The third annual celebration of Thanksgiving Day takes place across the country
By proclamation, President Johnson had on October 28, 1865 designated this day as the third annual national festival of Thanksgiving, following the tradition Abraham Lincoln had begun during the Civil War. Family dinners were held and across the country charitable institutions prepared meals for the needy. The following year, the holiday moved back to November. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
"Thanksgiving Day. Observance of the Day as a National Festival," New York Times, December 8, 1865, p. 1.