_Grand Demonstration at the Military Hospital--Music and Speeches--The
Armies Reviewed by President Lincoln--The War in Virginia--Fight at New
Market Heights--Fall of Petersburg and Richmond--Flight of the
Rebels--Their Surrender at Appomattox Court House--Rejoicing Over the
Good News--The Lincoln Family Leave New Orleans, and Arrive Home at
Buffalo._
[Illustration: _HOUSE WHERE LINCOLN DIED._]
As the hospital where my husband was staying was at this time one of the
greatest attractions of New Orleans, the authorities determined to make
the most of our arrival there, and in short get up a demonstration in
force in honor of the colored soldier and the glorious deeds he had done
on the far-extended battle-field, all the way from the Potomac to the
Rio Grande; and it was decided that some high military general should be
asked to take the chair at this great meeting in the largest hall at the
hospital. As the newspaper reporters were once more on hand in force, it
will be unnecessary for me to say any more about this grand
demonstration, only I may say that men have a peculiar love for
flattering the fair sex, and I think that newspaper reporters, at least
those in the Sunny South, lead all the rest of the flatterers. I will
here insert a copy from the article of the same paper that contained the
glowing account of our arrival at New Orleans:
"GRAND DEMONSTRATION AT THE MILITARY HOSPITAL--MRS. BEULAH LINCOLN ON
THE COLORED SOLDIER.
"It will be a long time before the citizens of New Orleans and Louisiana
will forget the mighty gathering that took place last night at the
Military Hospital, where the commanding general took the chair, and
nobly presided for two hours over a mixed multitude of all races and
professions, to be entertained by Capt. Thos. Lincoln, Mrs. Beulah
Lincoln and their two daughters, all of whom are by this time well-known
to the people of Louisiana. The colored soldiers, officers, and general
population were out in force, and between them and the white portion of
the audience, standing room at last was a premium, and hundreds were
turned away for want of room in the hall.
"All things being now in readiness, the chairman called the meeting to
order by saying,--'Ladies and Gentlemen! We are assembled here to-night
for an evening's entertainment from the Lincoln Family of Buffalo, and
we may also consider this a public reception of the same family. And
inasmuch as Mrs. Lincoln is a splendid hand on the piano, and a 'number
one' singer in the bargain, and as I had the pleasure of hearing her
myself, only the other day, going through the 'Mocking Bird' at a rate
and in a way such as I have never heard--no, never, elsewhere--I will
ask this accomplished lady to give us 'The Mocking Bird,' and sing to
her own accompaniment at the same time.'
"When Mrs. Lincoln arose and advanced to the grand piano on the stage in
front of the audience, a most tremendous outburst of applause arose from
the audience, and almost brought down the roof. But our plucky and
accomplished musician struck in without stint, and such a 'Mocking Bird'
came forth from her lungs and off the chords of the piano as has not
been heard for many a long day on the lower Mississippi. The attention
was such as could be felt, and when she got through with the
performance, the applause was simply indescribable. An encore was
immediately called for with such vigor that the fair player was forced
to comply, and with grand spirit and vim she gave us 'We Are Coming
Father Abraham, Six Hundred Thousand More.' This really is a grand
story, to which Mrs. Lincoln's clever hands and powerful, sweet voice
did ample justice. Another encore was called for, but the gallant
chairman interfered by rising and saying, 'We now call upon Captain
Thos. Lincoln for a few remarks. Let us all give our most earnest
attention to Captain Tom.'
"When the applause that had greeted his appearance had somewhat died
down, Captain Lincoln went on to say, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, such a
night as this makes up for all I have suffered in the cause of the Union
and Freedom. When I first entered the army to assist in putting down the
rebellion, I came down to the State of Louisiana and did my level best
against the enemy along the lower Mississippi. While we in Louisiana and
the colored troops in South Carolina under General Hunter, proved from
our first blows that we could and would fight, the President and his
Cabinet were deterred by many prejudiced men in the north and in the
very army itself from enlisting colored men. A portion of the northern
press were forever thundering against the enlistment of colored men, on
account of the prejudice against the color of the skin, or at least
against the inheritance of a few drops of African blood. They were
envious and jealous lest the descendant of African parentage should fall
side by side with the fair-skinned Caucasian, should die and be buried
with him, or if he survived the shock of war, should receive the
self-same honors as his Anglo-Saxon brother. Of course the white man of
the north knew that we could fight quite as well as himself. Why not?
