Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life, Volume 2 (of 2)Herndon, William Henry
History
Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life, Volume 2 (of 2)
Herndon, William Henry
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
The body of the dead President, having been embalmed, was removed from
the house in which the death occurred to the White House, and there
appropriate funeral services were held. After the transfer of the
remains to the Capitol, where the body was exposed to view in the
Rotunda for a day, preparations were made for the journey to the home
of the deceased in Illinois. On the following day (April 21) the funeral
train left Washington amid the silent grief of the thousands who had
gathered to witness its departure. At all the great cities along the
route stops were made, and an opportunity was given the people to look
on the face of the illustrious dead. The passage of this funeral
train westward through country, village, and city, winding across the
territory of vast States, along a track of more than fifteen hundred
miles, was a pageant without a parallel in the history of the continent
or the world. At every halt in the sombre march vast crowds, such as
never before had collected together, filed past the catafalque for a
glimpse of the dead chieftain's face. Farmers left their farms, workmen
left their shops, societies and soldiers marched in solid columns, and
the great cities poured forth their population in countless masses. From
Washington the funeral train moved to Baltimore, thence to Harrisburg,
Philadelphia, New York, Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus,
Indianapolis, Chicago, and at last to Springfield.
As the funeral cortège passed through New York it was reverently gazed
upon by a mass of humanity impossible to enumerate. No ovation could
be so eloquent as the spectacle of the vast population, hushed and
bareheaded under the bright spring sky, gazing upon his coffin.
Lincoln's own words over the dead at Gettysburg came to many as the
stately car went by: "The world will little note nor long remember what
we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account