THE DEATH AND FUNERAL OF PRESIDENT
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON
BY REV. EDWARD S. LEWIS
One of the most notable campaigns for
the presi-
dency of the United States was that of
1840, in which
Martin Van Buren and William Henry
Harrison con-
tended for that high office. This was
perhaps the most
picturesque of the presidential
campaigns. The Demo-
crats were strong and confident.
Harrison, the Whig
candidate, was ridiculed by them as
being only a west-
ern soldier, living in a log cabin and
fond of hard cider.
But his western friends saw great
campaign possibilities
in this and they straightway raised the
slogan "Our
log-cabin and hard-cider
candidate," and went enthusi-
astically into the campaign, fighting
hilariously for
"Tippecanoe and Tyler too."
The young country was
stirred from east to west and from
north to south by
the astonishing vote of two hundred and
thirty-four in
the electoral college for Harrison, to
sixty votes for Van
Buren. It is recorded that the joy of the
Whigs over
this astonishing result was little
short of delirium. The
interval from the election to the
inauguration was one
long jollification.
As inauguration day approached,
President-elect
Harrison made a long, fatiguing journey
to Washing-
ton. The fourth of March was bleak and
cold. Gen-
eral Harrison was sixty-eight years of
age and not at
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606 Ohio
Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
all well. He was warned by his friends
to avoid all
possible exposure, but considered this
unworthy of a
soldier's hardihood. So, rejecting
overcoat and gloves,
he rode on horseback for two hours in
the inauguration
parade, and stood another hour in the
open air reading
his inaugural address.
The new president was a kind-hearted
man and he
had many friends. Visitors thronged
upon him in the
White House, where he entertained them
until long
after midnight. In spite of this, he
would arise very
early in the morning and take long
walks in the cold
March air. He was almost overwhelmed by
office seek-
ers, whom he was too kind to keep
within bounds.
A severe illness set in, which yielded,
however, to
medical treatment. But early in April
there came a
relapse. On Saturday, the third day of
that month,
from one to two o'clock in the
afternoon, he seemed to
be getting better. But at three o'clock
his symptoms
became alarming. His family and
friends, and even the
doctors, began to doubt his getting
well. At six o'clock
the members of his cabinet were
summoned. At eight
forty-five, Dr. Worthington was at his
bedside. Har-
rison said (and it is presumed he was
addressing Gov-
ernor Tyler), "Sir, I wish you to
undertake the true
principles of the government. I wish
them carried out.
I ask nothing more." This was the
dying injunction
of the good old man, made in a strong
tone of voice. At
12:27 on the morning of April fourth,
he breathed his
last, and without a struggle. He had
been insensible for
a long while, and his last words were
to Dr. Worth-
ington.
At one o'clock, a. m., the members of
the cabinet,
Death and Funeral of President Wm. H. Harrison 607 after performing their last mournful duties, prepared a letter to the Vice-President officially announcing the fact of the President's death. The funeral was solemnized |
|
on Wednesday, April seventh, at noon, according to the usages of the Episcopal Church, in which church Presi- dent Harrison usually worshipped. At 11:30 the Reverend Mr. Hawley, rector of St. John's Church, arose and said that the Bible (covered with black silk) which lay on the table before him was |
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Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
purchased by the President on the fifth
of March, and
that he read it daily. He attended
church, kneeled for
prayer and joined audibly in the
service. He said that
had the President lived and been in
good health he would
have attended Holy Communion on the
following Sun-
day.
At twelve o'clock, musicians who had
been marched
up in front of the portico of the White
House played
the Portuguese Hymn, during which the
body was
moved and placed on the car which was
out in front.
This was drawn by six white horses. The
coffin was
covered with rich velvet. The
procession was two full
miles in length, and was marshalled on
its way by offi-
cers on horseback carrying white batons
with black
tassels. The utmost order prevailed
throughout. After
the funeral service the casket was
taken to the Congres-
sional Burying-Ground and placed in the
receiving
tomb.
Washington was draped with black crape,
even to
door-knobs and knockers. Across the casket were
placed two swords, and a scroll of the
constitution with
a wreath around it. People came to the
city from miles
around and it seemed as though more was
made of the
funeral than of the inauguration.
The Daily Gazette published the
sad news to the
people of Cincinnati on Friday morning,
April 9, 1841,
thus: "General William Henry
Harrison died at the
President's House in Washington on the
fourth day of
April, 1841, at thirty-three minutes
before one o'clock
in the morning." This was prior to
the days of the
electric telegraph, the first use of
which, by the way,
was to announce in Washington the
nomination in Bal-
Death and Funeral of President Wm. H.
Harrison 609
timore of James K. Polk, in 1844. The Gazette
also
carried this notice:
Old Soldiers, Attention! The officers
and soldiers now in
this city and vicinity, who served under
General Harrison in the
last war, are requested to meet at the
Henrie House this day at
ten o'clock, a. m., to adopt suitable
measures relative to the
recent afflicting dispensation of
Providence, by which their be-
loved Old Commander has been removed by
death.
The next day the Gazette printed
the following:
Yesterday most of our stores were
closed--the arm of labor
rested--bells tolled at intervals
throughout the day--minute guns
were fired--our public schools were
dismissed--and our city was
given up to an expression, felt keenly
and openly indulged, of
profoundest sorrow.
All classes partake in this feeling, yet
all bow submissively
to the inscrutable dispensation of Him
who chastens whom He
loves.