But he was afraid of our proving that our claims to manhood were as good
as anything he could claim for himself; and therefore he felt unwilling
to give us a chance. Then again, not only did the slave-holders of the
south desire the continuation of slavery, but there was an 'immense
mixed multitude' of their sympathizers north of Mason and Dixon's Line,
who took the same view of the situation, and who foresaw that, once the
colored race marched to the field, slavery would come to an end. This
opposition was rampant in the Union Army and throughout the north till
the Southrons had given us dozens, if not hundreds of lickings on many a
hard fought field, and the winter of 1862 saw the entire nation in a
fearful state of depression. What was to be done?--The answer was at
hand!--As a matter of immediate military necessity call the colored men
into the field,--free them,--and end the war! Then drilling of colored
men began at once, from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains, and from
the Great Lakes to the Ohio and Missouri rivers, and now I believe that
we have some two hundred thousand colored men in the field and in the
fleets together. Neither have we fought for pay nor from any other
personal selfish motive; we have fought for the salvation of Uncle Sam
and the freedom of the slave at one and the same time. We have not
fought for ourselves alone, we have fought for others, and all the
commanding generals have ever given us a good word, and never a bad one.
They have uniformly praised our men with a good grace, and praised them
without stint. Now the south is steadily going down, down, down. All
they have left is a small section in the northeastern part of the
confederacy, and they cannot hold out much longer. Still like rats, they
will fight as long as there is one man left standing on his feet. I am
afraid we shall have to kill every one of them for they are a
stiff-necked and rebellious generation, and they will never surrender
whilst they have a man in front who can carry a flag.
"'I ought to be in Virginia now myself, where so many of my friends and
compatriots, under Grant, are wearing out the rebellion to a nonentity.
I would like to be there, and would soon show the rebels and rebel
sympathizers again whether I will fight or not. But I am not entirely
recovered, even now, from the wounds I received up the river, and here I
will remain until I am cured.'
"Captain Lincoln having thus spoken resumed his seat amidst a perfect
storm of applause all over the hall.
"The gallant chairman once more arose and said, 'Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is now my extreme pleasure to bring under your kind notice the two
accomplished young daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln, two of the
sweetest girls that I ever met with in all my life. They are regular
attendants of a Christian Church at Buffalo, and have also received a
first class musical education in the north. They will now treat us all
to a fine duet on the grand piano.'
"When the commanding general had thus spoken, these two elegant girls
advanced to the piano, took their seats, and commenced a duet which gave
a world of pleasure to all assembled in the hall, both soldiers and
citizens alike, and where and how these girls had got so much training
and perfected musical education was a wonder to many. Be that as it may,
the girls were not at all daunted, and played as quietly and collected
as if they had been in a private parlor at home. When the girls had got
through their lively and enthusiastic duet, the applause that followed
was so great and continued that they were obliged to comply with the
demand for an encore, which they accordingly gave, and which was, if
possible, better than the one before it, and was rewarded with another
tremendous round of applause.
"The chairman arose again and said, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, we have all
listened with extreme pleasure to the two duets played by these two
children. We will now call upon Mrs. Thos. Lincoln to address the house.
She did splendid service during the Abolition Campaign that led on to
the election of Abraham Lincoln; and thousands, who are now free, have
already risen up and called her blessed. But we will now have the
pleasure of hearing the lady herself.'
"Mrs. Lincoln on coming forward was met with a splendid reception from
the audience, who even rose to their feet and cheered loudly. It was a
glorious sight to see the meeting at this time, the handsome lady
waiting on the stage, and soldiers and citizens like to go frantic with
joy, as well indeed they might. When order had been evolved out of
chaos, Mrs. Lincoln proceeded as follows:
"'Gallant General, Ladies and Gentlemen, it seems to me that this must
be the happiest day of my life, thus to stand before an audience in the
famous Crescent City in company with my dear husband and daughters. Most
assuredly this is the red letter day of my life, if I ever had one, to
address both soldiers and citizens at New Orleans.
