Lincoln's last words

[LincolnMan]

I've been of the school that Lincoln's last words were those uttered to Mary at Ford's that "she will think nothing of it" (in response to Mary's statement to him concerning what Miss Harris might think of their show of affection in public). Others, however, state that Lincoln's last words had to do with future plans to visit Jerusalem where the "Saviour walked." This we do know- his last words to said to Mary. Did she ever state what his last words were? Are the scholars and others divided on this?

[RJNorton]

I believe the source for that is Dr. Anson G. Henry. Dr. Henry was a close friend of the Lincolns, and he helped comfort Mary during the weeks she remained in the White House following the assassination. On April 19, 1865, Dr. Henry wrote his wife a letter which contained the last words of Abraham Lincoln as told to him by Mary. Because of the close proximity of the dates of the assassination and this letter, I think most historians feel Dr. Henry's account is the most reliable when it comes to those last words.

Here is part of the letter Dr. Henry wrote to his wife on April 19, 1865:

"She set close to him and was leaning on his lap looking up in his face when the fatal shot was fired, his last words being in answer to her question "What will Miss Harris think of my hanging on to you so" — "She won't think anything about it" — and said accompanied with one of his kind and affectionate smiles. Yes, that look & expression is stamped upon her soul too indelibly to ever be effaced by time, and its recollection will never fail to soothe and comfort her in her hours of darkest affliction. God in his mercy will sanctify this personal and National affliction for great good, and this is my greatest and almost only consolation under the terrible bereavement."

[LincolnMan]

Roger: that is a strong source. Also, the date is so recent after the assassination which would make it even more credible, I would think. I always thought that the talk of the visit to the Holy Land between the Lincoln's occurred during the carriage ride earlier that day.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Bill, I googled "Lincoln" and " visit the Holy Land where the Saviour walked", the result showed no site I would rely on, and none I checked had sources.

However, in a letter to Rev. James Smith of Dec. 17, 1866, Mary wrote: "...my beloved husband, who proposed the last week...that at the expiration of his second term, we would visit Europe and he appeared to anticipate much pleasure, from a visit to Palestine - But a few days, after this conversation,...he was rejoicing in the presence of his Saviour, and was in the midst of the Heavenly Jerusalem".

[L Verge]

Bill,

Everything that I have read always points to the trip to the Holy Land being discussed by the Lincolns during that carriage ride on the afternoon of April 14. I can't imagine that they would be discussing such plans while the play was going on.

[loetar44]

Why are we so preoccupied with the last words of the U.S. Presidents? Yes, like others I’ve also a certain fascination with their last words. Don’t ask why. Maybe it is because these words will be remembered as the last spoken words they leave behind, the last words they will ever say … But it’s my opinion that we don’t know Lincoln’s dying words, if there were any spoken at the moment of his death or immediately prior to his assassination. Let me explain.

I doubt that Lincoln scant seconds before JWB fired the fatal bullet into his brain, that he had turned to Mary and whispered that he would visit the Holy Land and see those places hallowed by the footsteps of the Savior. If so, why aren’t these (last) words better known? I believe that the source of these words is Mary Lincoln. As I remember she gave in 1882 (17 years after the assassination) an interview, in which she confided that her man spoke these words and even had said “There is no place I so much desire to see as Jerusalem.” Mary shared this memory with with a Baptist minister named Noyes W. Minor, who later wrote the words down. How reliable is Mary’s statement and how reliable are the notes?

Stephen Mansfield, author of Lincoln's Battle with God, says that Lincoln wasn’t a religious man. He was never baptized, never joined a church and many historians have concluded that he wrestled with or even had no faith and was often openly anti-religion. So I do not believe that Lincoln did discuss a spiritual journey with his wife in the presidential box in Ford’s Theatre, while enjoying a British satire of American manners. I doubt that he would call Christ the Savior and declare himself eager to see the Holy Land in the last moments of his life. I agree with Lauri, that if (nobody knows that for sure) Lincoln spoke with Mary about this subject, it was in the carriage and not in the box.

