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Although the Civil War basically came to a close following Lee's surrender to Grant in the spring of 1865, sporadic fighting continued. Jefferson Davis remained defiant to the very end, dreaming of escaping to Texas and somehow revitalizing the Confederate cause. By the time of his capture, however, even Southerners reviled and blamed their president for the loss of the war. The aftermath of the war proved awesome for both sides. Over 600,000 had died during the four years of fighting. In the South, one out of every four men of fighting age had been lost. African-Americans, free for the first time, wandered the roads searching for work and food. Also sobering was the unexpected assassination of President Lincoln a few days after the surrender at Appomattox. As the funeral train carried the President back to Springfield, IL, citizens met the train at each stop, overwhelmed with grief. The legacy of the Civil War, establishing the predominance of the federal government and dismantling the institution of slavery, forever stands as a dividing point in American history.