Morgan County Georgia Newspaper

Morgan County Georgia Newspaper

Morgan County Georgia Newspaper

In May 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was laid to rest and Federals pursued the remaining Confederate officials. Southern resistance to Federal authority wound down. The might of northern industry and immigration had triumphed over southern agriculture and tradition. Slavery was nearing extinction and secession had been repudiated. The nation would never be the same again.

The Lincoln Funeral

The funeral procession for President Lincoln continued its railroad journey from Washington to Lincoln’s home town of Springfield, Illinois. At Chicago, the procession moved down Michigan Avenue and Lincoln’s coffin lay in state at the Cook County Court House. Thousands of people filed past to pay their final respects.

Two days later, the train reached Springfield where Lincoln’s coffin was placed in the House chamber of the Illinois state legislature. Friends and acquaintances accompanied the coffin as it was taken to its final resting place in a vault at Oak Ridge Cemetery. An estimated seven million people participated in the emotional 20-day funeral procession. The assassination had prevented Lincoln from enjoying the fruits of Federal victory.