Team of Rivals

  “Say to the gentlemen…can get there”: AL to USG, February 2, 1865, in ibid.

  a single valet…Annapolis: NYH, February 3, 1865.

  “supposed to be”…little past ten: NYH, February 5, 1865.

  Lincoln joined Seward…River Queen: NYT, February 6, 1865.

  saloon of…“streamers and flags”: Stephens, A Constitutional View of the Late War, p. 599; NYT, February 6, 1865 (quote).

  Stephens opened…“Sections of the country?”: Stephens, A Constitutional View of the Late War, p. 599.

  “was altogether…was written or read”: Seward, Seward at Washington…1861–1872, p. 260.

  “steward, who came”…agreement on any issue: Stephens, A Constitutional View of the Late War, pp. 619, 600–01, 612, 613, 609, 617.

  radicals had worked…excoriated him: Brooks, Washington, D.C., in Lincoln’s Time, p. 202.

  “the leading members…will dishonor us”: NYT, February 3, 1865.

  Both branches…on the proceedings: Brooks, Washington, D.C., in Lincoln’s Time, pp. 203–04.

  Stanton worried…“serve their purpose”: Bates, Lincoln in the Telegraph Office, p. 338.

  Lincoln’s report…“given to Seward”: Brooks, Lincoln Observed, pp. 162–63.

  “as the reading…President Lincoln”: Brooks, Washington, D.C., in Lincoln’s Time, pp. 207, 208.

  “Indeed…than Abraham Lincoln”: Harper’s Weekly, February 25, 1865.

  employed the failed…slavery intact: Richmond Dispatch, February 7, 1865, quoted in Nicolay and Hay, Abraham Lincoln, Vol. X, p. 130.

  “I can have…element of my nature!”: Jefferson Davis, quoted in NR, February 13, 1865.

  drafted a proposal…“executive control”: AL, “To the Senate and House of Representatives,” February 5, 1865, in CW, VIII, pp. 260–61.

  unanimous disapproval…“adverse feeling”: Entry for February 6, 1865, Welles diary, Vol. II, p. 237.

  Usher believed…“assault on the President”: J. P. Usher, quoted in Nicolay, An Oral History of Abraham Lincoln, p. 66.

  Stanton had long maintained…“compensation for slaves”: Flower, Edwin McMasters Stanton, p. 258.

  Fessenden declared…“come from us”: William Pitt Fessenden, quoted in Francis Fessenden, Life and Public Services of William Pitt Fessenden, Vol. II (Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, 1907), p. 8.

  sum he proposed…“approved the measure”: J. P. Usher, quoted in Nicolay, An Oral History of Abraham Lincoln, p. 66.

  Sherman had headed north…on February 17: Entry for February 17, 1865, in Long, The Civil War Day by Day, pp. 639–40.

  Stanton ordered…“parts of the city”: NR, February 22, 1865.

  “cheerful…brightest day in four years”: Entry for February 22, 1865, Welles Diary, Vol. II, p. 245.

  “more depressed”…in the four years: Entry for February 23, 1865, in The Diary of Orville Hickman Browning, Vol. II, 1865–1881, ed. Theodore Calvin Pease and James G. Randall; Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library, Vol. XXII (Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1933), p. 8.

  low spirits…“brigand, and pirate”: Jonathan Truman Dorris, Pardon and Amnesty Under Lincoln and Johnson: The Restoration of the Confederates to Their Rights and Privileges, 1861–1898 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1953), pp. 76–78 (quote p. 77).

  “I had to stand…out of my mind yet”: Henry P. H. Bromwell, quoted in Recollected Words of Abraham Lincoln, ed. Don E. Fehrenbacher and Virginia Fehrenbacher (Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1996), p. 41.

  he would “not receive…seven o’clock p.m.”: NR, March 2, 1865.

  “The hopeful condition”…the capital: NR, March 1, 1865.

  so overcrowded…“found for them”: NR, March 3, 1865.

