Melvin Thomas - 1865 Blog

1865 Blog - Journal Entry
Melvin Thomas

April 28, 1865

Never has there been a sadder or happier day then the one on April 15, 1865. Cheers and shouts sounded, as our nation's flag was lifted into the sky that day at Ft. Sumter. This piece of fabric put all them Reb flags to shame. The Union had won the war, and everyone was ecstatic. Peace had been made, and all them Southerners were back to being our farmers. Everything was great until grim news spread throughout our ranks like wild fire. President Lincoln had been shot, and actor John Wilkins Booth had pulled the trigger. That news was like a punch in the gut, all the breath knocked out of you. Mr. Lincoln had been at a play with his wife, called "Our American Cousin." During the play Booth pointed his pistol to President Lincoln's head and shot. We now all mourn the loss of a great man, Abraham Lincoln.