"'And yet I am quite overwhelmed when I contrast the little I was
permitted to do in the Abolition Campaign before the war with what many
a brave man,--yes, hundreds of thousands of men have done since, and are
doing now, both by day and by night. I feel quite overcome when I think
even of these brave men all around me here, and remember the easy times
by comparison, that we Abolitionists had as we travelled the Northern
States, and were not always well received. Yes, small and puny was our
work compared with that of the black and white heroes who have often met
a most determined and even desperate foe, on many a hard fought field.
The hearts of us poor women in the North have often bled as we all these
years at home lay secure and safe, whilst our loved ones were fighting
like giants against the enemies of human liberty, and mankind also. The
bravest of the brave were in the field. White and black all fought alike
well. They were the flower of all the men of the north. They were
swifter than eagles. They were stronger than lions.
"'The war, no doubt, is now drawing to a close. The host of slavery is
in their last ditch, even at Richmond in Virginia, where blacks and
whites will have to finish them between them. And when this cruel war is
all over, and those who remain alive return home again, then the country
will begin to teem with chronicles and histories of the great rebellion.
But will one hundredth part of the truth ever be told? I don't think it
ever will; because it will never be known, and who can write the history
of that which we don't know? Such and such things could be related, but
there is no one to record them.
"'It is very true that we may catch a glimpse of things here and there,
but for one item that is recorded, there will be a thousand lost. There
are the marches, and the counter-marches, the snow, the rain, and the
hail of winter; the heats and droughts of summer; weakness and sickness
arising from the want of all things, hunger and fatigue. O, there is
none but the Lord from heaven Himself who can ever know all that our
brave fellows have endured before they breathed their precious lives
away in the service of their country. Just consider for a moment how
their decaying bodies have been found weeks and months afterwards in the
deep ravines, at the bottom of swamps and rivers, in the wild tangled
thickets of the forest, upon every highway, and under every green tree.
Here a poor wounded fellow wandering away by himself and perishing all
alone in a strange land far from home and his native state, who knows
all about the end of that man; and who shall write his heroism and the
suffering he endured before the Lord put an end to his pains, and took
him home to heaven to Himself? Alas, alas! There is no one to tell us
how he suffered, fought and died. We only know that he marched forth to
the field, in health and strength and vigorous life, and did his part in
pulling down this terrible rebellion, a wicked rebellion indeed, built
upon the broken laws of human nature, an outrage upon humanity, and a
sin against God. But those gallant heroes who have fallen in the war
often said, that it was simply their part to do their duty, and, if they
fell, their wives and children would at least be free, and not forgotten
by a grateful and Christian government. (They shall not be forgotten).
When I look around me, and see the great advance along the whole line
already in the way of human liberty, the results are perfectly grand and
most inspiring. With the exception of a small section of the
Confederacy, it may be truthfully stated that the armies of the Union
have already freed all the slaves. From the Potomac to the Rio Grande
one grand song of liberty has been sung by the emancipated race. Was
there ever such a shout of joy heard since the Israelites escaped from
Egyptian slavery, when Pharaoh and all his host perished in the Red Sea?
Who would ever have imagined that in our own day history would thus have
repeated itself? But it has done so all the same; and for the self-same
reason our own poor, oppressed people have raised one universal shout to
Heaven, and sung all along the whole line, 'I will sing unto the Lord,
for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown
into the sea.' O, my brother! ye brave soldiers of the army of the
Union, ye have deserved well of your God and of your country, and your
honors will never fade while sun and moon endure. White and black
soldiers, shoulder to shoulder, have marched to the field; they have
overthrown their terrible foe, and they have cleared the way for the
education, the Christianization, and grand enlightenment and
intelligence of an emancipated race. Our sufferings have been great. The
whole nation has suffered, but the sacrifice has not been made in vain,
for generations unborn shall arise and call you blessed. Your labors,
toils and sufferings will neither be lost nor forgotten. The entire
emancipated race will bless you while life and time shall last; your
names shall be inscribed upon the roll of fame, and all generations
shall conspire to call you blessed. 'Be thou faithful unto death, and
_I_ will give you a crown of life.' 'Enter ye into the joy of your
Lord.'
"'Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much indeed for
your kind attention to my few remarks.'
"When Mrs. Lincoln had thus spoken, she resumed her seat amidst a loud
and long-continued storm of applause. The gallant chairman then called
for 'three cheers and a tiger,' for the Lincoln family, which were given
with a terrible vim, when the meeting broke up, and we all scattered for
our separate homes. But a grander demonstration was never gotten up in
the city of New Orleans."
