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In fact, Edwin Stanton was basically running things for the first day and a half. Temptations for a regency or Cabinet-style government were great, or for that matter, for a military-style intervention. After the assassination of Lincoln, there would be such turmoil, such chaos and anarchy gripping the Union Capital.
實際上，林肯被害后的一天半里，基本上是埃德溫·斯坦頓在主事。那時，采取攝政制或是建立內閣政府，甚至軍方干預，都有極大的誘惑力。林肯遇刺之后，騷動、混亂、無政府狀態籠罩著聯邦首都。
In fact, The New York Times would editorialize: "If this were France, all the country would be in bloody revolution by twenty-four hours." They were in such turmoil that the Union Cabinet would soon be discussing whether or not, in effect, a Napoleonic coup was under way. Who did they think was behind it? None other than one of their greatest generals, Bill Sherman. That's why I think it's so important to go back and recreate the world, not as we see it with hindsight but as they saw it, so we can see the turning points that they confronted.
事實上，《紐約時報》完全可能發表這樣的社論：“如果這是在法國，24小時內，全國就會陷入一場血腥的革命之中。”極度混亂的局勢使聯邦政府可能很快就要討論一次拿破侖式的政變是否已經開始。他們認為是誰在搞政變？不是別人，正是他們一個偉大的將軍，比爾·舍曼。這就是為什么我強調要回到過去，重現當時的情形，不要以后見之明去審視當時的局勢，而是從人們當時的角度看問題。這樣我們就能看清那時人們所面臨的轉折點。
The Bennett House story is the story that we never hear about. Appomattox is usually viewed as the end of the war on April 9. But, of course, there were still three Confederate armies in the field, and Davis calling for guerrilla warfare. Five days later, there was a tripartite assassination attempt of Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Seward. The Union was in total chaos. What took place in the Bennett House in North Carolina was the final surrender of the other principal army of the Confederacy, which was commanded by Joe Johnston.
我們沒聽說過本尼特農場上發生的事情。4月9日發生在阿波馬托克斯的受降一般被視為內戰結束的標志。不過在那之后，戰場上仍然有三支南部邦聯的軍隊，戴維斯還在鼓吹游擊戰。五天之后，針對林肯、安德魯·約翰遜和蘇厄德的三起謀殺發生了。美國完全陷入混亂。喬·約翰斯頓指揮的南部邦聯剩余的主要部隊最終投降，位于北卡羅來納州的本尼特農場見證了這一重要時刻。
