04/15/2026
A message from The Commander-in-Chief:
Brothers,
On this solemn day, we pause to remember one of the most tragic and consequential moments in our nation’s history.
On the morning of April 15, 1865, at 7:22 a.m., President Abraham Lincoln succumbed to the mortal wound inflicted the previous evening at Ford’s Theatre by the assassin John Wilkes Booth. He passed away in the Petersen House, across the street from the theatre, where physicians had kept vigil through the night, knowing from the outset that his injury was beyond remedy.
Within hours, at 11:00 a.m., Vice President Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the 17th President of the United States, ushering in a turbulent transition into the era of Reconstruction—an uncertain and defining chapter for the nation our forefathers fought to preserve.
The news of Lincoln’s death spread rapidly across the country, casting a deep shadow of grief over a people who had only just begun to glimpse the end of a long and bloody Civil War. His assassination—part of a broader but largely thwarted conspiracy—marked the first time a sitting President of the United States was murdered, and it forever enshrined Lincoln as a martyr to the cause of Union and liberty.
As Brothers of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, we bear a special responsibility to remember not only the events of that day, but the sacrifice and meaning behind them. Lincoln’s steadfast leadership preserved the Union; his vision challenged the nation to strive toward a more perfect justice.
Let us reflect on his legacy with reverence, and recommit ourselves to the principles for which he gave his life—unity, liberty, and the enduring work of national reconciliation.
In Fraternity, Charity, & Loyalty,
Kevin P Tucker
Commander-in-Chief
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of the flame."