I’m also skeptic about the words “"What will Miss Harris think of my hanging on to you so" — "She won't think anything about it", maybe spoken but not as his last words. The Lincolns arrived at the theater sometime shortly after 8:30 p.m. “Hail to the Chief” was played and the audience applauded. Lincoln bowed in response, Mary on her husband’s hand. At that moment I suppose she said to Lincoln “What will Miss Harris think of my hanging on to you so” and Lincoln answered "She won't think anything about it". To speak the words here and at this moment is logical. Why should he have spoken these words shortly before his death, while enjoying the satire. Mary was not holding his hand in the box as far as I know. She was sitting not at arm's length from her man.

JWB fired his shot around 10:15 p.m. I cannot believe that there was during more than 90 minutes complete silence in the presidential box, that there was not spoken a single word. So I don’t believe that "She won't think anything about it" were Lincolns last words. It’s unlogical.

As said, according to my opinion we don’t know Lincoln last words. Surely, many insist that Lincolns last words are known, but it’s my believe that it is more myth than history. It’s even questionable that the last words Lincoln heard were the words spoken by Asa Trenchard (“You sockdologizing old mantrap.”), because at the same moment he was shot. If he heard Trenchard’s line, he also heard how the audience roared with laughter and I personally think that Lincoln's final utterance was laughter. How sad. JWB shot the President at point-blank range, in a split second. Maybe Lincoln’s last “words” were not audible or intelligible to others, even not to Mary, or the others in the presidential box.'

Any comments?

[L Verge]

Has any author other than Stephen Mansfield asserted that the last conversation with Mrs. Lincoln was about the trip to the Holy Land? I have not read Mansfield's book, but what is his citation for this? Is he the one who also claims that the audience was laughing at the ad lib about the draft being over instead of the sockdologizing comment that has gone down in history?

[Eva Elisabeth]

I found this:
http://books.google.de/books?id=L7ZDo_sj...ch_r&cad=1
The sources are here:
http://books.google.de/books?id=L7ZDo_sj...=html_text
Maybe someone who has the "Recollected Works" could check p.29 what is written there as for the "Holy Land" if anything? (Thanks!)

The first and only time I had "heard Lincoln talking" of a visit to the Holy Land before this thread was started was in Spielberg's movie (and there it occured during the afternoon carriage ride). Personally I doubt A. L. would have used the expression "Holy Land". Even Mary in her Dec. 17, 1866 letter which I posted above wrote of "a visit to Palestine". If anything I consider this letter the most reliable, and I would think the rest was embellished out of this. I don't know the 1882 interview Kees recalled though, but I'd rather rely on her memory in 1866 than short before her death. Plus if I understood correctly the 1882 source was only secondary and even later ("Noyes W. Minor...later wrote the words down"). To me the wording "but a few days, after this conversation,...he was rejoicing in the presence of his Saviour" seem to implicate A. L. didn't come up with this topic afterwards anymore, thus exclude the topic as "last words".
I consider it possible "she won't think anything about it" were indeed A. L.'s last words.

[LincolnToddFan]

In the book "We Saw Lincoln Shot" by Timothy Good, at least one eyewitness reported that Mrs. Lincoln rested her hand on her husband's knee much of the time, and that she frequently called his attention to something on stage that she thought was funny, and that she seemed to be deriving great satisfaction from seeing him enjoy himself.

So she was apparently sitting close enough to have been whispering to him at some point in the evening.

As for the "what will Miss Harris think?" comment, I've never questioned it's veracity at all. After reading almost everything in print on MTL it sounds just the way she related to AL (at least when she was in a good mood, as she definitely was on that tragic night). She was coquettish and in very high spirits. The war was over. She and AL had taken a carriage ride in the afternoon where he had pointedly requested that they be alone together. They were looking optimistically toward the future, both of them.

It would not have been out of character for MTL to have flirted with her husband a little in the State Box that night. She was truly happy, for what would turn out to be the last time in her life.

"She won't think anything about it" might have been his last words to her, even if they weren't necessarily uttered just before the bullet was fired. Since she told this to her close friend Dr. Anson Henry less than 48 hours after the assassination when she was still raw with shock, it gives it even more credence. The last words her beloved husband spoke to her would have been engraved in her heart.

