New Eyewitness Account?

[Steve]

I came across something new I don't think I've seen/read before. It's a Nov. 1866 letter from Dr. Charles Leale to the artist John H. Littlefield about the night of the assassination. The first part is a short letter to Littlefield. The following four pages are an account of the night written in third person in the style of a draft of a newspaper or magazine article. The last line is in quotation marks, which I guess is supposed to be a direct quote from Leale for said article.

The style of the article pages' writing is reminicent of the style he used in his 1909 account. It's written only a year and a half later and contains some of the details of moving Lincoln across the street which are contained in his 1909 account but are missing in his official 1865 account of the President's care. (Maybe he felt the details of the Captain and the soldiers clearing the street weren't really pertinent for his 1865 account?)

I've copied the transcription below, fixing a few minor errors/problems I noticed. Hopefully there aren't other problems. I've also attached images of the original documents below along with a link to the website I found the letter on. I've bolded the article style part of the letter for clarity.


Hon. John H. Littlefield,
670 Fulton Street
Brooklyn, New York


Dear Mr. Littlefield,

In accordance with your request, please find a brief statement of the last hours of President Lincoln. I sincerely hope that you will meet with perfect success.

Very Truly Yours,
Charles A. Leale

November 30, 18[6]6


After President Lincoln had been fatally wounded, it was fortunate for the nation that Mrs. Lincoln was able so soon to secure the services of an experienced young Army surgeon, who by his prompt and efficient action prevented the immediate death of the President, and prolonged his life for eight hours at a time when the sympathy for the dying martyr overcame much of the malice of the enemies of our country.

These eight hours gave the Cabinet Officers time to carefully consider the duties they so faithfully performed in continuing in office, unbroken by a single day as President of the United States. I allude to Dr. Charles A. Leale, who was then stationed in Washington in charge of the ward containing the wounded officers and was the executive officer of Armory Square Hospital. He was the first surgeon to reach the President after he was shot, and at the special request of Mrs. Lincoln, took charge of him. Explained the fatal extent of his injury and did all possible to restore the feeble heart's action and, by the immediate application of his knowledge of gunshot wounds, soon overcame the shock and relieved the brain pressure, thereby preventing the death of the President in the theatre. In response to many inquiries, Dr. Leale said that the wound was mortal and that recovery was impossible. As soon as Mr. Lincoln had partially recovered from the shock, Dr. Leale began his removal from the scene of the tragedy to a place of safety. Dr. Leale carried the head and shoulders of the President and, with the assistance of others, reached the streets, where the surging excited populace crowded forward and obstructed the exit from the theatre. He called out three times, "Guards, clear the passage!" and with the assistance of a captain present who reported for duty. Almost immediately, two lines of soldiers with drawn swords, bayonets, pistols and other weapons stood in the position of present arms and cleared a space about five feet wide across the street, through which the bleeding form of the prostrate President was carried, amid the most profound and solemn silence.

Not a voice was heard or a shout from the soldiers as their beloved Commander in Chief, who so often had visited and comforted them in weary camp life and hospital sickness, was now borne, insensible and dying, to a place of quiet, to a bed in the nearest house.

Dr. Leale was several times asked if he would take Mr. Lincoln to the White House, and each time said "no," inasmuch as death would probably occur before reaching it. After placing the President in bed, Dr. Leale again found it necessary to remove the coagulation from the opening in the cranium, where oozing of blood relieved the brain pressure and breathing was re-established, this is repeated on several occasions, and when Dr. Stone and the Surgeon General arrived, Dr. Leale explained the good effects which followed these reliefs from brain pressure, and the operation was continued at intervals during the night.

During the course of the night, Dr. R.K. Stone, Surgeon General J.K. Barnes, Assistant Surgeon General C. Crane, Dr. C.S. Taft, Dr. A.F.A. King, and others were present. Mrs. Lincoln was attended by Mrs. Senator Dixon, who, on her last visit to her husband, was carried from the room in a fainting condition. The protracted death struggle lasted until twenty minutes past seven o'clock on the morning of April 15, 1865. At the moment of dissolution, Dr. Leale held the right hand of the martyr and closed his eyelids in death, after which the few remaining knelt down around the lifeless form of the patriot and hero. At the same time, the Rev. Dr. Gurley earnestly supplicated to God on behalf of the distracted family and our afflicted and sorrowful country.

"What a scene for memory and history."


https://www.medicalantiques.com/civilwar...uments.htm