As the guns fell silent, Lincoln’s focus shifted to the delicate art of Reconstruction. In the final week of his life, he was a man of contrasts—relieved by the peace, yet weary from the unprecedented weight of the last four years. He spoke openly of his desire for a "lenient" peace, famously remarking that he wanted to let the rebels down "easy." He resisted calls for retribution, focusing instead on how to bring the Southern states back into the fold of the Union without further humiliating the citizenry. He walked the streets of a liberated Richmond, meeting with freedmen, and discussed the future of the nation with his cabinet. He was a man with a plan for a compassionate future, unaware that his own personal time was running out. This chapter captures the fleeting, hopeful atmosphere of those final days, as the architect of the Union prepared to lay the foundation for a reunited America.