President Lincoln delivered his last speech to a crowd gathered outside the Executive Mansion on April 11, 1865.

He stood in a second-story window, reading from a manuscript and let each page drop to the floor as he read. His son Tad scooped up the pages.

Reporter Noah Brooks held a candle so that Mr. Lincoln could see the pages.

After the speech, he turned to Brooks and said, “That was a pretty fair speech, I think, but you threw some light on it.”

 

Source: “Abraham Lincoln: a Life” by Michael Burlinggame