Abraham Lincoln's assassination in Washington on April 14, 1865, as the Civil War was ending, plunged Augusta into sorrow. Businesses closed on the 19th, and soldiers, civil authorities, and societies converged at the black-draped Kennebec County Court House for funeral obsequies. Winthrop and State Streets were packed with soldiers and civilians. Governor Cony and other dignitaries sat on a platform. The Reverend McKenzie of South Parish Church spoke about how people had looked to Lincoln for courage and wisdom. The Universalist Church's Reverend Quimby compared Lincoln to Christ, and the Reverend Munger of the Methodist Church called for bringing the assassins to justice. The service ended with the singing of "America."