translate English to German: While the administration did not want to undermine the generals in the field, the existence of political prisoners was cause for embarrassment within the administration. Arrested citizens were not told the reason for their arrest, no investigation of their alleged wrongdoing was carried out, and no trials were held.
Am Ende des Bürgerkriegs, am 14. April 1865 , wurde Seward zum Ziel eines Anschlags der Verschwörergruppe um John Wilkes Booth , der am gleichen Abend Abraham Lincoln erschoss.