Springfield was reached on the morning of May 3. The body lay in
state in the Capitol, which was richly draped from roof to
basement in black velvet and silver fringe, while within it was a
bower of bloom and fragrance. For twenty-four hours an unbroken
stream of people passed through, bidding their friend and
neighbor welcome home and farewell. At ten o'clock on the morning
of May 4 the coffin lid was closed, and vast procession moved out
to Oak Ridge, where the town had set apart a lovely spot for his
grave. Here the dead President was committed to the soil of the
State which had so loved and honored him. The ceremonies at the
grave were simple and touching. Bishop Simpson delivered a
pathetic oration, prayers were offered, and hymns were sung, but
the weightiest and most eloquent words uttered anywhere that day
were those of the Second Inaugural, which the Committee had
wisely ordained to be read over his grave, as centuries before,
the friends of the painter Raphael chose the incomparable canvas
of "The Transfiguration" to be the chief ornament of his funeral.
Though President Lincoln lived to see the real end of the war,
various bodies of Confederate troops continued to hold out for
some time longer. General Johnston faced Sherman's army in the
Carolinas until April 26, while General E. Kirby Smith, west of
the Mississippi River, did not surrender until May 26.
Pages:
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230