  Douglass decided…“of other citizens”: Douglass, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, p. 803.

  visited Chase’s…“a strange thing”: Ibid., pp. 799–800.

  steady rain…foreign ministries: Brooks, Washington, D.C., in Lincoln’s Time, pp. 210–11; Brooks, Mr. Lincoln’s Washington, pp. 418, 420 (quote).

  “One ambassador…feet on the floor”: Brooks, Mr. Lincoln’s Washington, p. 421.

  Johnson rose…“extraordinarily red”: Brooks, Washington, D.C., in Lincoln’s Time, p. 211.

  “in a state of manifest…a petrified man”: Brooks, Mr. Lincoln’s Washington, pp. 422, 423.

  “All this is…drunk or crazy”: Entry for March 4, 1865, Welles diary, Vol. II, p. 252.

  Dennison…“serene as summer”: Brooks, Mr. Lincoln’s Washington, pp. 423–24.

  “emotion on…revisiting the Senate”: Entry for March 4, 1865, Welles diary, Vol. II, p. 252.

  Lincoln listened…harangue to end: Brooks, Mr. Lincoln’s Washington, p. 423.

  his eyes shut: Marquis de Chambrun [Charles Adolphe Pineton], “Personal Recollections of Mr. Lincoln,” Scribner’s 13 (January 1893), p. 26.

  “You need not…a drunkard”: AL, as quoted by Hugh McCullough in Recollected Words of Abraham Lincoln, p. 320.

  audience proceeded…“glory and light”: Brooks, Mr. Lincoln’s Washington, pp. 424, 425 (quote).

  an auspicious omen…Freedom: Brooks, Washington, D.C., in Lincoln’s Time, pp. 213, 20–21.

  “Both read the same…this terrible war”: AL, “Second Inaugural Address,” March 4, 1865, in CW, VIII, p. 333. For a thorough discussion of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, see Ronald C. White, Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002).

  “the eloquence of the prophets”: Chambrun, “Personal Recollections of Mr. Lincoln,” Scribner’s, p. 27.

  “Fondly do we hope…with all nations”: AL, “Second Inaugural Address,” March 4, 1865, in CW, VIII, pp. 332–33.

  “as he became…Church member”: Leonard Swett to WHH, January 17, 1866, in HI, pp. 167–68.

  crowd cheered…drew to a close: Boston Daily Evening Transcript, March 4, 1865.

  “the largest crowd…been here yet”: JGN to TB, March 5, 1865, container 3, Nicolay Papers.

  president was…five thousand people: Star, March 6, 1865.

  “It was a grand…every 4 minutes”: Entry for March 5, 1865, in French, Witness to the Young Republic, p. 466.

  “On reaching the door…you liked it!”: Douglass, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, pp. 803–04.

  his own assessment…“Almighty and them”: AL to TW, March 15, 1865, CW, VIII, p. 356.

  New York World…“statesmanship”: New York World, March 6, 1865, quoted in Harris, Lincoln’s Last Months, p. 149.

  Tribune charged…chance for peace: NYTrib, March 6, 1865, quoted in Harris, p. 150.

  “That rail-splitting…keynote of this war”: Charles Francis Adams, Jr., to Charles Francis Adams, Sr., quoted in Harris, Lincoln’s Last Months, p. 148.

  London Spectator… “village lawyer”: London Spectator, March 25, 1865, quoted in Lincoln As They Saw Him, ed. Herbert Mitgang (New York and Toronto: Rinehart & Company, Inc., 1956), pp. 447, 446.

  Arnold overheard…Seward himself: Harris, Lincoln’s Last Months, p. 148.

  “The President’s…position in history”: Arnold, The Life of Abraham Lincoln, pp. 404–05.

  “He has called…sickening to the heart”: Charleston [S.C.] Mercury, January 10, 1865, reprinted in Liberator, March 3, 1865.