The last grand struggle of war was in Virginia, where General Grant
gathered together many of the veterans who had fought in the South and
Southwest, including 20,000 colored troops, one-half, at least, of whom
were veterans, and there were also many powerful, enthusiastic recruits
who desired nothing better than an opportunity to assist in knocking
down the Confederacy! A goodly number of those brave young fellows had
been enlisted in Maryland. It is quite amusing to recall the letters and
chronicles of the times when the recruiting officers landed from their
vessels on the shores of the Chesapeake, marched up to the
slave-holder's estates, called for all the male slaves to be brought
before them, when they picked out the strongest and the best, asked them
if they were willing to fight for freedom and the Union, and always
receiving the joyful answer, "Yes, master, I am willing," laid down
their tools there and then, and marched on board the Union vessels with
great delight. It was in vain that their rebel masters and mistresses
pointed out their need of their slaves, to gather in their harvest,
which was then about ripe (1863), or that the officers took their
able-bodied "servants," who left their teams right there on the
highways, the heads of the horses being turned round in the direction of
the plantation. The rebel masters and mistresses were simply referred to
Washington for redress--if any could be got there! "You must apply to
the Secretary of War; we are merely acting under orders from the head of
the department." In the meantime the delighted slaves marched on board,
and were taken to the camp appointed for drilling, and thus many a
splendid soldier was recruited who mightily helped to pull down the
"Confederate States."
[Illustration: _EMANCIPATION STATUE BOSTON, MASS._]
The children and I spent a delightful time, as I remember well, on the
26th of April, 1864, reading the glorious accounts in the papers of the
grand march, the day before, past the White House at Washington, of the
mighty army destined for the conquest of Virginia, and the destruction
of the entire slave-holders' rebellion. That never-to-be-forgotten
show-day was indeed one of the red-letter days for the army of the
Union, among whom were thousands of colored soldiers who marched gaily
past, and hurrahed lustily for "Father Abraham," who was smiling down
upon them from the balcony of the White House. Although they were not
yet declared American citizens, still these brave young men were going
to fight for the star-spangled banner. They had often heard the name of
Abraham Lincoln, but this was the first time they ever saw him, and they
swung their caps around their heads, clapped their hands, and shouted
aloud for joy, "Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah for Mr. Lincoln! Three cheers for
the President!" Long and loud were the rejoicings, as regiment after
regiment marched past; powerful, enthusiastic men, who were once slaves,
but now freemen, with steady step and even ranks moved in splendid order
down the street past the White House on their venturesome way to the
seat of war. The President had never seen a general review of colored
troops before, but he was greatly pleased, indeed, and heartily
acknowledged their enthusiastic shouts by bowing and waving his hand to
them, and making himself agreeable and pleasant to them, as they marched
past.
Thus the whole army under review passed on, crossed "yon long bridge"
over the Potomac river, and entered the State of Virginia. Poor, brave
fellows! Many of them never returned alive, but they were the bravest of
the brave, and performed their glorious mission.
The grand march was past at Washington. It was like the ball and dance
before the battle of Waterloo, when the British and allied armies had
that glorious night's revelry before they marched to the field to meet
the French under Napoleon. And so some 20,000 men of African descent met
on the soil of Virginia to contend with Lee and his Confederate
veterans. It would require a whole volume to itself to relate all the
marching and counter-marching of the next twelve months; the battles in
the woods, the advancing and retreating, and the fighting at the fords
of the rivers of Virginia. General Grant, poor fellow, lost many brave
men, for the rebels were bold and courageous; they were on their own
soil, and, worst of all, were fighting for slavery. The evolutions of
the contending hosts these last twelve months of the war, remind me
somewhat of a great "circus," where the horse and their riders fly along
in one unending whirl, whilst Grant seemed to stand in the middle of the
circus, and direct the evolutions of both riders and steeds. The colored
troops came in for their full share of the work, bravely performed their
duties every time, but, alas! there was many a brave man who was laid
under the sod! Yes, it would take a whole volume to recount all the
deeds that our brave brothers did, marching and fighting month in and
month out, in summer's heat and winter's cold. It was in the end of
September, 1864, that General Butler, at the head of a strong force of
colored troops, carried the New Market Heights, and utterly defeated the
rebels. Our loss was considerable, but our own men were completely
successful. Many other instances of devotion and bravery might be given;
but it would be nothing but an endless task. General Grant and all the
other commanders had nothing but good words for our heroic brothers.
