On the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

I have been in correspondence with President Lincoln for a long time now. Although we were not strictly speaking 'friends,' Mr. Lincoln always respected my opinions. We had our differences, especially into his second term as president. I simply did not feel like our country was being led in the right direction. Initially, I did not even support his re-election campaign, but in the end he was still better than the other contenders. Although I may not have been rather ambivalent towards Mr. Lincoln at the time of his death, it is still a great loss, especially now in our time of greatest need as we attempt to piece our country back together.

"Greater men our country has produced; but not another humanly speaking she could so ill spare, when she lost him, as the victim of Wilkes Booth's murderous aim."

""There have been ten thousand attempts at the life of Abraham Lincoln, whereof that of Wilkes Booth was perhaps the most atrocious; yet it stands by no means alone. Orators have harangued, preachers have sermonized, editors have canted and descanted; forty or fifty full-fledged biographies have been inflicted upon a much-enduring public; yet the man, Abraham Lincoln, as I saw and thought I knew him, is not clearly depicted in any of these so far as I have seen. I do not say that most or all of these are not better than my Lincoln — I only say they are not mine."

http://www.mrlincolnandfriends.org/inside.asp?pageID=54&subjectID=4
http://www.mrlincolnandnewyork.org/inside.asp?ID=36&subjectID=3

The Battle at Appomattox Results in Surrender!

Finally, the war is over! I have been advocating an early end to this war for a long time now, and at last it is over. Now that the Confederacy is defeated, we can abolish the abomination of slavery and then begin to reunite the country. But we must not punish the South now that the war is over. The right thing to do is to offer amnesty and begin to rebuild our country. Although there is still work to be done, this is a moment of great triumph. "We are a nation no longer divided against itself, but one, indivisible, united, free."


Horace Greeley: Champion of American Freedom by Robert C. Williams.