 o’clock, the religious ceremonies to commence at 12, and the procession to move at 2 P.M.

The remains to be escorted to the Capitol, and there deposited in the Rotunda, to remain under a suitable guard, to be provided by the proper military authorities.

The delegation especially appointed from Illinois to receive the remains and escort them thither, to be called the “Body Guard”, to have them in special charge after they shall have been deposited in the Capitol.

The remains to be taken to the depot on Thursday morning, by military escort; a guard of honor, consisting of such Senators and Members of the House of Representatives as may be designated for that purpose by those bodies respectively, and also such other civilians as the Cabinet may determine, to accompany the remains to their final resting place. The whole to be accompanied by such military escort as the proper authorities may designate

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Harrington, George, 1815-1892. "Original draft of plans for President Abraham Lincoln's funeral procession, [April 1865]". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/674

Creator

Harrington, George, 1815-1892

Date

1865

Material

Full Title

Liebman Adler sermon

Description

English translation by Alisa Rethy.

Transcription

Sermon delivered by Rabbi Liebman Adler at Congregation Kehilath Anshe Maariv, Chicago, Illinois on 19 April 1865

     In this hour, the earthly remains of the father of the fatherland leave the White House in Washington. As the bells proclaim it across the vast breadth of the land, so do the heartbeats of every thinking and feeling being that dwells in it.

     Reason can be corrupted, even seduced to go astray. Not only the reason of a few men, but the reason of millions. Let us consider the number of reasonable Israelites, Christians, Mohammedans, and heathens, how various are their understandings of religion! And how various are the opinions of the political parties with regard to the foremost concerns of humanity! The heart, too, can be led astray. But when the heart is stricken unexpectedly and without preparation, all good men feel the same. The voice of the heart is God’s voice.

     Since the beloved leader has lain murdered in Washington, few hearts in this country have been glad. The first reports of the terrible event shook every heart, shocked every emotion, and, in a single moment, the pain flew like an electric spark over millions of miles, through millions of hearts. In this hour our hearts beat with greater force once more, our feelings are more impassioned, the pain is again more piercing. It is as if one were whispering the question, the same question that was asked of Elisha on the day when his master Elijah ascended to heaven (2 Kings, 3:3): “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take away your master?” This accordant feeling of an entire great nation is a divine revelation, is unmistakable testimony, that it is a truly great man, a genuinely noble person, a wise ruler whom they lead to the grave today.

     Is his memory worthy of the honor presently being shown to him in solemn, expressive ceremonies by the greatest and most eminent in the land who gather around his body in Washington? Is he worthy of the honor and homage that is being accorded his memory in this hour by millions of the pious in tens of thousands of houses of God in cities and villages, and even in the wigwams of the savages? In ancient Egypt there was a court of the dead that would undertake a formal, rigorous investigation of the life of a deceased before he was granted a solemn, honorable burial. Above you, O Lincoln, the civilized world sits in judgment, a jury of millions, and calls with one mouth: “You are worthy of the honor! You shall be honored, lamented and praised, through all lands, by all nations, and through all times! – thus will the workmen proudly call: He was our own, blessed be his memory! The merchants will remember proudly that he too once ranked among them and will honor his memory. The judiciary will engrave in marble in their hallowed halls that he was a colleague in their profession and will sanctify his memory. Rulers of the future will read with joy that Abraham Lincoln once sat among them.

     Ring, bells, dull and dismal; it is the faithful echo of our heart! And the bells we hear here will ring onward from village to village, from city to city, and, as you make your return journey from Washington, from the splendid site of your public activity, the field of your worries and sorrows, to your peaceful, tranquil, once so happy home in Springfield, the hearts of the nation will overflow with sadness. Not long ago men called and led you to Washington, to the seat of power; today God leads you back home again. You must follow his call, to this we must yield. – O, how glad would we have been, to have seen you able to announce the news of the golden peace that smiles upon us! How happy would we have been to see your good fortune in life united with the good fortune of the nation. How greatly it would have pleased us, had you been able to enjoy the rest of your term in office in tranquility, peace and reconciliation, after your lot on the presidential seat was one of such unrest, worry, and distress!

     But God wanted it otherwise! Providence gave the land a clement ruler in war. Perhaps it now needs a more stern one in the work of peace that lies ahead – so that strictness and tenderness may always go hand in hand. – But full, heartfelt joy is taken from us, no matter what glad tidings time may bring. The unhappy fate of the leader, the ghastly deed carried out against the chosen one of this nation will remain the bitter droplet that spoils for us the sweetest goblet of joy.

