Hon. James G. Blaine, Me.
Hon. James W. Patterson, N. H.
Hon. Justin S. Morrill, Vt.
Hon. Nathaniel P. Banks, Mass.
Hon. Thomas A. Jenckes, R. I.
Hon. Henry C. Deming, Ct.
Hon. John A. Griswold, N.Y.
Hon. Edwin R. V. Wright, N.J.
Hon. Thaddeus Stevens, Pa.
Hon. John A. Nicholson, Del.
Hon. Francis Thomas, Md.
Hon. Robert C. Schenck, Ohio.
Hon. George S. Shanklin, Ky.
Hon. Godlove S. Orth, Ind.
Hon. Joseph W. McClurg, Mo.
Hon. Fernando C. Beaman, Mich.
Hon. John A. Kasson, Iowa.
Hon. Ithamar C. Sloan, Wis.
Hon. William Higby, Cal.
Hon. William Windom, Minn.
Hon. J. H. D. Henderson, Oregon.
Hon. Sidney Clarke, Kansas.
Hon. Kellian V. Whaley, W. Va.
That committee, by Hon. Mr. FOOT, made the following report, which was
concurred in by both Houses _nem. con._
Whereas the melancholy event of the violent and tragic death of Abraham
Lincoln, late President of the United States, having occurred during
the recess of Congress, and the two Houses sharing in the general grief
and desiring to manifest their sensibility upon the occasion of the
public bereavement: Therefore,
_Be it resolved by the Senate,_ (the House of Representatives
concurring,) That the two Houses of Congress will assemble in the Hall
of the House of Representatives, on Monday, the 12th day of February
next, that being his anniversary birthday, at the hour of twelve
meridian, and that, in the presence of the two Houses there assembled,
an address upon the life and character of Abraham Lincoln, late
President of the United States, be pronounced by Hon. Edwin M. Stanton;
and that the President of the Senate _pro tempore_ and the Speaker of
the House of Representatives be requested to invite the President of
the United States, the heads of the several Departments, the judges of
the Supreme Court, the representatives of the foreign governments near
this Government, and such officers of the army and navy as have
received the thanks of Congress who may then be at the seat of
Government, to be present on the occasion.
_And be it further resolved,_ That the President of the United States
be requested to transmit a copy of these resolutions to Mrs. Lincoln,
and to assure her of the profound sympathy of the two Houses of
Congress for her deep personal affliction, and of their sincere
condolence for the late national bereavement.
The Hon. GEORGE BANCROFT of New York, in response to an invitation from
the joint committee, consented to deliver the address, (Mr. Stanton
having previously declined.)
* * *
On the morning of the 12th of February, 1865, the Capitol was closed to
all except the members of Congress. At ten o'clock the doors leading to
the rotundo were opened to those to whom tickets of admission had been
extended, and the spacious galleries of the House of Representatives
were soon crowded. The Speaker's desk was draped in mourning, and
chairs were placed upon the floor for the invited guests.
At 12.30 p.m., the members of the Senate, following their President
_pro tempore_ and their Secretary, and preceded by their
Sergeant-at-Arms, entered the Hall of the House of Representatives and
occupied the seats reserved for them on the right and left of the main
aisle.
The President _pro tempore_ occupied the Speaker's chair, the Speaker
of the House sitting at his left. The Chaplains of the Senate and of
the House were seated on the right and left of the Presiding Officers
of their respective Houses.
Shortly afterward the President of the United States, with the members
of his Cabinet, entered the Hall and occupied seats, the President in
front of the Speaker's table, and his Cabinet immediately on his right.
Immediately after the entrance of the President, the Chief Justice and
the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States
entered the Hall and occupied seats next to the President, on the right
of the Speaker's table.
