The spring of 1865 in Washington D.C. was initially filled with unrestrained joy. News of Richmond’s fall reached the capital on April 4th, igniting celebrations throughout the city. Public buildings, including the Capitol, were brilliantly illuminated, and the streets buzzed with jubilant citizens. Benjamin Brown French, Commissioner of Public Buildings, captured the atmosphere, noting the magnificent display and the city erupting into the streets. He even had a verse from Psalm 118, “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes,” displayed on the Capitol’s western portico, reflecting the widespread belief in divine favor upon the Union. This euphoria intensified with General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox just a week later. Washingtonians once again flooded the streets, their celebrations punctuated by celebratory gun salutes ordered by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.
However, this wave of elation was tragically cut short on the night of April 14, 1865. Why Did Abraham Lincoln Die? The answer to this question plunged the nation into profound grief. On that fateful evening, while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre, President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor and Confederate sympathizer. The assassination instantly transformed the celebratory mood into one of shock and despair. As Lincoln lay mortally wounded in a house across from the theater, Senator Charles Sumner kept vigil at his bedside through the night. Sumner, among a select few, witnessed Lincoln’s passing on the morning of April 15th. In his subsequent eulogy, Sumner urged, “Mourn not the dead, but rejoice in his life and example… Rejoice that through him Emancipation was proclaimed,” encapsulating Lincoln’s monumental achievements even in the face of immense loss.
The jubilant crowds that had recently filled Pennsylvania Avenue were replaced by solemn masses lining the streets for Lincoln’s funeral procession to the Capitol. Inside the Rotunda, under the draped dome, the martyred president lay in state on a hastily erected catafalque. Reporter Benjamin Perley Poore described the immense scale of the procession, noting it stretched for three miles and took over two hours to pass a single point, with thousands of government employees participating. The Capitol, once a beacon of celebration, now became the center of national mourning, draped in black both inside and out.
Senator James Dixon of Connecticut articulated the nation’s stunned disbelief. “It seems even yet a frightful dream, rather than a reality,” he lamented, expressing the tragedy of Lincoln’s assassination just as peace seemed within reach. Dixon mourned the loss of “the humane, the forgiving, the patient, the forbearing,” emphasizing the particular cruelty of Lincoln being struck down by an assassin’s hand precisely when his leadership was most needed for the process of healing and reconstruction.
Even the Grand Review of the Union armies in late May, meant to be a triumphant display, was overshadowed by the lingering grief. Senate doorkeeper Isaac Bassett’s diary entry captured the poignant duality of the event. He described the awe-inspiring procession of 150,000 soldiers, their “tattered banners” telling tales of hardship and sacrifice. This was not a mere parade, but a homecoming for citizens who had endured immense struggles for the Union. Pennsylvania Avenue, “a river of life,” was filled with soldiers returning with battle-worn flags, symbols of their dedication and the nation’s survival. Despite the victory, the mourning for Lincoln cast a long shadow, a reminder of the profound cost of the war and the irreplaceable leader lost just as peace dawned. The question of why did Abraham Lincoln die remained a painful echo amidst the hard-won triumph.
