The Project Gutenberg EBook of Lincoln's Last Hours, by Charles A. Leale

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Title: Lincoln's Last Hours

Author: Charles A. Leale

Release Date: December 31, 2007 [EBook #24088]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Lincoln's Last Hours

By

Charles A. Leale, M. D.

Compliments of

The Estate of Charles A. Leale

New York

ADDRESS

DELIVERED BEFORE THE

COMMANDERY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

Military Order of the Loyal Legion
of the United States

at the regular meeting, February, 1909, City of New York

IN OBSERVANCE OF THE

ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF

President Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln's Last Hours

By Charles A. Leale, M. D.

COPYRIGHT, 1909, BY CHARLES A. LEALE, M. D.

_Commander and Companions of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of
the United States:_

At the historic pageant in Washington, when the remains of President
Lincoln were being taken from the White House to the Capitol, a
carriage immediately preceding the catafalque was assigned to me.
Outside were the crowds, the martial music, but inside the carriage I
was plunged in deep self-communion, until aroused by a gentle tap at
the window of my carriage door. An officer of high rank put his head
inside and exclaimed: "Dr. Leale, I would rather have done what you
did to prolong the life of the President than to have accomplished my
duties during the entire war." I shrank back at what he said, and for
the first time realized the importance of it all. As soon as I
returned to my private office in the hospital, I drew down the
window-shade, locked the