On the night of the awful tragedy an unreal action occurred in the box at the theater. Watching was the greatest man of his time in the glory of the most stupendous success story in our history. He was the idolized chief of a nation already mighty, and a symbol to all of the grandeur of a great nation. Quick death was to come on the central figure of that company -- the central figure of the great and good men of the century. The shot heard around the country would not die in a whimper. The gloom that had traversed the streets of Washington was the same feeling of vague terror and sorrow, which had spread throughout the entire country. Colonel Burnett, assigned to the investigation of the death of Lincoln, described the mood of the nation, “I cannot adequately describe, and shall never forget. To this day, I never visit that City (Washington) without some shadow of that dark time settling over my spirit” (A Lawyer Called to Serve 2000). The people moved about the streets with bowed heads and sorrow-stricken faces. When men spoke to each other in the streets, there were tremulous tones in their voices, and a quivering of the lips, as though tears and violent expression of grief were held back only by great effort. Lincoln’s death impacted Whitman because he had held Lincoln in the highest esteem similar to the soldiers, lived in the same proximity as the President, and had developed a series of works devoted directly to Lincoln.The people held Lincoln in such high esteem with a strong love. Colonel Burnett adds “the love of the people was so strong, and so peculiarly personal and tender towards Abraham Lincoln” (A Lawyer Called to Serve 2000). This was especially true among the soldiers. All of the members of the army remembered Lincoln with a devotion and patriotic affection. The soldiers used to shout and sing "We are coming, Father Abraham!" (A Lawyer Called to Serve 2000). Burnett described...