  “it was always plain…judicious and appropriate”: Charles A. Dana, quoted in Hay, “Life in the White House in the Time of Lincoln,” Century (1890), p. 36.

  CHAPTER 26: THE FINAL WEEKS

  “he was in mind…all-sufficing strength”: Hay, “Life in the White House in the Time of Lincoln,” Century (1890), p. 37.

  “a tired spot”: Brooks, Mr. Lincoln’s Washington, p. 161.

  avoid the thousands…“Egyptian locusts”: JGN to TB, March 5, 1865, in Nicolay, With Lincoln in the White House, p. 175.

  “The bare thought…crush me”: AL, quoted in Carpenter, Six M
onths at the White House, p. 276.

  “they don’t want…must see them”: AL, quoted in Hay, “Life in the White House in the Time of Lincoln,” Century (1890), p. 33.

  “I think now…nineteen enemies”: AL, quoted in Carpenter, Six Months at the White House, p. 276.

  hope that consul…wished to help: AL to WHS, March 6, 1865, CW, VIII, p. 337.

  “at all times…of public trusts”: AL to Winfield Scott and others, March 1, 1865, CW, VIII, p. 327.

  Fessenden had been assured…“with regret”: Fessenden, Life and Public Services of William Pitt Fessenden, Vol. I, pp. 365, 367 (quote).

  “I desire gratefully…this great people”: William Pitt Fessenden to AL, quoted in Fessenden, Life and Public Services of William Pitt Fessenden, Vol. I, p. 366.

  he was nervous…“never sorry”: Hugh McCulloch, Men and Measures of Half a Century: Sketches and Comments (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1888; 1900), pp. 193–94.

  intended to replace Usher: “Usher, John Palmer,” in Neely, The Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia, p. 317.

  Hay was particularly adept…“his influence”: William Leete Stone, quoted by Michael Burlingame, in introduction to Hay, Inside Lincoln’s White House, p. xiii.

  Nicolay functioned…and New York: Donald, “We Are Lincoln Men,” p. 209.

  Hay was chosen…reconstruction of Florida: “Hay, John Milton,” in Neely, The Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia, p. 149.

  had come to believe…“the hand of God”: JH to JGN, August 7, 1863, in Hay, At Lincoln’s Side, p. 49 (quote); “Hay, John Milton,” in Neely, The Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia, p. 149.

  If the “patent…blinking eyes”: JH to WHH, September 5, 1866, in HI, p. 332.

  contemplating the purchase of a newspaper: Nicolay, Lincoln’s Secretary, p. 224.

  Mary had enlisted…Noah Brooks: Anson G. Henry to his wife, March 13, 1865, in Concerning Mr. Lincoln, comp. Pratt, p. 117.

  tried to talk…any such discussion: JGN to TB, quoted in Nicolay, Lincoln’s Secretary, p. 223.

  Seward found…dissenting vote: NR, quoted in ibid., p. 224.

  position paid…start married life: JGN to TB, March 12, 1865, quoted in ibid., p. 225.

  Hay had recognized…“personal preeminence”: “Hay’s Reminiscences of the Civil War,” in Hay, At Lincoln’s Side, p. 129.

  arranged for Hay…for another month: JH to Charles Hay, March 31, 1865, in Hay, At Lincoln’s Side, p. 103.

  “It will be…at the same time”: JGN to TB, quoted in Nicolay, Lincoln’s Secretary, p. 227.

  “We are having…laid aside”: MTL to Abram Wakeman, March 20, [1865], in Turner and Turner, Mary Todd Lincoln, pp. 205–06.

  note to Sumner…“familiar to me”: MTL to CS, March 23, 1865, in ibid., p. 209.

  “an emotional temperament…heart would break”: Helm, The True Story of Mary, p. 32.

  an incident…“giving me up the key”: Carpenter, Six Months at the White House, pp. 91–92.

