April 15

This Day in History

Also on This Day

Lead Story
Jackie Robinson breaks color barrier, 1947
American Revolution
Congress ratifies peace with Great Britain, 1783
Automotive
Race car driver goes down with the Titanic, 1912
Civil War
President Lincoln dies, 1865
Cold War
Castro visits the United States, 1959
Crime
The Sacco-Vanzetti case draws national attention, 1920
Disaster
"Unsinkable" Titanic sinks, 1912
General Interest
President Lincoln dies, 1865
Titanic sinks, 1912
Pol Pot dies, 1998
Hollywood
Greta Garbo dies, 1990
Literary
English author and politician Jeffrey Archer is born, 1940
Music
Bessie Smith is born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1894
Old West
Molly Brown avoids sinking with the Titanic, 1912
Presidential
Lincoln is pronounced dead, 1865
Sports
Jackie Robinson breaks major league color barrier, 1947
Vietnam War
Antiwar protests held in New York and San Francisco, 1967
U.S. 1st Infantry Division withdraws from Vietnam, 1970
World War I
British evacuate Passchendaele Ridge, 1918
World War II
Soviets capture Tarnopol in Poland, 1944

Civil War

Apr 15, 1865:

President Lincoln dies

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President Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, dies from an assassin’s bullet. Shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington the night before, Lincoln lived for nine hours before succumbing to the severe head wound he sustained.

Lincoln’s death came just after the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s army at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Lincoln had just served the most difficult presidency in history, successfully leading the country through civil war. His job was exhausting and overwhelming at times. He had to manage a tremendous military effort, deal with diverse opinions in his own Republican party, counter his Democratic critics, maintain morale on the northern home front, and keep foreign countries such as France and Great Britain from recognizing the Confederacy. He did all of this, and changed American history when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, converting the war goal from reunion of the nation to a crusade to end slavery.

Now, the great man was dead.  Secretary of War Edwin Stanton said, “Now, he belongs to the ages.” Word spread quickly across the nation, stunning a people who were still celebrating the Union victory. Troops in the field wept, as did General Ulysses S. Grant, the overall Union commander. Perhaps no group was more grief stricken than the freed slaves. Although abolitionists considered Lincoln slow in moving against slavery, many freedmen saw “Father Abraham” as their savior. They faced an uncertain world, and now had lost their most powerful proponent.

Lincoln’s funeral was held on April 19, before a funeral train carried his body back to his hometown of Springfield, Illinois. During the two-week journey, hundreds of thousands gathered along the railroad tracks to pay their respects, and the casket was unloaded for public viewing at several stops. He and his son, Willie, who died in the White House of typhoid fever in 1862, were interred on May 4.

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This Week in History, Apr 15 - Apr 21

Apr 15, 1865
Lincoln dies from an assassin's bullet
Apr 16, 1863
Union ships pass Vicksburg
Apr 17, 1864
Battle of Plymouth, North Carolina, begins
Apr 18, 1864
Confederates inflict pain at Battle of Poison Spring
Apr 19, 1861
Baltimoreans attack Union troops
Apr 20, 1861
Lee resigns from U.S. Army
Apr 21, 1863
Steight's Raid begins

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