The others present were seated as follows:
The Heads of Departments, with the Diplomatic Corps, next to the
President, on the left of the Speaker's table;
Officers of the Army and Navy, who, by name, have received the thanks
of Congress, next to the Supreme Court, on the right of the Speaker's
table;
Assistant Heads of Departments, Governors of States and Territories,
and the Mayors of Washington and Georgetown, directly in the rear of
the Heads of Departments;
The Chief Justice and Judges of the Court of Claims, and the Chief
Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the District of
Columbia, directly in the rear of the Supreme Court;
The Heads of Bureaus in the Departments, directly in the rear of the
officers of the Army and Navy;
Representatives on either side of the Hall, in the rear of those
invited, four rows of seats on either side of the main aisles being
reserved for Senators;
The Orator of the day, Hon. George Bancroft, at the table of the Clerk
of the House;
The Chairmen of the Joint Committee of Arrangements, at the right and
left of the orator, and next to them the Secretary of the Senate and
the Clerk of the House;
The other officers of the Senate and of the House, on the floor at the
right and the left of the Speaker's platform.
When order was restored, at twelve o'clock and twenty minutes p.m., the
Marine band, stationed in the vestibule, played appropriate dirges.
Hon. LAFAYETE S. FOSTER, President _pro tempore_ of the Senate, called
the two Houses of Congress to order at 12.30.
Rev. DR. BOYNTON, Chaplain of the House, offered the following prayer:
Almighty God, who dost inhabit eternity, while we appear but for a
little moment and then vanish away, we adore The Eternal Name. Infinite
in power and majesty, and greatly to be feared art Thou. All earthly
distinctions disappear in Thy presence, and we come before Thy throne
simply as men, fallen men, condemned alike by Thy law, and justly cut
off through sin from communion with Thee. But through Thy infinite
mercy, a new way of access has been opened through Thy Son, and
consecrated by His blood. We come, in that all-worthy Name, and plead
the promise of pardon and acceptance through Him. By the imposing
solemnities of this scene we are carried back to the hour when the
nation heard, and shuddered at the hearing, that Abraham Lincoln was
dead--was murdered. We would bow ourselves submissively to Him by whom
that awful hour was appointed. We bow to the stroke that fell on the
country in the very hour of its triumph, and hushed all its shouts of
victory to one voiceless sorrow. "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken
away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." The shadow of that death has
not yet passed from the heart of the nation, as this national
testimonial bears witness to-day. The gloom thrown from these
surrounding emblems of death is fringed, we know, with the glory of a
great triumph, and the light of a great and good man's memory. Still, O
Lord, may this hour bring to us the proper warning! "Be ye also ready;
for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh." Any one of
us may be called as suddenly as he whom we mourn.
We worship Thee as the God of our fathers. Thou didst trace for them a
path over the trackless sea, and bring them to these shores, bearing
with them the seed of a great dominion. We thank Thee that the
life-power of the young nation they planted, received from Thee such
energy, guidance, and protection, that it spread rapidly over the
breadth of the continent, carrying with it Christian liberty, churches,
schools, and all the blessings of a Christian civilization. We thank
Thee that the progress of the true American life has been irresistible,
because sustained by Thy eternal counsels and Thy almighty power, and
because the might of God was in this national life. We have seen it
sweeping all opposition away, grinding great systems and parties to
powder, and breaking in pieces the devices of men; and Thou hast raised
up for it heroic defenders in every hour of peril. We thank Thee, O
Strong Defender! And when treason was hatching its plot and massing its
armies, then, O God of Israel, who didst bring David from the
sheepfold, Thou gavest one reared in the humble cabin to become the
hope and stay of this great people in their most perilous hour, to
shield them in disaster and lead them to final victory.
We thank Thee that Thou gavest us an honest man, simple-hearted and
loving as a child, but with a rugged strength that needed only culture
and discipline. Thanks be to God that this discipline was granted him
through stern public trial, domestic sorrow, and Thy solemn
providences, till the mere politician was overshadowed by the nobler
growth of his moral and spiritual nature, till he came, as we believe,
into sympathy with Christ, and saw that we could succeed only by doing
justice. Then, inspired by Thee, he uttered those words of power which
changed three millions of slaves into men--the great act which has
rendered his name forever illustrious and secured the triumph of our
cause. We think of him almost as the prophet of his era. Thou didst
make that honest, great-hearted man the central figure of his age,
setting upon goodness, upon moral grandeur, the seal of Thine approval
and the crown of victory. We bless Thee that he did not die until
assured of victory, until he knew that his great work was done, and he
had received all the honor that earth could bestow, and then we believe
Thou didst give him a martyr's crown. We thank Thee that we have this
hope for the illustrious dead.
