In a letter to his wife dated 7 May 1864 , Private Rice recorded his own thoughts on the Federal cause , what a Confederate victory would mean for the nation , and the rampant corruption in governmental and economic circles : In a letter written on the occasion of Abraham Lincoln 's assassination , Rice makes it clear that he did not consider Lincoln himself to be anything other than " the greatest statesman ... its most silent and sharpest legislator : one who possessed coolness , firmness and a just knowledge with the courage to enforce it which no other man in the length and breadth of this land possesses . "
assassination
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Battery "E", 1st Illinois Light Artillery Regiment