     Praise be to God that he who committed the ghastly deed does not count among our faith, that the Israelites have spawned no such monster! All the same, one might be reminded by this deed – as we now must read in the daily papers – of the “wicked Jews who killed Jesus Christ.” May our ancestors – who 2000 years ago saw[1] an individual who acted against the order of provincial law sentenced to death by their ordinary courts, and in concord with all legal forms, be summoned from the grave and placed as a counterpart to the murderers of the president. Such an accusation would be a heavier blow, now, to Christianity, that after 2000 years of activity and in our enlightened age, its confessors were capable of such a horrible deed. But we are far from such meanness, that we should wish to burden an entire religious community with that for which a mere few are responsible. We would commit a grave sin, were we to call out in our pain: “The wicked Christians have killed Ab. Lincoln! they have killed the savior of their own country!” Let us rather mourn our shared leader together, Jews and Christians, and pray, Jews and Christians, for the peace of a human soul; for indeed, according to our religious teachings, the pious of all nations and of every faith share in the happiness that awaits the pious on the other side. – He may also, as a non-Israelite, light the way for us as a paragon of rigorous honesty, pure morality, unfeigned piety, humility, goodness of heart, and patriotism that glowed in the purest flame. Let us do

in a small way, in the limited spheres of our lives, what he practiced to the greatest extent in his high position.

     While the body of our beloved former president is carried out of the White House, the new leader of the government moves in. It is now our duty for the fatherland to stand loyally with its leader, and not wait to bestow honor and recognition until death makes us compassionate. – The new president has steadfastly and unswervingly stood loyally with the Union when all stumbled and fell around him; may we forget that he once stumbled while all stood steadily around him. In this way we truly act in the spirit of the former president, the tested patriot.

     Your body, Ab. Lincoln, is now carried from city to city, from state to state, to its final resting place, to be joined as dust with the dust of the earth. But your spirit rises to God. He beholds the worlds, he surveys the spheres of heaven, all riddles of life solve themselves for him. He looks upon the glory among the righteous, while the earthly glory in Washington sinks into dust. But in the book of history the stylus is already stirring, securing immortality for you here below as well – in the realm of mortals.

     Your spirit, Ab. Lincoln, stands before the judgment seat of God. Your deeds are your interceding angels. But we, too, want, from the bottom of our heart, that our prayer for your salvation rise to heaven together with that of the praying nation.

[1] I say saw because they themselves, with Jesus, were subject to the jurisdiction of the Romans and also, in thousands, had to breathe their last under Roman authority, upon Roman crosses.

Source

American Jewish Archives. Translation by Alisa Rethy.

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Use of this item for research, teaching and private study is permitted with proper citation and attribution.

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Cite this Item

Liebman Adler. "Liebman Adler sermon". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/552

Creator

Liebman Adler

Date

April 19, 1865

Full Title

Mary Henry Diary

Description

Mary Henry, the daughter of the Secretary of the Smithsonian, recorded her thoughts about the death of Lincoln and provided an extensive discussion of the funeral in Washington.

Transcription

[April] 15th. We were awakened this morning by an announcement which almost made our hearts stand still with consternation. The President was shot last night in the Theater. When the morning paper was issued he was still alive although little or no hopes were entertained of his recovery but now the tolling bells tell us he has ceased to breathe. He is dead. Mr. De Bust has just told Hannah he died at ½ 7 o'clock. Deeply must the country mourn this death for although uncouth & ungainly he was true hearted, magnanimous and kind and in the present crisis ready to follow the such a course with the defeated belligerants as would win them back to their allegiance to the Government and subdue the rebellion in their hearts as well as subjugate their aims. The South has lost in him a good & judicious friend. His successor Johnson heartily desires the death of the leaders of the rebellion & is in every way ultra in his views. I have not given the particulars of the disaster. It was announced in the yesterday's papers that the President with Gen Grant would be at Ford's Theater in the evening and a large crowd collected there in consequence. Gen Grant however left the city before night for N.Y. Mrs. Lincoln had not been well & the President went to the place of amusement with reluctance, not wishing to disappoint the audience. He was received with more than usual applause. About 9½ o'clock a shot was heard which was at first supposed to be from the stage and a man leaped from the President's box upon the stage crying, "Sic semper Tyrannis" "I have done it." and making his way to the door mounted a horse & rode off. The shrieks of Madame Lincoln first announced to the petrified audience the catastrophe which had taken place. The President was found to be in a state of insensibility, shot twice through the head. He was immediately conveyed to a house opposite the theatre followed by Mrs. L. escorted by her friends in an almost frantic condition.