I do agree that the "Jerusalem" convo is likely to have taken place during their afternoon carriage ride, if it ever took place. I don't believe AL would talk like that during a slightly raunchy comedy in a theater, with hundreds of people around.

[loetar44]

here is how Stephen Mansfield’s describes Lincoln's last moments in "Lincoln’s Battle with God":

When the president’s party entered the second-story viewing box reserved for them that evening, the orchestra’s conductor took note, raised his baton to interrupt the actors on stage, and signaled the start of “Hail to the Chief.” The more than sixteen hundred people in the theater exploded into applause. Lincoln bowed in response, his hand over his heart, and then bowed again when those below continued their grateful cheers.
Order returned and the play resumed. Not overly interested in the happenings onstage, the Lincolns quietly continued the flirty intimacy they had kindled earlier that afternoon.
“What will Miss Harris think of my hanging on to you so,” Mary asked, referring to her grip on her husband’s hand.
“Why, she will think nothing about it,” he assured.
This teasing continued. Unnoticed was the figure who had just stepped through the outer door of the president’s box. The man was deliberate, even graceful in his movements. He locked the door behind him and then braced it shut with a board he had placed nearby during a visit to the theater earlier that day. Turning then to the inner door, he peered through a hole he had bored just hours before with his pocketknife. He could see what he needed to see: the back of the president’s head.
Unaware of the man and enjoying a newfound tenderness with his wife, Lincoln returned happily to the theme he and Mary had touched upon during their lovely afternoon carriage ride. In a gentle whisper, the president assured that after the war, “we will not return immediately to Springfield. We will go abroad among strangers where I can rest.”

The figure at the door now stepped silently into the president’s box. He paused and took stock of the mere four feet between himself and the president. Slowly, smoothly, the man pulled a .44-caliber derringer pistol from his pocket and waited. He was listening for lines from the play on the stage below. They would signal his next move.
“We will visit the Holy Land,” Lincoln continued, leaning toward Mary so as not to disturb the others.
Now, hearing what he had been waiting for in an actor’s words, the stranger—himself an actor named John Wilkes Booth—stepped forward and lifted his pistol toward the president’s head.
In the sacred seconds that remained, Lincoln spoke again—before the assassin’s shot entered his brain just inches behind the left ear, before the blood and the confusion and the manhunts and the grief, before the ages took him and the great soul left its earthly home to hover over a nation still struggling to be born. Lincoln spoke once more.

“We will visit the Holy Land and see those places hallowed by the footsteps of the Savior,” the president said.
And then, nearly as the Derringer ball cracked the air, “There is no place I so much desire to see as Jerusalem.”
These, then, are the final, surprising words of Abraham Lincoln in this world.

[RJNorton]

(08-19-2014 12:43 AM)LincolnToddFan Wrote:  "She won't think anything about it" might have been his last words to her, even if they weren't necessarily uttered just before the bullet was fired. Since she told this to her close friend Dr. Anson Henry less than 48 hours after the assassination when she was still raw with shock, it gives it even more credence. The last words her beloved husband spoke to her would have been engraved in her heart.

I agree. Because Dr. Henry's letter to his wife was written only days after the assassination I tend to think this is the closest we can come to the truth on this. I quoted from Dr. Henry's letter above, but I'll include the entirety of Dr. Henry's poignant letter here:

**************************************************************


DR. ANSON G. HENRY TO HIS WIFE

Washington, D. C, April 19, 1865
My Dear Wife,

Today has been the saddest day of my life, if indeed one day can be sadder than another of the sad days that has shrouded the nation in gloom.

I have no words to express what I feel and how much I now long to fold you to my bosom and mingle my burning tears with yours for the loss of our greatest, best & most kind and loving friend Abraham Lincoln. Now that he has gone to the Spirit land we realize how much we loved him and how worthy he was of our love and confidence.

