ANDREW JOHNSON BECOMES PRESIDENT.

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It was not until after the death of President Lincoln that the people of the country realized how much they loved him, and how much they had learned to rely upon his kindliness and judgment. No vindictiveness had ever been apparent in his words or actions; and the southern people mourned him as well as the people of the North, for they felt they had lost one who would have been their friend. His real statesmanship received a tardy recognition; and now that they can be read calmly, his state papers are seen to be almost unsurpassed for clearness of meaning and vigor of style. His address at Gettysburg and his second inaugural are models of English. (Appendix iv.)

354. Andrew Johnson becomes President; Moral Effects of the War. (1865.) A few hours after the death of Lincoln, Chief Justice Chase administered the oath to the Vice-President, Andrew Johnson, who thus at once assumed the position and duties of President in accordance with the constitutional provision. On the 26th of April Johnston surrendered his army to Sherman. On the 10th of May Jefferson Davis1 was captured in Georgia, and shortly after the Confederate forces one after another laid down their arms.2

On the 22d of May the President issued a proclamation, raising the blockade except for the ports of Texas. These were opened a month later. On the 23d and 24th of May

rather slender evidence. Four were hanged, and four sentenced to long terms of imprisonment.

1 Davis was first taken to Savannah, and thence to Fortress Monroe, where he was kept in imprisonment about two years. He was then released on bail, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Horace Greeley, and Gerrit Smith becoming his bondsmen. He was never brought to trial. He died in New Orleans, December 6, 1889.

2 The last engagement was on the banks of the Rio Grande (May 12), was a success for the Confederates.

and

the armies of Grant and of Sherman were reviewed in Washington by the President and the Cabinet, before being disbanded and sent home. The column of soldiers was over thirty miles long, and was a sight the like of which had never before been seen in the United States, and it is to be hoped never will be seen again. In a short time all the troops were disbanded except about 50,000, which were considered necessary to keep order. In all, about 1,000,000 men were sent back to their homes in the North, and about 200,000 in the South. Never had such large forces been returned to civil life with so little exhibition of lawlessness. Nor was there the slightest desire for anything like military rule. This was a great triumph for republican principles; and yet there is no doubt that in many ways the moral tone of the whole country was lowered, a logical result of all war, which must beget in most minds a disregard for the rights of others and for the value of human life. Many of the moral effects did not show themselves at once, but were seen later on. The same was true of the social and economic effects. The whole nation had become accustomed to large enterprises, and enormous financial operations by the government; and this may partly account for the willingness to continue to make large outlays of public money after the war had ended, and also for that spirit of speculation and expansion in business which helped to bring about the crisis of 1873 (sect. 375).

(1865.) Of the losses which

The loss of life in is thought to have

355. Losses from the War. can be estimated, the total is appalling. battle, from wounds, and from disease been about equal on each side, and to have amounted to nearly 600,000 in all. The loss resulting from several hundred thousand men permanently disabled cannot be estimated. Besides this the United States government had piled up a vast

SANITARY AND CHRISTIAN COMMISSIONS.

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debt, the interest and principal of which were to be a heavy burden for years.1 The cost to the South cannot be told. The South would count the value of the slaves, estimated to be $2,000,000,000; then property destroyed by both armies; then the actual expenditures by the individual states and by the Confederate government. All the southern notes and bonds, having been repudiated and rendered absolutely void, were a total loss, as well as all the state, county, and city loans issued in aid of the Confederate armies.2 A careful writer says, "Altogether, while the cost of the war cannot exactly be calculated, $8,000,000,000 is a moderate estimate."

356. Sanitary and Christian Commissions; Effect of the War. (1865.) — Soon after the beginning of the war the accounts of the sufferings of the wounded and of the needs of the soldiers on the field and in the hospital led to the establishment, in the North, of the Sanitary and of the Christian Commissions. The former had its corps of officers, nurses, physicians, and attendants, whose duty was to look after the suffering, the wounded, and the needy. It had hospitals, hospital cars, and hospital boats. Its litters and ambulances were on the field before the battle was over, to care for those who needed help. Through it were distributed vast quantities of clothing, stores, and various comforts which had been prepared in northern homes. Millions of dollars to carry on this work were raised by private subscriptions and by means of "Sanitary Fairs," which were held all over the North.

1 The debt reached its highest point August 31, 1865, when it amounted to $2,845,907,626.26. This included the "greenbacks," on which no interest is paid. Nearly $800,000,000 of revenue had also been spent ; and the cities, towns, counties, and states had also expended much in cash beside incurring debts. The payment for pensions is already without precedent, and the aggregate will be something enormous.

2 See Amendment XIV. to the Constitution.

The Christian Commission was organized to look after the moral and religious needs of the soldier, and co-operated with the Sanitary Commission. Never before had such great efforts been made to mitigate the sufferings incident to war.

The South was able to do very much less for her soldiers than the North, owing to the lack of resources.

The war settled at least two things: (1) That slavery was forever abolished; this was a result anticipated by very few; (2) that no state could leave the Union; that, in the words of Chief Justice Chase, the "Constitution looked to an indestructible union of indestructible states." The effect abroad was to increase greatly the respect in which the United States was held by foreign nations, and to strengthen the cause of republicanism everywhere. It was shown by both North and South that loyalty is as strong in a republic as in a monarchy.

CHAPTER XVII.

RECONSTRUCTION.

REFERENCES.

General. James G. Blaine, Twenty Years of Congress, i. 549–605, ii. 1-502; A. W. Young, The American Statesman, pp. 1211-1426; W. Wilson, Division and Reunion (Epochs of American History), pp. 253–272; A. H. Stephens, The War between the States, ii. 631-670; Jefferson Davis, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government, ii. 717-764; Goldwin Smith, The United States, 298-301.

Biographies.

See references for two preceding chapters.

Special. — Alex. Johnston, American Politics, Chaps. xxi., xxii.; E. Stanwood, History of Presidential Elections, Chap. xxii.; Appleton's Annual Cyclopædia, 1865-1871; E. McPherson, Political History of Reconstruction; J. J. Lalor, Cyclopædia, iii. 540-556; James Russell Lowell, Political Essays, pp. 177-294; A. Johnston, American Orations, iii. 249–282; Kuklux Klan: Century Magazine, xxviii. 398, 461; J. J. Lalor, Cyclopædia, ii. 680–682. Alaska: Century Magazine, xxiv. 323; xxx. 738, 819; xxxix. 902. Atlantic Cable: H. M. Field, Story of the Atlantic Telegraph (Revised edition).

(1865.)

Andrew Johnson was a

357. Andrew Johnson. man of strong will, of decided convictions, and of much natural ability. He was born in North Carolina in 1808, and removed to Tennessee in early manhood. His parents were very poor, and his early education was extremely limited; in fact, it is said that he learned to read and write after he was married. He joined a debating society, accustomed himself to speaking, and soon was elected to the office of an alderman. He filled other offices in succession; and when President, he was fond of saying that he had filled every political office in the gift of his countrymen, a statement which was