The Funeral and Burial of Abraham Lincoln

 

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. His death plunged the nation into profound grief, coming just days after the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox, signaling the end of the Civil War. Lincoln's state funeral became an unprecedented spectacle of national mourning, spanning three weeks and involving elaborate ceremonies, public viewings, and a historic funeral train journey. This event not only honored the fallen leader but also unified a divided country in shared sorrow, with millions participating in the rituals. The proceedings began in the capital and culminated in his burial in Springfield, Illinois, his hometown.

Immediately after the assassination, Lincoln's body was transported to the White House by an honor guard on April 15. There, it was embalmed—a relatively new practice at the time—to preserve it for the extended mourning period. The East Room was transformed into a somber chapel, draped in black crepe with mirrors and chandeliers covered in mourning fabric. On April 18, the public was allowed to view the open coffin from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., followed by a private viewing for dignitaries until 7:30 p.m. Thousands filed past, many weeping openly at the sight of their beloved president, his face showing the toll of years of wartime leadership.

The formal funeral service in the White House occurred on April 19, attended by approximately 600 invited guests, including cabinet members, military leaders, and foreign diplomats. The East Room overflowed with mourners, some spilling into the adjacent Green Room. Notably absent was Mary Todd Lincoln, the president's widow, who was too overcome with grief to attend. General Ulysses S. Grant sat alone at the head of the catafalque, his uniform a stark contrast to the black-draped surroundings, and was seen wiping away tears. President Andrew Johnson stood with the Cabinet. The Rev. Dr. Phineas D. Gurley, pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, delivered a poignant sermon, likening Lincoln to Moses leading his people to the Promised Land but not entering it himself. Hymns and prayers filled the air, emphasizing themes of sacrifice and redemption. After the service, guests exited in orderly lines to the north driveway, where they awaited the procession.

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The World's Last Combat Veteran of World War I

 

Claude Choules, the last surviving World War I combat veteran, witnessed the historic scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet in Scapa Flow, Scotland, in 1919. As a young Royal Navy sailor, he observed the dramatic event when German officers sank their own ships. Over 50 vessels, including battleships and cruisers, were deliberately sunk.

Claude Choules served with the Royal Navy from 1915 until 1926. After having emigrated to Australia he served with the Royal Australian Navy, from 1926 until 1956.  Claude Choules died on MAY 5, 2011 at the age of 110 years and 63 days.

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The Custer Statues

 

In Monroe, Michigan, the George Armstrong Custer Equestrian Monument, sculpted by Edward Clark Potter, was unveiled in 1910. In New Rumley, Ohio, Custer’s birthplace, an 8.5-foot bronze statue by Erwin Frey stands at a roadside park, marking his 1839 birth. Both memorials celebrate Custer’s military legacy but spark debate due to his controversial role in the Indian Wars.  In 1879 a statue of Custer was erected at West Point. Custer’s widow, Elizabeth “Libbie” Custer wrote, “The statue could not be worse than it is.”  She lobbied ceaselessly to have the statue removed.  It was removed and scrapped in 1884.

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Last American World War I Veteran

 

Frank Buckles, born February 1, 1901, in Missouri, was the last surviving American World War I veteran, passing away on February 27, 2011, at age 110. Enlisting in the U.S. Army at 16 by lying about his age, he served as an ambulance driver in France. Later, during World War II, he endured three years as a civilian prisoner in the Philippines. Buckles advocated for a national World War I memorial in Washington, D.C., until his final years. His remarkable life symbolized the enduring legacy of the "doughboys."

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Last Cavalry Survivor of the Little Bighorn

 Charles Windolph, born in 1851 in Germany, immigrated to the U.S. and joined the 7th Cavalry. At the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876, he served under Captain Benteen. As Custer’s command fell, Windolph’s unit survived a brutal siege on Reno Hill. Braving enemy fire, he volunteered to fetch water for the wounded, earning the Medal of Honor. Promoted to sergeant, he later settled in South Dakota, working for Homestake Mining. Windolph, the last white survivor, died in 1950 at 98, leaving a vivid memoir, I Fought with Custer.

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Tom Custer and Chief Rain-in-the-Face

 

Tom Custer, the younger brother of George Armstrong Custer earned two Medals of Honor during the Civil War. After the Civil War, Tom followed George into the Regular Army, joining the 7th Cavalry Regiment in 1866 as a second lieutenant. Tom served under his brother.

Tom Custer participated in the 1873 Yellowstone Expedition and the 1874 Black Hills Expedition. Tom rose to the rank of captain by 1875, commanding Company C.

Rain-in-the-Face, born around 1835 was a formidable Lakota war chief known for his fierce reputation. His name, originated after a childhood fight where his face was streaked with blood.

During the 1873 Yellowstone Expedition two civilians attached to the expedition—veterinarian John Honsinger and sutler Augustus Baliran—were killed by Lakota warriors. Rain-in-the-Face later confessed to these killings, claiming he acted to prove his bravery after a taunting challenge from a young woman.

