Death of President Lincoln. 105 



Harbour. What was it to liim 1 His calculation was right ; 

 he could afford such a loss from his 700,000, whilst the 20,000 

 lost by the Southern army made useless all the skill of General 

 Lee and the heroic eftbrts of his troops. The final result is 

 known. Lee had to capitulate ; Richmond was taken. 



When the news of the successes arrived in Washington, the 

 city resembled a madhouse. All the offices were closed at. 

 once for that day ; the ten thousand clerks ran into the streets, 

 and first into the bar-rooms, to celebrate the victory in drink. 

 In a quarter of an hour scarcely one sober man was to be seen ; 

 whoever was not intoxicated by spirits was so with political 

 enthusiasm. Everybody embraced everybody in the street. 



Good Friday, the 14th of April, 1865, came. This day is 

 not kept as holy either in England or America, as it is in Pro- 

 testant Europe ; the theatres are not even closed. It was, 

 moreover, the anniversary of the surrender of Fort Sumter in 

 1 86 1, and was to be celebrated as a day of joy, and on that 

 day the Union flag was to be hoisted again on the fort with 

 great ceremonies. 



The people wanted to see Lincoln and Grant, and to satisfy 

 their curiosity the President had resolved to attend the repre- 

 sentation of a play — ' The American Cousin ' — in Ford's 

 Theatre, 6th Street ; and the more so, as General Grant was 

 compelled to leave for the army. How Lincoln was shot there 

 by John Wilkes Booth is known. 



I intended to go next day to New York to order a generals 

 uniform and all belonging to it for Felix, and rose early. Be^ 

 fore I had yet finished my toilet. Colonel Corvin knocked at 

 my door in a manner that frightened me, and still more was I 

 alarmed when, on opening the door, I looked into his pale, 

 excited face, tears filling his eyes. He told me that President 

 Lincoln and Secretary of State Seward had been murdered 

 last night. A neighbour had told him so. 



I never in my life have seen or heard of such a general and 

 sincere mourning. .Everybody looked as if his father had 

 suddenly died, and even known rebel sympathisers looked 

 grave and sad, for they knew well that the death of this good 

 and just man was a great loss even for the conquered. On 

 the same morning, many houses in Georgetown and Washing- 

 ton were draped with black, and next day not one building, 

 public or private, was to be seen without such lugubrious 

 ornament. 