I was in Richmond on the night of his assassination. The next day in the afternoon I went down to City Point & met the sad news. I was so stunned by the blow that I could not realize that he was dead until I saw him lying in the Guest's chamber, cold and still in the embrace of Death. Then the terrible truth flashed upon me & and the fountain of tears was broken up and I wept like a child, refusing to be comforted, remaining riveted to the spot until led away by those who came in for the purpose of laying the body in the coffin. I had never before realized the luxury of tears & I never before wept in the bitterness of heart & soul, & God grant that I may never have cause to so weep again.

After recovering my composure, I sought the presence of poor heart broken Mrs. Lincoln. I found her in bed more composed than I had anticipated, but the moment I came within her reach she threw her arms around my neck and wept most hysterically for several minutes, and this completely unmanned me again, but my sympathy was to her most consoling, and for a half hour she talked most composedly about what had transpired between her and her Husband the day and evening of his death, which I will tell you when we meet. She says he was more cheerful and joyous that day and evening than he had been for years. When at dinner he complained of being worn out with the incessant toils of the day, and proposed to go to the Theatre and have a laugh over the Country Cousin. She says she discouraged going, on account of a bad headache, but he insisted that he must go, for if he stayed at home he would have no rest for he would be obliged to see company all the evening as usual.

Finding that he had decided to go, she could not think of having him go without her, never having felt so unwilling to be away from him. She set close to him and was leaning on his lap looking up in his face when the fatal shot was fired, his last words being in answer to her question "What will Miss Harris think of my hanging on to you so" — "She won't think anything about it" — and said accompanied with one of his kind and affectionate smiles. Yes, that look & expression is stamped upon her soul too indelibly to ever be effaced by time, and its recollection will never fail to soothe and comfort her in her hours of darkest affliction. God in his mercy will sanctify this personal and National affliction for great good, and this is my greatest and almost only consolation under the terrible bereavement.

I feel that there is no selfishness mixed up with my sorrow. The loss of Mr. Lincoln will not affect my personal interests unfavorably. I have good reason to believe that President Johnson will do all for me that President Lincoln could or would have done, but the great attraction for remaining here has been taken away; yet it would not be right to refuse to stay here as the representative of our Pacific interests in the Departments, should the Delegation insist upon it, as they undoubtedly will. At least, so says Judge Williams. The matter won't be settled until Mr. Harlan takes charge of the Department of the Interior on the 15th of May. This was the understanding between Harlan and Mr. Lincoln when I left for Richmond. It may possibly turn out that Johnson won't ratify the arrangement, but I don't think he will refuse. The general impression is, that he will, as nearly as possible, carry out Mr. Lincoln's policy & plans. In other words, finish up the work the immortal Lincoln had begun and so nearly completed. The great body of the Nation will demand this of him.

You must my Dear, Dear Wife bear our separation with all the patience possible. Let us thank God that we are permitted to commune together in this way, and that should it be we do not meet again on earth, that by his all prevailing grace and mercy we will meet in Heaven.

Anson

P.S. — I forgot to tell you that I followed the hearse in the funeral procession in the third carriage as one of the family. The place was assigned to me by the marshall, as I suppose on the suggestion of Mrs. Lincoln. I was seated with the mourners in the East Room where the
Funeral Ceremonies were performed. I send you a copy of them enclosed — The sermon of Doctor Gurley.

[Eva Elisabeth]

I found this about Rev. Miner's claim:

After Mary Lincoln's death, an article "The Later Life and Religious Sentiments of Abraham Lincoln" was published, in Scribner's Monthly, Vol. VI (May - October 1873), p. 343 with the claim by Rev. Dr. Miner, Pastor of the first Baptist Church of Springfield, that Mary had told him that on the day Lincoln was assassinated, he told her at Ford's theater that he desired to visit the Holy Land; "The very last moments of his conscious life were spent in conversation with her about his future plans, and what he wanted to do when his term of office expired. He said he wanted to visit the Holy Land and see the places hallowed by the footprints of the Saviour. He was saying there was no city he so much desired to see as Jerusalem; and with that word half spoken on his tongue, the bullet of the assassin entered his brain, and the soul of the great and good President was carried by angels to the New Jerusalem above." If true, this would make Lincoln last words "There is no place I so much desire to see as Jerusalem."

