CHAPTER XXVII

Lincoln’s Second Presidential Term—­His Attitude toward it—­Rival Candidates for the Nomination—­Chase’s Achillean Wrath—­Harmony Restored—­The Baltimore Convention—­Decision “not to Swap Horses while Crossing a Stream”—­The Summer of 1864—­Washington again Threatened—­Lincoln under Fire—­Unpopular Measures—­The President’s Perplexities and Trials—­The Famous Letter “To Whom It May Concern”—­Little Expectation of Re-election—­Dangers of Assassination—­A Thrilling Experience—­Lincoln’s Forced Serenity—­“The Saddest Man in the World”—­A Break in the Clouds—­Lincoln Vindicated by Re-election—­Cheered and Reassured—­More Trouble with Chase—­Lincoln’s Final Disposal of Him—­The President’s Fourth Annual Message—­His Position toward the Rebellion and Slavery Reaffirmed—­Colored Folks’ Reception at the White House—­Passage of the Amendment Prohibiting Slavery—­Lincoln and the Southern Peace Commissioners—­The Meeting in Hampton Roads—­Lincoln’s Impression of A.H.  Stephens—­The Second Inauguration—­Second Inaugural Address—­“With Malice toward None, with Charity for All”—­An Auspicious Omen

CHAPTER XXVIII

Close of the Civil War—­Last Acts in the Great Tragedy—­Lincoln at the Front—­A Memorable Meeting—­Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, and Porter—­Life on Shipboard—­Visit to Petersburg—­Lincoln and the Prisoners—­Lincoln in Richmond—­The Negroes Welcoming Their “Great Messiah”—­A Warm Reception—­Lee’s Surrender—­Lincoln Receives the News—­Universal Rejoicing—­Lincoln’s Last Speech to the Public—­His Feelings and Intentions toward the South—­His Desire for Reconciliation

CHAPTER XXIX

The Last of Earth—­Events of the Last Day of Lincoln’s Life—­The Last Cabinet Meeting—­The Last Drive with Mrs. Lincoln—­Incidents of the Afternoon—­Riddance to Jacob Thompson—­A Final Act of Pardon—­The Fatal Evening—­The Visit to the Theatre—­The Assassin’s Shot—­A Scene of Horror—­Particulars of the Crime—­The Dying President—­A Nation’s Grief—­Funeral Obsequies—­The Return to Illinois—­At Rest in Oak Ridge Cemetery

INDEX

ILLUSTRATIONS

Abraham Lincoln
  From an Original Drawing by J.N.  Marble, never before published

Francis F. Browne

Abraham Lincoln

[Illustration:  A. Lincoln]

THE EVERY-DAY LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN

CHAPTER I

Ancestry—­The Lincolns in Kentucky—­Death of Lincoln’s Grandfather—­Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks—­Mordecai Lincoln—­Birth of Abraham Lincoln—­Removal to Indiana—­Early Years—­Dennis Hanks—­Lincoln’s Boyhood—­Death of Nancy Hanks—­Early School Days—­Lincoln’s First Dollar—­Presentiments of Future Greatness—­Down the Mississippi—­Removal to Illinois—­Lincoln’s Father—­Lincoln the Storekeeper—­First Official Act—­Lincoln’s Short Sketch of His Own Life.