as no longer either a
Confederacy or a cause to fight for, it surrendered on April 26.
Jefferson Davis also arranged for himself[83] the most effectual of all
amnesties by making himself ridiculous; for though some persons had
designed a serious punishment for this dethroned ruler, they recognized
that this became impossible after he had put himself into petticoats. It
was hardly fair that Mr. Lincoln was robbed of the amusement which he
would have gathered from this exploit.

On April 11, in the evening, a multitude gathered before the White
House, bringing loud congratulations, and not to be satisfied without a
speech from the President. Accordingly he came out and spoke to the
cheering crowd, and by a few simple, generous words, turned over the
enthusiastic acclamation, which seemed to honor him, to those "whose
harder part" had given the cause of rejoicing. "Their honors," he said,
"must not be parceled out with others. I myself was near the front, and
had the high pleasure of transmitting much of the good news to you; but
no part of the honor, for plan or execution, is mine. To General Grant,
his skillful officers and brave men, all belongs. The gallant navy stood
ready, but was not in reach to take an active part." He then at once
turned to the subject of reconstruction, and the last words which he
addressed to the people were mingled of argument and appeal in behalf of
the humane and liberal policy which he had inaugurated in Louisiana,
which was still in the experimental stage, yet which had already excited
the bitter denunciations of the politicians.

* * * * *

So soon as it was known in the autumn of 1860 that Abraham Lincoln was
to be the next president of the United States, he was at once beset by
two pests: the office-seekers, and the men who either warned him to fear
assassination or anonymously threatened him with it. Of the two, the
office-seekers annoyed him by far the more; they came like the plague of
locusts, and devoured his time and his patience. His contempt and
disgust towards them were unutterable; he said that the one purpose in
life with at least one half of the nation seemed to be that they should
live comfortably at the expense of the other half. But it was the
fashion of the people, and he was obliged to endure the affliction,
however it might stir his indignation and contempt. The matter of
assassination he was more free to treat as he chose. A curious inc