At the same time of the accident an attempt was also made upon the life of Sec. Seward. The assasin entered the house upon the plea that he had brought a prescription of Dr. Verde the physician of the Sec. He pushed passed the servant into the room of the sick man & after disabling the attendants inflicted several sabre wounds in his neck & then made his escape. Sec. Stanton it is said was warned of the danger and guarded himself against it. The rain is falling heavily and the bells still toll their melancholy tale.

7 P.M. The sad day of excitement is over. The President's body has been embalmed and lies in state at the White House while the frantic grief of Mrs. Lincoln has settled into an apathetic dejection from which it is impossible to arouse her. The President remained unconcious to the last. The members of the Cabinet, Mrs. & Miss Kinney and Miss Harris surrounded his bed. Dr. Gurley was present & afterwards escorted the bereaved widow to her home. At the request of Mrs. Lincoln, he communicated the mournful intelligence to poor little Tad who was wandering from group to group of the sorrowing attendants endeavoring vainly to find out what was the matter. His cries when he heard that he was Fatherless were exceedingly touching. He has been the most constant companion of the President. Johnson has received the oath of office and seems impressed with the dignity and responsibility of his new office. The assasins have not yet been arrested but the evidence if conclusive that Booth a miserable actor and worthless vagrant, a Son of the great tragedian, committed the deed. That is the murder of the President--the stabbing of Mr. Seward was probably done by an accomplice. Mr. Seward is in a critical position and has not been informed of the death of the President or of the danger of his son, who was so much injured by the assasin that very little hope is entertained of his life. The feeling of resentment at the South as instigating in all probability the murder is deep and I fear will entirely replace the feeling of kindness before entertained for the insurgents. The Southerners if they have countenanced the dreadful deed have fatally mistaken the interest of their cause.

[April] 17th. The sorrow for the President's death is deep and universal as we went to church yesterday we found all the houses draped in black. In front of the studio of Mr. Baumgrass, a large portrait of Mr. Lincoln was suspended surrounded with the marks of mourning. The church was so thronged with stranger we with difficulty made our way into the building and after standing for some time were provided with seats in the isle. The pulpit and gallery was dressed in black and the Presidents pew was closed and clothed with the same emblem. The Dr. in a short introductory address alluded to the terrible calamity which had befallen the Nation and spoke in terms of true affection of the personal qualities of our beloved chief Magistrate. The Assasins have not yet been found. The feeling against the South is exceedingly bitter. Mr. Seward's wounds are not as serious as was at first supposed and he will probably recover. He was informed last night of the death of the President and of the critical condition of his son still remains in a state of insensibility. The funeral ceremonies are expected to take place on Wednesday.

[April] 18th. Have just returned from the Kennedys where I passed the night. I went to see Dr. & Mrs. Gurley yesterday afternoon. The Dr. said he had been called to go to the President about 4 o'clock in the morning. He found him in the house opposite the theatre lying insensible upon a bed with the life blood dripping from the wound in his head upon the clothes on the floor beneath. The several members of the Cabinet & other persons were standing around the deepest sorrow depicted upon their countenances. The Dr. went to the bed side but for a while was too much overcome with his feelings to perform the religious services required of him. He went to Mrs. Lincoln and found her in an almost frantic condition. The President died about 7½ o'clock. Dr. Gurley returned to his bed side a few moments before his decease. He made his way through the sorrowing & silent spectators & found him slowly drawing his breath at long intervals lying as before perfectly motionless. A faint hardly perceptable motion in his throat and all was over. So still was the room that the ticking of the President's watch was distinctly heard. After a solemn & impressive prayer, Dr. Gurley went to break the sad intelligence to Mrs. Lincoln who was in the parlor below. She cried out "Oh why did you not tell me he was dying?" Robert Lincoln showed great self possession & calmness and did all in his power to comfort his sorrow stricken Mother. Dr. Gurley went with her to the White House. Some of her expressions are exceedingly painful. To day remains of the good kind man are deposited in the East Room and from an early hour the streets have been thronged with people going to take their last view of him. Sally & Annie Kennedy asked me to go with them but I thought I would rather remember him as I saw him last at the Capitol at the inaugeration. Carry and I are going out again soon, we feel too restless to remain at home. Father writes that the feeling of resentment against the Southerners in New York is bitter in the extreme. One man for an expression indicating want of sympathy in the general sorrow was thrown over the railing of a ferry boat & instantly crushed by the wheels. We expect Father to night. He heard the news shortly after his arrival in New York on Friday night. Capt. Alexander was here this morning. He says he has no doubt that Boothe is concealed in Baltimore. It will be very difficult to catch him being an actor he is accustomed to assume all disguises. The Capt. is firmly convinced that the assassination and attempted murder of Mr. Seward was a plot to destroy the amicable relations springing up between the North and the South through the humane policy of Mr. Lincoln and by substituting a sterner administration and harsher measures against the rebels with increased bitter feeling to unite the South for further resistance. Seward was Mr. Lincoln's chief supporter in his lenient measures.