Great reason have we also to thank Thee that such was the enduring
strength of our institutions that they received no perceptible shock
from the death of even such a man and in such an hour, and that Thou
didst provide for that perilous moment one whose strength was
sufficient to receive and bear the weight of government, and who, we
trust, will work out the great problem of Christian freedom to its
final solution, and by equal law and equal rights bind this great
people into one inseparable whole.
We thank Thee that the representatives of the nation have come to sit
to-day in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln's tomb, to express once more
their now chastened sorrow. May they all reconsecrate themselves to
those principles which made him worthy to be remembered thus, and then
a redeemed and transfigured land will be a fitting monument for him and
for them.
Endow the President with wisdom equal to his great responsibilities,
that the blessings of a whole nation may also be given to him. May his
advisers, our judges, and our legislators, be constantly instructed by
Thee.
May Thy blessing rest on the officers of the army and navy, by whose
skill and courage our triumph was won; upon our soldiers and sailors;
upon our people, and on those who are struggling on toward a perfect
manhood.
Bless these eminent men the honored representatives of Foreign Powers.
Remember the sovereigns and people they represent. We thank Thee that
peace reigns with them as with us. May it continue until the nations
shall learn war no more.
Remember Abraham Lincoln's widow and family. Comfort them in their sore
bereavement. May they be consoled to know how much the father and
husband is loved and honored still.
Give Divine support to the distinguished orator of the day. May he so
speak as to impress the whole nation's mind. Prepare us to live as men
in this age should, that we may be received into Thy Heavenly Kingdom,
and to Thy name shall be the praise and the glory forevermore. Amen.
Hon. LAFAYETTE S. FOSTER, President _pro tempore_ of the Senate, in
introducing the orator of the day, said:
No ordinary occasion could have convened this august assemblage. For
four weary years, the storm of war, of civil war, raged fiercely over
our country. The blood of the best and bravest of her sons was freely
shed to preserve her name and place among the nations of the earth. In
April last, the dark clouds which had so long hung heavily and gloomily
over our heads, were all dispersed, and the light of peace, more
welcome even than the vernal sunshine, gladdened the eyes and the
hearts of our people. Shouts of joy and songs of triumph echoed through
the land. The hearts of the devout poured themselves in orisons and
thanksgivings to the God of battles and of nations that the most wicked
and most formidable rebellion ever known in human history had been
effectually crashed, and our country saved.
In the midst of all this abounding joy, suddenly and swiftly as the
lightning's flash came the fearful tidings that the Chief Magistrate of
the Republic--our President--loved and honored as few men ever were--so
honest, so faithful, so true to his duty and his country, had been
foully murdered--had fallen by the bullet of an assassin. All hearts
were stricken with horror. The transition from extreme joy to profound
sorrow was never more sudden and universal. Had it been possible for a
stranger, ignorant of the truth, to look over our land, he would have
supposed that there had come upon us some visitation of the Almighty
not less dreadful than that which once fell on ancient Egypt on that
fearful night when there was not a house where there was not one dead.
The nation wept for him.
After being gazed upon by myriads of loving eyes, under the dome of
this magnificent Capitol, the remains of our President were borne in
solemn procession through our cities, towns, and villages, all draped
in the habilaments of sorrow, the symbols and tokens of profound and
heartfelt grief, to their final resting-place in the capital of his own
State. There he sleeps, peacefully, embalmed in his country's tears.
The Senate and House of Representatives of the United States have
deemed it proper to commemorate this tragic event by appropriate
services. This day, the birth-day of him whom we mourn, has properly
been selected. An eminent citizen, distinguished by his labors and
services in high and responsible public positions at home and
abroad--whose pen has instructed the present age in the history of his
country, and done much to transmit the fame and renown of that country
to future ages--Hon. George Bancroft--will now deliver a discourse.
Hon. GEORGE BANCROFT (who on coming forward to the Clerk's desk was
greeted with warm demonstrations of applause) then proceeded to deliver
the Memorial Address.