Sixteen months later, in 1874, guide Charley Reynolds identified Rain-in-the-Face at the Standing Rock Agency, reenacting the killings during a ceremonial dance. George Custer, commanding Fort Abraham Lincoln, dispatched Tom Custer and Captain George Yates with two companies of the 7th Cavalry to arrest him.

The arrest was dramatic: Tom Custer entered the agency store, waited for Rain-in-the-Face to appear and subdued him in a physical struggle. Rain-in-the-Face, humiliated by the public arrest and subsequent imprisonment at Fort Abraham Lincoln, vowed revenge, reportedly threatening to kill Tom Custer and “eat his heart.”

Rain-in-the-Face’s escaped from the fort’s guardhouse three months later. Before fleeing, he reiterated his threat against Tom, sending a chilling message via a buffalo skin painted with a bloody heart. This act cemented his resolve to confront the Custers, particularly Tom, whom he held responsible for his humiliation. Rain-in-the-Face joined Sitting Bull’s band in the Powder River country.

The climax of their conflict came at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876. Rain-in-the-Face, now a leading warrior, fought among thousands of Lakota, Cheyenne, and other allied tribes against the 7th Cavalry. Tom Custer, commanding Company C, was part of his brother’s doomed battalion.

In later accounts, Rain-in-the-Face claimed to have killed both George and Tom Custer. He claimed he recognized Tom during the battle, shot him and then cut out his heart to fulfill his vow. This gruesome act was popularized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “The Revenge of Rain-in-the-Face.”

Tom Custer’s body, found near his brother’s, was indeed badly mutilated. He was disemboweled and his head was crushed in by a blow from a stone hammer used by the Indians. His heart, however, had not been removed according to those who found the body.

In a 1905 interview Rain-in-the-Face, then frail and near death, denied killing either Custer brother or mutilating Tom, describing the battle as too chaotic to identify specific enemies. This account is considered more reliable than the earlier 1894 interview where he was intoxicated and boasted of killing Tom Custer.

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The Death of Isaiah Dorman: Battle of the Little Bighorn

 

Video : The Death of Isaiah Dorman: Battle of the Little Bighorn

On June 25, 1876, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, five companies of the U.S. Seventh Cavalry, under the direct command of George Armstrong Custer were wiped out. 

Amid the chaos of that day, one figure often overlooked emerges: Isaiah Dorman, the only African American killed in the battle. As a skilled interpreter for the U.S. Army, Dorman's life bridged worlds—Black, White, and Native.  His death encapsulated the brutal ironies of the Indian Wars.

Isaiah Dorman's early life remains shrouded in mystery. Born around 1832 in Pennsylvania, he was likely freeborn, with a father of African-Jamaican descent and a mother of mixed African and Native American heritage. By the 1850s, Dorman was in the Dakota Territory working as a trapper, trader, and laborer. He married Celeste St. Pierre, a young woman from the Santee Sioux band led by Inkpaduta, and integrated deeply into Native life. Dorman was described as a large, dark-skinned man. There are no authenticated surviving photographs of Dorman

In spring 1876, Dorman joined Custer's 7th Cavalry expedition against the Lakota and Cheyenne, hired as a civilian Sioux interpreter at a premium rate due to his expertise and connections, including friendships with figures like Chief Sitting Bull. The campaign aimed to force non-reservation tribes onto designated lands amid gold rush tensions in the Black Hills. Departing from Fort Abraham Lincoln, the force marched toward the Little Bighorn River, unaware of the massive Native encampment ahead—estimated at 7,000 people, including 1,500-2,000 warriors.

On June 25, 1876 when Custer divided his 600 men into battalions, Dorman rode with Major Marcus Reno's detachment of about 140 troops, tasked with attacking the village from the south. As Reno's men charged into the valley, they met fierce resistance from Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. Reno ordered a retreat across the river to defensive bluffs, but Dorman fell behind. Eyewitness Private Roman Rutten recalled seeing Dorman on one knee, methodically firing a non-regulation sporting rifle at advancing Indian warriors, shouting, "Goodbye, Rutten!" as the soldier galloped past. An Indian account described: "We passed a black man in a soldier's uniform... He turned on his horse and shot an Indian right through the heart. Then the Indians fired... and riddled his horse with bullets. His horse fell over on his back and the black man could not get up."

Accounts of his final moments vary but paint a grim picture. One narrative claims Sitting Bull, recognizing his old acquaintance, dismounted, offered water from a buffalo horn cup, and said, "Don't kill that man, he is a friend of mine," before riding on. However, many are skeptical of this story. Moving Robe Woman (Eagle Robe), shot him in revenge for her brother's death, after which a group of Lakota women tortured him with stone hammers and knives.  His body was mutilated—arrows embedded, slashes across the face and body, and a 16-by-2-inch strip of skin removed as a war trophy by his wife's niece, Iron Antelope, later preserved in a North Dakota museum. Private William Slaper described finding the corpse "with many arrows shot into his body and head, badly cut and slashed." These acts reflected Native beliefs that wounds would carry into the afterlife, punishing Dorman for siding with the "bluecoats" against his adopted people.