The city is in such a state of excitement that the slightest unusual circumstance attracts a crowd immediately. Yesterday afternoon while I was making a call a number of carriages passed the window where I was seated some empty, some filled driving furiously and the street was soon filled with people running eagerly towards N.Y. Ave. not a one of them knowing what was the matter. In a few moments a crowd extending over several squares had collected. After some time it was discovered that two negro women fighting has caused the disturbance. Traces of the assassin have been found and several supposed accomplices in the plot arrested but great fears are entertained that the murderers will escape. A sense of insecurity pervades the community and guards have been placed around the houses of the most prominent citizens.

[April] 19th Wed[nesday]. To day was the funeral of our good kind President. The ceremonies of the White House were conducted by Dr. Gurley, Dr. Hall, Bishop Simpson and one other clergyman whose name I have forgotten, in the East Room. The catafalco was erected in the centre of the appartment graduated semi circular platforms were arranged around this for the accommodation of the invited attendants. The various delegations had each their place assigned. Father was invited to take part with the officers of the Smith. Inst. and I went with him to the Treasury building were he obtained for me a position upon one of the porticos to witness the procession. Only four or five ladies were admitted into the East Room. It was a beautiful day and as the people collected at the corners of the streets, at the windows & upon the roof of the houses, it was difficult to realize we were not preparing for some gala festival instead of the last sad honours to the well beloved dead. The procession left the White House about 2 P.M. We were notified that it had started by the distant booming of guns & the tolling of bells. The sad sweet strains of the funeral march heralded its approach and soon the military escort appeared marching slowly with bent heads & guns reversed. The sad pagent was two hours in passing. The funeral car was heavily draped with black plainly showing the coffin which was adorned with beautiful flowers. The remains were placed in the Capitol & will be open to the view of the public until Friday morning. They are to be conveyed to Springfield.

[April] 26th. The remains of President Lincoln left the city yeste Friday morning. Dr. Gurley has joined the company who escort them. The papers this morning contain a description of the manner in which the cortege has been received. Mrs. Lincoln is quite ill and poor little Tad quite inconsolable. Mercy tempered with a great deal [of] severity is approbated to be the policy of the new President in dealing with the rebels.

Source

Smithsonian Institution Archives

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This item is in the public domain.

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Mary Henry. "Mary Henry Diary". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/551

Creator

Mary Henry

Date

April 15, 1865

Full Title

Mary Sheehan Ronan Memoir

Description

In her memoir, Mary Sheehan Ronan recalled celebrations of the Lincoln assassination among her Confederate-sympathizing friends in Virginia City, Montana, followed by an upbraiding from her father.

Transcription

News, only a little belated, of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln came in by Pony Express. The little girls who were my particular friends and playmates were all the children of Southern parents. They had reawakened in me all the prejudices that were mine because of my Kentucky birth and because of association with my Missouri cousins. It pains me to recall what we did when we were told of Lincoln’s death. The news reached Virginia City in April 1865. It was noon. We girls were in the schoolhouse eating our lunches, which we sometimes carried to school with us. The Southern girls, by far the majority, picked up their ankle-length skirts to their knees and jigged and hippity-hopped around and around the room. They cheered for the downfall of that great, good, simple man whom they had been taught to regard as the archenemy of the South. They believed him the first and last cause of any and every misfortune that had befallen their parents and driven them to seek new fortunes amid the hardships of a far western frontier. When my playmates called, “Come on, Mollie, come on join the dance; you’re from Kentucky; you’re a Southerner!” I did join half-heartedly, with a guilty feeling. At home that evening I told what we had done. My father was shocked. “I am ashamed of you, Mollie,” he said, “I am a Democrat, but I am first, last, and always for the Union and for Lincoln.”

Source

Montana Historical Society Research Center

Rights

Use of this item for research, teaching, and private study is permitted with proper citation and attribution. Reproduction of this item for publication, broadcast, or commercial use requires written permission of the Montana Historical Society.