The exercises of the day were closed by the following prayer and
benediction by the Rev. Dr. GRAY, Chaplain of the Senate:
God of a bereaved nation, from Thy high and holy Habitation look down
upon us and suitably impress us to-day, with a sense that God only is
great. Kings and Presidents die; but Thou, the Universal Ruler, livest
to roll on thine undisturbed affairs forever, from Thy Throne. A wail
has gone up from the heart of the nation to heaven--O, hear, and pity,
and assuage, and save. We pray that Thou wilt command thy blessing now,
which is life forevermore, upon the family of the President dead; upon
the President living upon the Ministers of state; upon the united
Houses of Congress; upon the Judges of our Courts; upon the officers of
the Army and the Navy; upon the broken families and desolated homes all
over the laud; and especially upon the nation. And grant that grace and
peace and mercy from the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the
Father, and the fellowship of God the Spirit, may rest upon and abide
with us all, forever and ever. Amen.
The Senators then returned to the Senate Chamber, and the President of
the United States, the orator of the day, and the invited guests
withdrew, the Marine Band, stationed in the amphitheater, performing
national airs.
Hon. E. B. WASHBURNE, of Illinois, after the House had resumed the
transaction of business, by unanimous consent, introduced the following
concurrent resolutions; which were read, considered, and agreed to:
_Resolved,_ (the Senate concurring,) That the thanks of Congress be
presented to Hon. George Bancroft for the appropriate memorial address
delivered by him on the life and services of Abraham Lincoln, late
President of the United States, in the Representatives Hall before both
Houses of Congress and their invited guests, on the 12th day of
February, 1866, and that he be requested to furnish a copy for
publication.
_Resolved,_ That the chairmen of the joint committee appointed to make
the necessary arrangements to carry into effect the resolution of this
Congress in relation to the memorial exercises in honor of Abraham
Lincoln be requested to communicate to Mr. Bancroft the aforegoing
resolution, receive his answer thereto, and present the same to both
Houses of Congress.
These resolutions were transmitted to the Senate, where, on motion of
the Hon. Solomon Foot, of Vermont, they were considered by unanimous
consent, and concurred in.
* * *
In the Senate, on the 16th of February, Hon. Mr. FOOT stated that in
pursuance of the concurrent resolutions of the two Houses of Congress
adopted on the 12th instant, the chairmen of the joint committee of
arrangements on the memorial exercises of the late President of the
United States, Abraham Lincoln, had placed a certified copy of said
concurrent resolutions in the hands of Hon. George Bancroft, and had
requested of him a copy of his address on the occasion referred to for
publication, as would appear from the following correspondence, which
he moved be read, laid upon the table, and printed.
As no objection was made, the Secretary read as follows:
THE CAPITOL, WASHINGTON,
_February_ 13, 1866.
SIR: We have the honor to present to you an official copy of the two
concurrent resolutions adopted by the Senate and House of
Representatives on the 12th instant, expressing the thanks of Congress
for the appropriate memorial address delivered by you on the life and
services of Abraham Lincoln, late President of the United States, and
instructing us to request from you a copy of the address for
publication.
Having shared the high gratification of hearing the address, we take
pleasure, in accordance with the second of the concurrent resolutions,
in requesting you to furnish a copy of the address for publication.
We have the honor to be, with very great respect, your obedient
servants,
SOLOMON FOOT,
_Chairman on the part of the Senate_
E B. WASHBURNE,
_Chairman on the part of the House._
Hon. GEORGE BANCROFT.
WASHINGTON, D. C., _February_ 14, 1866.
GENTLEMEN: I have received your letter of yesterday and a copy of the
two concurrent resolutions of Congress to which you refer. The thanks
of the Senate and House of Representatives, for the performance of the
duty assigned me, I value as a very distinguished honor, and I shall
cheerfully furnish a copy of the address for publication.
I remain, gentlemen, very sincerely yours,
GEORGE BANCROFT.
Hon. SOLOMON FOOT,
_Chairman on the part of the Senate._
Hon. E B. WASHBURNE,
_Chairman on the part of the House._
In the House of Representatives, Hon. E. B. WASHBURNE, of Illinois,
made the same statement, and, after the correspondence submitted had
been read, the House ordered an edition of twenty thousand extra copies.