His claim is rated "D" here:
http://books.google.de/books?id=L1FyFWco...ch_r&cad=1

If on that day he talked about visiting Jerusalem, I, too, rather believe during the carriage ride. However, to S. Colfax he also talked about his desire to visit California, so traveling might have generally been on his mind on Goodfriday.

Well, we have a souce for A. L. talking of visiting Palestine/The Holy Land sometime during the week (Mary's letter), and at the theater (Rev.Miner's claim). Is there any book/source that mentioned it happened during the carriage ride then?

---

BTW, is "We Saw Lincoln Shot" recommendable?

[loetar44]

Good search Eva! This all is highly interesting. I quote from Ted Widmer’s “Christmas With Lincoln". The same words Eva quoted and Widmer's conclusion. Ted Widmer is not only seen as a journalist, writer, librarian, political observer, but also as a scholar of American history, so I respect his words deeply.

Quote:

There are several competing traditions about Lincoln’s final words, but a fascinating claim was advanced by the Rev. N. W. Miner of Springfield, who officiated at Lincoln’s burial. In a scrapbook at the Library of Congress, he registered the following claim about Lincoln’s last seconds:

Mrs. Lincoln informed me that the last day he lived was the happiest of his life. The very last moments of his conscious life were spent in conversation with her about his future plans, and what he wanted to do when his term of office expired. He said he wanted to visit the Holy Land and see those places hallowed by the footprints of the Saviour. He was saying there was no city he so much desired to see as Jerusalem, and with the words half spoken on his tongue, the bullet of the assassin entered his brain, and the soul of the great and good President was carried by the angels to the New Jerusalem above.

Lincoln would have hated that flowery language, but the point is arresting. It is said that the word Jerusalem was halfway out of his mouth, and came out “Jeru—.”

Unquote

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/201...blogs&_r=0

[RJNorton]

(08-19-2014 06:16 AM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  BTW, is "We Saw Lincoln Shot" recommendable?

IMO, yes!

Regarding the carriage ride Katherine Helm wrote:

"The President and Mrs. Lincoln in spite of the very inclement weather went for their accustomed drive, and Mrs. Lincoln asked if he would like to invite any friends to drive with them.

"No, I prefer to ride by ourselves to-day," he answered. Mr. Lincoln was supremely happy now that the war had come to a close.

"We must be more cheerful in the future, Mary; between the war and the loss of our darling Willie we have been very miserable."

Mr. Lincoln seemed so happy and cheerful that Mary's heart was filled with joy. "I have not seen you so happy since before Willie's death," she said to him.

"Mary," he replied, "we have had a hard time of it since we came to Washington, but the war is over, and with God's blessing we may hope for four years of peace and happiness, and then we will go back to Illinois and pass the rest of our lives in quiet. We have laid by some money, and during this term we will try and save up more, but I shall not have enough to support us. We will go back to Illinois, and I will open a law office at Springfield or Chicago and practice law and at least do enough to help give us a livelihood."

On November 15, 1865, Mary wrote to Francis Carpenter:

"The Friday I never saw him so supremely cheerful. His manner was even playful. At three o'clock he drove out with me in the open carriage. In starting I asked him if any one should accompany us. He immediately replied: 'No. I prefer to ride by ourselves to-day.' During the drive he was so gay that I said to him laughingly, 'Dear husband, you almost startle me by your great cheerfulness!' He replied, 'And well I may feel so, Mary, for I consider this day the war has come to a close;' and then added, ' We must be more cheerful in the future. Between the war and the loss of our darling Willie we have been very miserable.' Every word he then uttered is deeply engraved on my poor broken heart."

Waldo Emerson Reck wrote, "Earlier in the week, Lincoln had proposed to Mary that they go abroad for a time after the expiration of his second term."

[LincolnToddFan]

Roger, that letter from Dr. Henry is heartbreaking and lovely. Thank you for reproducing it. He truly loved both the Lincolns and he sounds like a wonderful, compassionate friend.

The fact that he died shortly after the assassination makes it all even sadder.