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Cite this Item

Mary Sheehan Ronan, told to Margaret Ronan. "Mary Sheehan Ronan Memoir". Montana Historical Society. Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/550

Creator

Mary Sheehan Ronan, told to Margaret Ronan

Publisher

Montana Historical Society

Date

1929

Full Title

Emilie Davis Diary

Description

Emilie Davis, a free African American living in Philadelphia, recorded the events of her life from 1863 to 1865, including the end of the Civil War and the Lincoln assassination.

Transcription

MONDAY, APRIL 10, 1865

raining all day in the evening it [...] off [...] i went to mr livelys he did not come to sermon egerton come up here with Ellen

TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 1865

quite pleasent i have bin very busy all day this evening i was too tired to go to meeting Vincent did not come up this evening

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 1865

this has bin quite a stressing week very [...] mrs Jones [...] i have bin with him [...] to get my Dress done

THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 1865

very Pleasent Miss Janice started for Baltimore this morning in Concequence i did not get to the [...] al lesson spent most of the evening home

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1865

to day is the day we Celebrate the soldiers Parrade a flag was presented to the reggiment by the [...] very Plesent it every body seemed to have a holidy

SATURDAY, APRIL 15, 1865

very sad newes was received this morning of the murder of the President the city is in deep mourning we had a meeting of the association

SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 1865

it Decided to PosPone the fare very fine Day everyone seems to Partake of the solemnity of the times Docto Jones spoke for us

MONDAY, APRIL 17, 1865

to day was set aPart for a general holiday but seemes to me a day of mourning i went to mr livelys then to school mr ling was not very lively

TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 1865

nothing special on home to day meeting at night not good meeting after meeting Nell and went to Sarah Shines Vincent invisible

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 1865

to day is a general holiday the churches are open and the day has the apperanece of Sunday the Preisedent is concidered buried today i was out in the afternoon we Did not have church mr gibbs being away Vincent was up a little while

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 1865

everything assumes a solem aspect the streets look mournful the people more so i went to mr livelys in the afternoon i did not get far from it rained all the afternoon and evening i spent the evening with Nellie

FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 1865

cloudy and very dark the funeral Prossion Pass through tomorrow i have not bin out to day i am tired of the st Vincent was up this evening he is so full of business

SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 1865

lovely morning to is the day long to be remembered i have bin very busy all morning the President comes in town this afternoon i went out about 3 in the afternoon it was the gravest funeral i ever saw

SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 1865

the coffin and hearse was beutiful this morning went down to see the President but could not for the crowd mr robinson spoke for us in the afternoon very interesting sermon after church Vincent and i tried to get to see the President

MONDAY, APRIL 24, 1865

i got to see him after waiting four hours and a half it was [...] a sight worth seeing very Pelesent i did not to mr lively we went to the concert it was very nice with one exception lizzie [...] sing

TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 1865

miserable the rest done well very good house very fine day i stoped at mr Jonsons a little while Nellie and i went to see Sarah Shim then to meeting very good meeting after meeting went down town

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 1865

quite warm to day i have soore throat as a [...] Sunday adventure nothing of intrest to day Nell come up this evening she has not spent an evening with me for some time

THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1865

very much like summer today very Plesent i went down to mr livleys in the afternoon Nell i went out shoping i went down to [...] a little while in the evening i spent at home

Source

Historical Society of Pennsylvania (images); Emilie Davis Diaries Project at Villanova University (transcription)

Rights

Use of this item for research, teaching, and private study is permitted with proper citation and attribution. Reproduction of the images of this item for publication, broadcast, or commercial use requires written permission from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Reproduction of the transcription of this item for publication, broadcast, or commercial use requires written permission from Villanova University.

Tags

Cite this Item

Emilie Davis. "Emilie Davis Diary". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/549

Creator

Emilie Davis

Date

April 15, 1865

Full Title

The Murder of the President

Description

Sermon delivered at Zion Temple on 19 April 1865. English translation by Alisa Rethy.

Transcription

The Murder of the President

by Rabbi Bernhard Felsenthal

     In this same hour, dear friends, as we are gathered in this house, thousands of houses of God are open for the same purpose – hundreds of thousands of people are gathered for the same purpose. Just as this temple of ours is furnished with the symbols of sorrow and the emblems of grief, innumerable public and private buildings are clothed in the garb of mourning. The same feeling of deep pain which permeates the souls of all who are present here lives in the breast of millions. What, then, is the reason for the truly great, imposing and momentous mourning of the nation? – A father has been suddenly snatched from his family, the father of the fatherland has fallen by the murderer’s hand. The highest official of the land and its first and most excellent citizen has departed this life in a way never before recorded in the annals of the United States. To be sure, we have already expressed the feelings of our heart at this site twice over the course of this week. Returning to honor the great deceased once more today, we follow indeed just as much a powerful urge of our heart as we meet a demand issued upon the nation by Washington.