In the issue of April 26 appeared this:
It has been suggested that the day set
apart by the President
as a day of humiliation and prayer, on
account of the national
bereavement, would be the most suitable
day for appropriate
funeral honors in this city, and we have
been requested to call
the attention of the committee to the
subject, and to that day,
the 14th of May, 1841.
On May 14 this announcement was made:
The eulogium on the character and
services of our lamented
and illustrious fellow-citizen, the late
President of the United
States, will be delivered at the
Wesleyan Chapel on Fifth Street.
The order of the exercise will be as
follows:
1. Solemn music by the Eclectic Academy, to commence at
seven, and continue at intervals until
seven and one-half o'clock,
p. m.
2. Prayer,
to commence at seven and one-half o'clock pre-
cisely.
3. Solemn music, to continue five
minutes.
4. The eulogium, by E. D. Mansfield,
Esq.
5. Solemn music, to continue five
minutes.
6. The benediction.
610 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
The clergy of all denominations; the
Mayor, Council and
city authorities; all officers of the
United States, and the State
of Ohio; the citizens generally and such
strangers as may be
sojourning here, are respectfully
invited to attend.
Seats will be reserved for the Clergy
and the guests who
were invited by special invitations, who
will be admitted by the
private entrance at the side of the
chapel.
The services will commence at half past
seven o'clock pre-
cisely, previous to which those who may
desire to be present on
this interesting occasion are earnestly
requested to attend, so that
as little interruption as possible may
occur during the solemn
exercises of the evening.
The committee will be in attendance to
aid in accommodating
as many as possible with seats.
JAMES HALL, Chairman.
The committee and detachment of United
States
Marines arrived at the wharf in
Cincinnati with the
remains of the late President about
three o'clock on
the morning of July 5. About eight, the
body was con-
veyed to the residence of Colonel W. H.
H. Taylor, fol-
lowed by the committee and a number of
old and emi-
nent friends of the deceased. The
funeral at Cincin-
nati was on Wednesday morning, July 7,
1841. The
boat left Cincinnati for North Bend at
about one o'clock
that afternoon.
The hearse which bore the body from the
residence
of Colonel Taylor to the steamboat that
conveyed it to
North Bend was preceded by the company
of dragoons,
and the several military companies which
arrived from
the Louisville encampment in time to
join in the pro-
cession.
The procession moved to solemn music
from the
residence of Colonel Taylor on Sixth
street west to Race
street, thence south to Fourth, thence
east to Broadway,
thence down Broadway to the wharf at the
south end
of Main street.
Death and Funeral of President Wm. H. Harrison 611
The steamer Raritan left the
wharf for the Bend
about one o'clock, carrying with the
remains the com-
mittees, the detachment of United
States Marines, and
relatives of the deceased. By special
invitation, the
Reverend John T. Brooke went down to
perform the
funeral service of the Church of
England at the tomb.
The family of Harrison wished the
entombment to
be private and with as little
ostentation as possible. But
people from miles and miles around came
to Mt. Nebo
to the burial. This was to be
regretted, but it showed
the feeling of the people for the
President. The Rari-
tan landed about a mile above the Harrison dwelling,
where the remains of General Harrison
were taken
ashore. The relatives and committees
formed in pro-
cession after them. As they wound
slowly and sol-
emnly toward the tomb, many others who
were assem-
bled fell into the line. Others, more
anxious to get a
look at the coffin which incased the
body of the late
president, took position ahead, where
it was known the
funeral train would pass, and thus
skirted the entire
way.
The casket was transferred from the
steamer to a
hearse, and the funeral procession passed
through the
principal streets, preceded and
followed by bands of
musicians rendering funeral dirges,
which contributed
to make the occasion still more
sorrowful. It was a
dismal, rainy day, and for the time
being the sun re-
fused to shine. All nature seemed to
assume a somber
hue; the sky was fringed in its darkest
drapery. Every-
thing visible in creation gave signs of
general sorrow.
At the tomb a prayer was offered by the
Reverend
Joshua L. Wilson, of the First
Presbyterian Church of
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Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
Cincinnati, and the burial service of
the Episcopal
Church was read by the Reverend John T.
Brooke of
Christ Church.
The tomb of General Harrison is on an
elevated
knoll of rare beauty, some three
hundred yards from
the Ohio River, and about the same
distance from the
log cabin about which so much was said
and sung in
the campaign of 1840. Within a very few
weeks after
the President's demise his cabin home
was burned, in-
volving the irreparable loss of his
numerous papers, the
possession of which would be of great
value to the his-
torian. But the house was rebuilt, and
the premises
have been a shrine of patriotism for
years.
The limestone tomb that enclosed the
remains of the
illustrious dead was neglected for many
years, and be-
came dilapidated. But public-spirited
citizens have now
erected a suitable memorial in its
place. A stately mon-
ument, sixty feet high, and worthily
inscribed, crowns
Mt. Nebo, and is visible for many
miles. The grounds
have been beautified as a public park,
which is much
frequented by visitors. Just below the
monument the
majestic river rolls toward the
Mississippi, and many
miles of the great Bend are in full
view. Across it are
the fair hills of Kentucky, and all
around, the lovely
landscape of Ohio. Those who visit this
charming spot
are stirred not only by its beauty and
solemnity, but by
the thought that the spot where
President Harrison
sleeps is the one he loved best in his
mortal life.