immediately after the death of Mr. Lincoln. Congress had adjourned early in March, and the field was open to him to act independently and without congressional interference. His first act was to retain the entire cabinet of Mr. Lincoln, and he proceeded at once to adopt and follow out the plan which had been decided upon by his predecessor. The States of Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee had already had their new governments approved and accepted by Mr. Lincoln, and under the conditions of his proclamation of 1863. Virginia had been dismembered in 1862, and forty counties out of the one hundred and forty in the State had been erected into a new State known as West Virginia. Before this was done, these counties had a State government which had been recognized as the true loyal government of Virginia. When this government became the separate State of West Virginia, Francis H. Pierpont, who had been governor, had an election in a few counties so he could hold on as a governor. He was elected, and moved out of the west of the old State and set up as governor in the city of Alexandria, near Washington, where, at pleasure, he had a convention or legislature composed of not over sixteen members, and claimed to be the loyal governor of Virginia.
The proclamation for the restoration of civil government in North Carolina had already been matured by Mr. Lincoln and his cabinet. This paper was presented by Mr. Stanton in Mr. Johnson's cabinet meeting, was approved and accepted by him, and promulgated on May 29, 1865. In this instrument, he appointed W. H. Hoiden provisional governor, with authority to call a convention to frame a constitution for the State. The voters were designated as those who were entitled to vote under the constitution of the State at the time it seceded. Amnesty was offered to all who had taken part in the war with certain exceptions, viz., all military officers above the rank of colonel, naval officers above the rank