     In this very hour, in the capital city of the Union, the mortal remains of President Lincoln are surely being transferred, in a solemn procession, from the White House to the Capitol. We here accompany the body in spirit and fulfill the duty of the Israelites, held high through all time, to honor the dead. Millions of others also follow the coffin in spirit as we do. Every eye is filled with sorrow. A magnificent funeral procession! One, the likes of which has honored only a few!

     But what shining light issues forth from the deceased? We answer this with the word of the prophet:

     Thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of God shall be thy reward. (Isaiah 58:8)

     His righteousness goes before him! In the language of the Bible, “righteousness” means none other than what we now call greatness of spirit and a powerful morality, the sum of glorious and noble works. And Lincoln was great. He was great in that he 1. Undertook to complete the task that fell to him – the restoration of the union – with wisdom and steadfastness, and truly completed it; 2. In that he made the glorious principle of the emancipation proclamation – “all men are free and equal!” – a reality; and 3. In that he paired justice and steadfastness with clemency and love in every undertaking.

     1. His righteousness goes before him. The glory of having restored the union goes before him. Nearly eighty years ago, in 1787, a great alliance of states was created through the acceptance of the constitution, and this alliance most gloriously rose to reveal its innate power and greatness. The Union, dear to all friends of Liberty on the earth, became an object of hatred for all enemies of Liberty, a cause of inner fear for all bearers of the crown. The star-spangled banner, the emblem of Liberty to which all oppressed nations looked up in love and hope, aroused hatred and hostility in every place where Liberty is hated. Unjustifiably, led by the most abominable motives, a party of aristocrats which had grown too powerful in the south now wanted to shatter the union, to trample the flag in the dust. What would have been the consequence, had the aims of the rebellion been permitted to transpire without any attempt to prevent them? The nation and her government would have stood defiled before the world, an object of derision and contempt. And what would have been the consequence, had the rebellion advanced and the union been torn apart? Two rival powers would have emerged, which would maul each other in endlessly recurring wars, powers which would have no influence in the council of nations and would not possess the strength even to provide for their own basic needs. The history of the world gives us manifold examples of how disastrous it is for nations when the unity destined for them by land and history is destroyed. Our old German fatherland is weak and politically meaningless because it is divided into so many states and, despite every struggle, could not be unified. But even our own Jewish history gives an enlightening example of the deleterious results brought by the shattering of a union. After Solomon’s death the kingdom was divided into two kingdoms: Judah and Ephraim. But what misery this brought upon the people! What a plaything and a bone of contention these kingdoms became for their neighbors! How this hastened their demise! The prophets, those patriots and community members without equal, indeed often express, in words of deep pain, the unluckiness of a divided people. And when, with a transfixed gaze, they look into the longed-for glorious future, they see a nation, one and undivided, before them. As says Ezekiel (37:22): And I will make them to one nation in the land… and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms.

     To shatter the rebellion and to restore and secure the union, that was the great task that fell upon the departed president Lincoln. With an unwavering gaze he steered the ship of the state through high and threatening waves. With a stable hand he saved the Union from perilous storms. With his wisdom and statesmanlike gaze he knew the right men to join him and the appropriate means to seize in order to reach that longed-for destination, the harbor of peace. The safe port lies before us; the storms abate; excitement runs high; salvation lies before our eyes. But then, the rudder sinks from the arm of the helmsman. Death calls: “all is lost!” – death, brought by the hand of the assassin. As an old Jewish sage once said, “Woe is the ship that has lost its helmsman!” But no! Lincoln saved the ship from the gravest dangers, and the easier task is now left for his successor. But for now, we survey his work, bring him our thanks, and profess to him our utmost admiration. And more unbiased than our grief-stricken veneration will be the verdict of history, who will sit soberly in judgment and, with an incorruptible stylus, will inscribe in her tablets: Abraham Lincoln, the restorer of the Union!