  “so full of life…little sprite”: NYTrib, July 17, 1871.

  Grant had issued…“to be asked”: The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant (Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant), ed. John Y. Simon (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1975), p. 141.

  “Can you not…would do you good”: USG to AL, March 20, 1865, Lincoln Papers.

  Fox was not happy…“making the journey”: John S. Barnes, “With Lincoln from Washington to Richmond in 1865,” Part 1, Appleton’s 9 (June 1907), p. 519.

  ordered John Barnes…“very funny terms”: Ibid., pp. 517–20.

  presidential party…Wharf at Sixth Street: Entry for March 23, 1865, in Lincoln Day by Day, Vol. III, p. 322.

  Stanton had been laid up…minutes after: Thomas and Hyman, Stanton, p. 350.

  “a hurricane swept over the city”: Star, February 15, 1896.

  “terrific squalls…and its driver”: NYH, March 24, 1865.

  “while down the river…great violence”: Star, February 15, 1896.

  Stanton went…“at Point Lookout”: EMS to AL, March 23, 1865, Lincoln Papers.

  Tad raced around…“delicious fish”: William H. Crook, “Lincoln as I Knew Him,” Harper’s Monthly 115 (May/June 1907), p. 46.

  “Feeling so… loved so well”: MTL to Francis B. Carpenter, November 15, [1865], in Turner and Turner, Mary Todd Lincoln, p. 284.

  “it was after…headquarters at the top”: Crook, “Lincoln as I Knew Him,” Harper’s Monthly (1907), p. 46.

  Robert Lincoln…“was awaiting”: Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant, p. 142.

  men went into…talked late into the night: Crook, “Lincoln as I Knew Him,” Harper’s Monthly (1907), pp. 46, 47.

  While the Lincolns…original line: Shelby Foote, The Civil War: A Narrative. Vol. III: Red River to Appomattox (New York: Random House, 1958; New York: Vintage Books, 1986), pp. 838, 840–45.

  walked up the bluff…“ruin of homes”: Barnes, “With Lincoln from Washington to Richmond in 1865,” Part 1, Appleton’s (1907), pp. 521–22.

  “I am here…states—1600”: AL to EMS, March 25, 1865, CW, VIII, p. 374.

  Stanton replied…“‘further off’”: EMS to AL, March 25, 1865, Lincoln Papers.

  Lincoln’s presence…“of their triumphs”: NYH, March 28, 1865.

  Lincoln seemed…“anecdotes”: Porter, Campaigning with Grant, p. 407.

  “Mr. President…old grudge against England to stand”: USG and AL, quoted in Porter, Campaigning with Grant, pp. 408–9.

  Porter’s naval flotilla…“Come along!”: Barnes, “With Lincoln from Washington to Richmond in 1865,” Part 1, Appleton’s (1907), pp. 522–23.

  ambulance carrying…“ark of refuge”: Porter, Campaigning with Grant, pp. 413–14 (quotes p. 414).

  saw the attractive…“shocked and horrified”: Adam Badeau, quoted in Foote, The Civil War, Vol. III, p. 847.

  “was always that…impressed by it”: John S. Barnes, “With Lincoln from Washington to Richmond in 1865,” Part II, Appleton’s (1907), p. 743.

  had no desire…irrational outburst: Randall, Mary Lincoln, pp. 372–74.

  Sherman was on his way…final push: William T. Sherman to Isaac N. Arnold, November 28, 1872, in Arnold, The Life of Abraham Lincoln, p. 421.

  “their hands locked”…River Queen: Porter, Campaigning with Grant, pp. 417–18, 419.

  greeted Sherman…depend upon the actions: William T. Sherman to Isaac N. Arnold, November 28, 1872, in Arnold, The Life of Abraham Lincoln, pp. 421–22.

  long talk with Lincoln…“their shops”: Sherman, Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman, p. 682.

