ABRAHAM LINCOLN
April 4-5, 1865

On April 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad disembarked the USS Malvern at Rocketts Landing in the fallen capital of the Confederacy and were instantly recognized. “No electric wire could have carried the news of the President’s arrival sooner than it was circulated through Richmond…” said Admiral David D. Porter, who landed with Lincoln. Newly freed men and women joyfully greeted the President who had issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Lincoln soon arrived at the Confederate White House, where he found a delegation of white Southerners waiting to discuss a peaceful end to the war. Later in the day, Lincoln and Tad explored Richmond, from the State Capitol to Libby Prison. The next morning, Lincoln resumed his peace talks and then departed. The 16th President of the United States was assassinated less than two weeks later.

Harper’s Weekly, President Abraham Lincoln Entering Richmond, April 4, 1865