     2. His righteousness goes before him. Glory also goes before him – the glory of having made the principle of freedom and equality a deed and a truth. “All men are created equal.” Surely no greater, more glorious principle has been expressed in a political document than this declaration of the American people represented in Congress, solemnly issued on July 4, 1776. But strangely, this sentence has remained a dead letter until now. While it is true that men are not equal with regard to gifts of the body and mind, and property, they ought still to be considered equal in the halls of legislation and before the gates of the court. But that the inclusion of this sentence in the legal codes and its recognition in everyday life was met with resistance, that the institution of slavery was tolerated in a free land, was not merely tolerated but allowed to intensively strengthen, not merely allowed to intensively strengthen, but to extensively spread – that had great consequences in the end. He who reads the history of the Union during the last half century without prejudice cannot close his eye to the recognition that slavery alone was the source of mischief from which this great war finally emerged. He who names other causes remains at the surface of things and does not penetrate to the ultimate cause of the rebellion. We comprehend the reasons, although we do not condone them, that brought some to the notion that aggressive action against slavery cannot be taken. We understand if some were led by the consideration that the abolition of slavery would threaten the prosperity of the country and the existence of the Union. Such misgivings disappear now, and those once ruled by such thoughts must now declare before all: “slavery is dead; we ensure that it will never again carry the seed of horrible wars in its womb, never again hide the spark that could erupt into a destructive blaze.”

     Who above all is entitled to the glory of having carried the gleaming banner in this direction? It was Lincoln, the emancipator; Lincoln, who with his immortal proclamation freed the land of the Union from the disgrace of slavery. And for this we would like to give him our warmest thanks, our sincerest veneration. The distant future will still venerate and admire him, and furthermore, impartial history will proclaim yet another radiant name among the benefactors of the human race: Abraham Lincoln, the liberator!

     3. His righteousness goes before him. This also includes the sublime unity of justice and clemency in his essence and action. This was evident throughout his time at the apex of the government, and today everyone must admit that the accusation of tyrannical appetites was nothing but groundless and biased insinuation and that nothing was further from him than a despotic and autocratic nature. And yet, his mild, loving spirit did not show itself until his last days, not until then did it become clear that he was inclined to handle the rebellion with the utmost mercy, to open the gate wide for the rebels and to say: “come and be true members of our national family, and let our word be: Forgive and forget!” – In the beginning, as the talmudic writings tell us, God wished to rule the world in strict justice; but for the good of the world he combined this justice with compassionate love. The late president also unified justice with love. May we take this as an example! May we also nurture no feelings of hatred and vengefulness toward the rebels, after their power has broken! Suffering must better and elevate a nation, not worsen it. A tragedy may jar us, but it must purify and hallow us within. And indeed! The latest generations will still read it from the pages of unbiased history: Abraham Lincoln, the man who most beautifully unified justice and love, strength and clemency in all realms of his life.

     The relatively short history of America already has several glowing names to proclaim, radiant stars in the heavens of the history of the fatherland: Roger Williams, the tested fighter, who was first in the modern world to bring the principle of freedom of belief and conscience to governmental validation; George Washington, the noble patriot, who was first in war, first in peace, and first in the heart of his countrymen; Benjamin Franklin, unassuming and yet so distinguished, who stole the lightning from heaven and the scepter from the tyrant; Alexander Hamilton, the genial statesman, who built our financial system upon a secure and stable foundation; Thomas Jefferson, that president who, in his passion for Liberty brought the principles of a pure, true government by the people to lasting validity; Andrew Jackson, the unyielding one, who spoke these solemn words: “By God, the Union shall and must be preserved!” Next to them the name Abraham Lincoln now gleams as a star of the first rank, – Abraham Lincoln, the restorer of the union, the liberator, the man of justice and love! “May the memory of the righteous one be a blessing!”

Source

American Jewish Archives. Translation by Alisa Rethy.

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Use of this item for research, teaching and private study is permitted with proper citation and attribution.

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Cite this Item

Bernhard Felsenthal. "The Murder of the President". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/545

Creator

Bernhard Felsenthal

Date

April 19, 1865

Full Title

Order of procession of the funeral of the late President [Abraham Lincoln], as directed by order of the Secretary of War, Washington, April 17, 1865

Transcription

Official arrangements at Washington for the funeral solemnities of the late Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, who died at the seat of Government on Saturday the 15th. day of April 1865.

War Department

Adjutant General’s Office

Washington, April 17, 1865

The following order of arrangement is directed.

Order of the Procession.

Funeral escort-in column of march.

One Regiment of Cavalry

Two Batteries of Artillery

Battalion of Marines

Two Regiments of Infantry

Commander of Escort and Staff.

