There was deep grief in the North, but there was also anger. For the next few weeks, it was extremely dangerous for anyone in a Northern city or town to say anything negative about the fallen president. Lincoln, in death, had taken on a saintly aura.

In the South, the real sentiment was much more difficult to determine. Many Southerners had loathed Lincoln since his first appearance on the public stage in 1858, but quite a few of them had recently concluded, however reluctantly, that Lincoln was better than most of the alternatives. Now there was a sudden firestorm of danger because it seemed quite likely that the North would inflict punishment on the South.