  “Let them have…to the laws”: AL, quoted in David D. Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1886), p. 314.

  privately wished…“goodness, than any other”: Sherman, Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman, pp. 682–83.

  walked to the railroad…“bless you all!”: AL, quoted in Porter, Campaigning with Grant, pp. 425–26.

  “I think…the wisest course”: Entry for March 30, 1865, Welles diary, Vol. II, p. 269.

  “We presume…palpable to be doubted”: NYTrib, March 30, 1865.

  “change of air & rest”: MTL to CS, March 23, 1865, in Turner and Turner, Mary Todd Lincoln, p. 209.

  “to escape the…pressure of visitors”: Philadelphia Inquirer, March 24, 1865.

  underscore his directive…“own hands”: EMS to USG, March 3, 1865, CW, VIII, pp. 330–31.

  “I begin to feel…little had been done”: AL to EMS, March 30, 1865, ibid., p. 377.

  “I hope you will…All well here”: EMS to AL, March 31, 1865, ibid., p. 378 n1.

  accompanied Mary…was well: Entry for April 1, 1865, in Lincoln Day by Day, Vol. III, p. 324; Randall, Mary Lincoln, p. 374.

  “overwhelmingly charming…astounding person”: Carl Schurz to his wife, April 2, 1865, in Schurz, Intimate Letters of Carl Schurz, 1841–1869, pp. 326–27.

  “the flash of the cannon…in his that night”: Through Five Adm
inistrations: Reminiscences of Colonel William H. Crook, Body-Guard to President Lincoln, ed. Margarita Spalding Gerry (New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1910), p. 47.

  broken through Petersburg’s…and Richmond: Foote, The Civil War, Vol. III, pp. 876–80.

  Lincoln received…“12,000 prisoners”: AL to MTL, April 2, 1865, CW, VIII, p. 384.

  Lincoln had moved…“a foot sideways”: AL, quoted in Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War, pp. 284–85.

  “a comfortable…yard in front”: Porter, Campaigning with Grant, p. 449.

  battlefields, littered…“lines of sadness”: Through Five Administrations, ed. Gerry, p. 48.

  “dismounted in the street”…strolled by: Porter, Campaigning with Grant, pp. 450, 451.

  Grant surmised…“and cut him off”: Grant, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, p. 559.

  back at City Point…“nightmare is gone”: AL, quoted in Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War, p. 294.

  in his customary pew…“retreating that evening”: Davis, Jefferson Davis, p. 603; Jefferson Davis to Varina Davis, quoted in Robert McElroy, Jefferson Davis: The Unreal and the Real (New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1937; New York: Smithmark, 1995), p. 454 (quote).

  “Thereupon…all eyes in the house”: NYTrib, April 8, 1865.

  Summoning his cabinet…west to Danville: Davis, Jefferson Davis, p. 604.

  small fire…“three-quarters of a mile”: Charles A. Dana to EMS, April 6, 1865, OR, Ser. 1, Vol. XLVI, Part III, p. 594.

  All the public buildings…were destroyed: NYTrib, April 8, 1865.

  leaving only…the Spotswood Hotel: Charles A. Dana to EMS, April 6, 1865, OR, Ser. 1, Vol. XLVI, Part III, p. 594.

  “Here is…Richmond has fallen”: Bates, Lincoln in the Telegraph Office, pp. 360–61.

  “spread by a thousand mouths”: Star, April 3, 1865.

  “almost by magic…fullness of their joy”: Brooks, Washington, D.C., in Lincoln’s Time, p. 219.

  “wept as children…vows of friendship”: NYH, April 4, 1865.

  crowd called for Stanton…“his emotion”: Star, February 15, 1896.

  “gratitude to Almighty…with their blood”: EMS, quoted in Brooks, Washington, D.C., in Lincoln’s Time, p. 220.

  “so overcome by emotion…speak continuously”: Ibid.