Dismounted officers of Marine Corps, Navy and

Army in the order named.

Mounted officers of Marine Corps, Navy and

Army in the order named.

All military officers to be in uniform with side arms.

Civic Procession

The troops designated to form the escort will assemble in the Avenue, north of the President’s House and form line precisely at 11 o’clock a.m. on Wednesday the 19th instant with the left resting on 15th Street. The procession will move precisely at 2 o’clock P.M. when minute guns will be fired by detachments of Artillery stationed near St. John’s church the City Hall and at the Capitol. At the same hour the bells of the several churches in Washington, Georgetown and Alexandria will be tolled.

As sun-rise on Wednesday the 19th instant a Federal salute will be fired from the military stations in the vicinity of Washington, minute guns between the hours of twelve and three o’clock, and a national salute at the setting of the sun.

The usual badge of mourning will be worn on the left arm and on the hilt of the swords.

By order of the Secretary of War

W. A. Nichols

Assistant Adjutant General.

Source

George R. Harrington Papers, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.

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Please contact the Missouri History Museum at photo@mohistory.org for permission to publish this resource.

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Cite this Item

Nichols, W. A.. "Order of procession of the funeral of the late President [Abraham Lincoln], as directed by order of the Secretary of War, Washington, April 17, 1865". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/539

Creator

Nichols, W. A.

Date

April 17, 1865

Full Title

Letter signed Jos. B. Steen [Joseph B. Steen], J.R. Duncan et al., Washington, D.C., to Hon. Geo. H. Harrington, April 17, 1865

Description

States that Citizens of Kentucky would like to participate in the funeral ceremonies of Abraham Lincoln.

Transcription

Washington DC
April 17th 1865

Hon. Gen. H. Harrington
Dear Sir,
In obedience
to an adjoined meeting of the citizens
of Kentucky to assemble and make suit.
able arrangements to participate in the
funeral ceremonies of Abraham Lincoln
late president of the United States
the undersigned were appointed a
committee to confer with you and
ascertain whether any particular
pillars of ceremony were resolved upon-
and if so. what was the order of
the same. so as to make our actions
harmonize with. and confess to. the
General Programme,

She therefore request you
will be so good as to give as any
information or directions you may deem
proper on that subject of your
earliest convenience. and oblige

Your [[?]] servant
Jos B Steen
J R Duncan
[[?]]Shaffner
Special Committee


[Transcription Team: Jaeger K., Dwight S., Gabriel Z.]
[New Hampton Middle School, New Hampton, Iowa]

Source

George R. Harrington Papers, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.

Rights

Please contact the Missouri History Museum at photo@mohistory.org for permission to publish this resource.

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Cite this Item

Steen, Joseph B.. "Letter signed Jos. B. Steen [Joseph B. Steen], J.R. Duncan et al., Washington, D.C., to Hon. Geo. H. Harrington, April 17, 1865". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/538

Creator

Steen, Joseph B.

Date

April 17, 1865

Full Title

Letter signed Daniel R. Goodloe, Washington, to Hon. George Harrington, Assistant Sec. of Treas., April 17, 1865

Description

States, "Allow me to introduce my friend Wm. S. Mitchell [William S. Mitchell] Esq. a merchant of this city who is desirous of furnishing articles connected with the funeral ceremonies. He is an honorable gentleman, and the best guarantee of his patriotism is the fact that he is a cherished friend of President Johnson. . . ." Regarding plans for Abraham Lincoln's funeral.

Transcription

Washington, April 17th 1865.

My dear Sir;

Allow me to introduce my friend Wm. S. Mitchell Esqr, a merchant of this city who is desirous of furnishing articles connected with the funeral ceremonies. He is an honorable gentleman, and the best guarantee of his patriotism is the fact that he is a cherished friend of President Johnson.
I have the honor to be
Your most obt. svt.
Daniel R. Goodloe

Hon. George Harrington,
Assistant Sec. of Treas.

[Transcription Team: Summer D., Joslyn P., Kaylee R., Brianna J.]
[New Hampton Middle School]

Source

George R. Harrington Papers, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.

Rights

Goodloe, Daniel R. (Daniel Reaves), 1814-1902

Tags

Cite this Item

Goodloe, Daniel R. (Daniel Reaves), 1814-1902. "Letter signed Daniel R. Goodloe, Washington, to Hon. George Harrington, Assistant Sec. of Treas., April 17, 1865". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/526

Creator

Goodloe, Daniel R. (Daniel Reaves), 1814-1902

Date

April 17, 1865