It was now the beginning of April, 1865. The bottom had almost been
knocked out of the Confederacy by Sherman's march from Atlanta to the
sea. General Lee and his determined rebel crew still held out at
Richmond, but Grant and the Union armies were thinning them down and
wearing them out. Then came the fall of Petersburg, the key to Richmond,
and then followed the retreat of the rebels from Richmond itself. The
intention of Lee and the rest of the Confederates was to betake
themselves to the mountains, and there carry on a guerrilla warfare as
long as they had a man left to carry the rebel flag and shoot a gun. But
this was not allowed. Swift-footed white and black troops followed them
up with unrelenting vigor day and night; with horsemen and footmen we
hurried after them, and at last got right in front of them, and
outflanked them also at Appomattox Court House. The Confederates had
been without food for three days and nights, and all things were coming
to an end. Lee soon discovered that he could not break through the Union
forces, under Grant, Meade and Sheridan. At one and the same time, he
therefore dispatched fleet couriers to each one of the three Union
generals to cease fighting, and stating that he would surrender himself
and his army prisoners of war. Generals Grant and Lee accordingly met,
when the surrender was made; and when the rebel forces in other parts of
the South heard of the surrender of Lee at Appomattox Court House, they
also laid down their arms. Thus the South was conquered, and slavery was
destroyed. The shackles were knocked off 4,000,000 of our own beloved
race, the Union was restored, and, as Lincoln said, "The Mississippi,
Father of Waters, flowed once more unvexed to the sea!" Glory to God!
I shall never forget the excitement when the news arrived at New Orleans
that Lee had surrendered. Among the rebel sympathizers it was a time of
great depression, indeed; but among all Union people, and the entire
colored race, most of all, it was truly a time of such rejoicing as only
occurs once in a lifetime. People embraced and even kissed one another
who had never met before; they shed tears of joy, sang, shouted, and
gave glory to God. It was a perfect carnival both day and night. To the
colored race, at least, it brought the deepest and most sincere joy, and
all felt that the war had not been waged in vain, nor so many valuable
lives sacrificed for nothing. In many parts of the Union the people met
together in halls and churches for the purpose of giving praise and
glory to God; and there was general rejoicing over the triumph of the
armies of the Union. Thousands--I might say millions--never went to bed.
That night was like the night when the Israelites came out of Egypt. It
was the passage of the Red Sea over again. "Sing unto the Lord, for He
hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into
the Sea! Praise ye the Lord!"
The war also vindicated and proved the complete manhood of the colored
race before the entire world. At least 200,000 of the flower of our
youth had fought most manfully to save the very life of the nation; in
fact, the late slave had earned his own freedom, and therefore had at
least as much reason to thank his own powerful right arm as to Uncle Sam
himself and the armies of the Union.
It now gives me great pleasure to inform the kind reader that Tom was
now completely recovered from the effects of the wounds he had received
up the river. It was now the month of June, 1865, and we were all
longing to see our dear friends at Buffalo, and they also were anxious
to see us. As Tom and the girls had never seen the Gulf of Mexico, nor
the Atlantic Ocean, we thought it would afford us a pleasant variety in
the line of travel to return home by Havana and New York City. So we all
took a tender leave of our dear friends at the hospital, and throughout
the city, many of whom came down to the New York boat to give us the
last sweet tokens of affection and see us off. As upon the former
occasion, when Mrs. Sutherland and I came this way, we had splendid
weather all the way to Havana, where we all landed and had a pleasant
walk through the city of the capital of Cuba. It is wonderful what a
good idea a person can get of a strange place, even in a few hours.
We got up steam once more, passed through among the Bahama Islands, and
made a call for a few hours at the beautiful little city of Nassau, on
the Island of New Providence. This belongs to the English, and is the
most spicy and perfect place in all the West India Islands. Got up steam
again, and passed Cape Hatteras in safety, and in due time landed at New
York, after which we took the train for Buffalo, where we arrived after
a long and weary ride on the cars; and Mr. and Mrs. John B. Sutherland
and several other dear friends gave us a very warm welcome when they met
us at the depot, and took us all to our own home.