Your guess: "angels" or "ages?"

[wsanto]

I tend to go with "ages"

It seems evident that many in these times were obsessed on some level with the idea of legacy. They had role models in Washington and Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers not far removed from them.

Legacy motivated them and directed their choices to volunteer to fight in wars and to run for political office.

It is clear that legacy was a commen over-riding thread that motivated men like Lincoln and Seward and Chase and Stanton and even Booth. They all wanted to make their mark on history and be remembered forever. Much like their heroes--the Founding Fathers.

It is no surprise to me that Stanton would validate Lincoln's unquestionable legacy at the time of his death with "now he belongs to the ages". Everyone in his audience probably longed for the same. The supremency of Lincoln's legacy was probably on the minds of everyone in the room and Stanton verbalized it beautifully and succinctly.