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Stanton, Edwin McMasters (1814-1869) General orders no. 66

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02031 Author/Creator: Stanton, Edwin McMasters (1814-1869) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Broadside Date: 16 April 1865 Pagination: 2 p. ; 19 x 13 cm.

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02031 Author/Creator: Stanton, Edwin McMasters (1814-1869) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Broadside Date: 16 April 1865 Pagination: 2 p. ; 19 x 13 cm.

Summary of Content: Secretary of War Stanton announces the death of President Lincoln to the armies. States that "headquarters of every department, post, station, fort, and arsenal will be draped in mourning for thirty days." Also, funeral honors will take place at every military post and at West Point. W.A. Nichols announces that troops and cadets of West Point and all military posts will be paraded at 10 o'clock a.m. Also commands that flags be displayed at half-staff, thirteen guns be fired at dawn, and that officers of the armies of the U.S. wear a badge of mourning. Officers' command and regiment colors will be put in mourning for six months.

Background Information: Edwin M. Stanton was Secretary of War from 1862-1868 under Abraham Lincoln. After Lincoln's assassination, he continued his position under President Andrew Johnson. Impeachment charges were brought against President Johnson ...for his dismissal of Stanton. When the charges failed, Stanton resigned. He was then appointed associate justice but died before taking his seat in the Supreme Court.
Nichols served as Assistant Adjutant General.See More

People: Stanton, Edwin McMasters, 1814-1869
Nichols, William Augustus, 1818-1869
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Historical Era: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861-1877

Subjects: AssassinationCivil WarMilitary HistoryLincoln AssassinationLincoln's CabinetPresidentDeathWest Point (US Military Academy)American FlagWeaponryMilitary HistoryUnion ForcesGovernment and Civics

Sub Era: The American Civil War

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