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The Greatest Manhunt in American History
For 12 days after his brazen assassination of Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth was at large, and in Manhunt, historian James L. Swanson tells the vivid, fully documented tale of his escape and the wild, massive pursuit. Get a taste of the daily drama from this timeline of the desperate search.
| April 14, 1865 |
Around noon, Booth learns that Lincoln is coming to Ford's Theatre that night. He has eight hours to prepare his plan.
10:15 pm: Booth shoots the president, leaps to the stage, and escapes on a waiting horse.
Secretary of War Edwin Stanton orders the manhunt to begin. |
| April 15 |
About 4:00 am: Booth seeks treatment for a broken leg at Dr. Samuel Mudd's farm near Beantown, Maryland. Cavalry patrol heads south toward Mudd farm.
Confederate operative Thomas Jones hides Booth in a remote pine thicket for five days, frustrating the manhunters. |
| April 19 |
Tens of thousands watch the procession to the U.S. Capitol, where President Lincoln lies in state. Wild rumors and stories of false sightings of Booth spread. | |
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| April 20 |
Stanton offers a $100,000 reward for the assassins, and threatens death to any citizen who helps them.
After hiding Booth in Maryland, Jones puts him in a rowboat on the Potomac River, bound for Virginia. More than a thousand manhunters are still searching in Maryland. In the dark, Booth rows the wrong way and first ends up back in Maryland. |
| April 20-24 |
Booth lands in the northern neck of Virginia, and Confederate agents and sympathizers guide him to Port Conway, Virginia. |
| April 24 |
Booth befriends three Confederate soldiers who help him cross the Rappahannock River to Port Royal and then guide him further southwest to the Garrett farm.
Union troops in Washington receive a report of a Booth sighting. They board a U.S. Navy tug and steam south, right past Booth's hideout at the Garrett farm. |
| April 25 |
The 16th New York Calvary, realizing their error, turns around and surrounds the Garrett farm after midnight that night. | |
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| April 26 |
When Booth refuses to surrender, troops set the barn on fire, and Boston Corbett shoots the assassin. Booth dies a few hours later, at sunrise. |
| April 26-27 |
Booth's body is brought back to Washington, where it is autopsied, photographed, and buried in a secret grave. | |
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Book Description
The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin, John Wilkes Booth, led Union cavalry and detectives on a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia, while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness.
James L. Swanson's Manhunt is a fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, this is history as you've never read it before.
Customer Reviews:
Fact or Fiction?.......2007-10-16
Based on the hundreds of glowing reviews on this website, I appear to be in a tiny minority regarding my opinion. Please read this review as a counterpoint to some of MANHUNT's praise.
MANHUNT has its merits. I'll point you to many other well-written reviews for evidence. Here's my beef: The author seems to mix fact with imaginative embellishment (read: fiction) for hightened drama. When setting most scenes, Mr. Swanson describes particular sensory conditions with great specificity like smells, lighting conditions, facial expressions, and most impresively, Booth's emotions.
My question is this: Where would he get this information from such a wide range of sources 140 years later? Eyewitness reports? I doubt it, especially when it comes to "enhancements" of Booth's motivations, emotions, and thought processes. (The man was killed before he had time to jot down a memoir...) Therefore, very large portions of this text must have come out of the author's imagination.
All this does "spice up" what's turned into a plausable historical tale. But what's real? What's not? It's impossible to know. Not that I would only endorse dry historic chronicles. This story would be intriguing and exciting enough without the author's efforts to "take it up a notch".
I couldn't take it seriously, and therefore couldn't finish it. Grade: D.
a great read... i was there!!.......2007-09-29
I have not read many books lately and have just started to get back to it. Manhunt was the latest book I read and it was AMAZING!! The vivid descriptions put you everywhere John W Booth and his cohorts are and makes for a fascinating depiction of history.
Brings history to life..........2007-09-14
I enjoy nonfiction books that read like novels, and James L. Swanson's Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer provides a dose of history in an enjoyable format.
Manhunt didn't include much information about the assassination that I didn't already know. But I did learn quite a bit about the 12-day pursuit of John Wilkes Booth and the hunt for his conspirators, as well as some other assassination trivia. It was especially interesting in that my husband and I often travel this same path through Maryland and Virginia when driving south. We pass right by the historic marker near the Garrett house barn (where Booth was captured and killed), although we've never stopped to see the actual location.
Swanson does a commendable job of bringing the complex Booth to life. The author describes him as "impossibly vain, preening, emotionally flamboyant, possessed of raw talent and splendid elan." Yet, this handsome and charismatic actor was willing to sacrifice everything for "his cause." After the assassination, he was stunned and enraged to discover that his acts not only met with outrage, but also, made Lincoln a martyr. I was surprised to learn that on April 16, 1865, CSA Lt. General R. S. Ewell sent Secretary of War Stanton a letter that was cosigned by 16 other Confederate generals. In the letter, Ewell wrote of their "unqualified abhorrence and indignation" at Lincoln's killing. He claimed that they were shocked by this appalling crime and that Southern men "are not assassins" nor their "allies."
Manhunt has a good number of pictures, drawings, maps and photographs related to the assassination. He also includes an excellent Epilogue where he tells the "story after the story." Swanson also provides a poignant description of the events of that time. When Lincoln died at the Peterson house, a "crude, improvised coffin" was brought to transport his body back to the White House. The people in the street were upset. "The box looked like a shipping crate, not a proper coffin for a head of state. Lincoln would not have minded. He was always a man of simple tastes. This was the plain, roughly hewn coffin of a rail-splitter."
After reading Manhunt, I intend on reading an earlier work that Swanson co-wrote called Lincoln's Assassins: Their Trail and Execution.
What a book..........2007-09-04
I bought this book for a teachers gift, he loves Lincoln and that whole period of our country's life. He said the book is one of the best he's ever read on the subject.
Well written, a quick read........2007-09-03
As a person who's read quite a bit on Lincoln and his assination, I figured I should finally get around to this text. I've been telling people for years that Dr. Samuel Mudd's family lobbied for years to get Mudd's name cleared--that he was simply a physician treating a patient with a broken leg. A colleague of mine suggested that this book denies that. It does, indeed.
I read a lot but am a slower reader than I'd like. So I like a book (1) that doesn't have microscopic print and (2) keeps me interested. This qualified on both counts. I don't mean it was large print, like a children's book. But it didn't have so much detail that I could maybe win a trivia contest but be none the wiser.
In fact, one item that I liked most was that Thomas Jones apparently kept Booth and his accomplice, Davey Herold, in a pine thicket for something like four days and five nights. Jones was freed of any responsibility for harboring perhaps the most wanted man in the US for those 12 days, but told the truth some years later. (When he was selling a book admitting to that, he was apparently attacked by some Union veterans!)
Among the things I liked too about the book was the admission by the author that Lincoln was not particularly popular at the time of his assination. Indeed, Booth was discouraged after the assasination that he'd created a martyr there there might not have been one.
Another thing I liked about the structure of the book is that the author ended with a kind of "where are they now," or what happened to the actors in the "drama." That's where I learned of the Jones story, for example.
What I didn't like about the book was the speculation the author did on what was going on in Booth's mind while he was in the Garret barn where he was eventually shot. I'm conscious of that ever since a good friend and former boss and I talked about a book years ago in which he accused I think it was Halberstram of doing that. "How could he know was was going on in [so-and-so]'s mind?" he asked. Of course he can guess, but then such speculation needed to be stated as such.
I must confess too that I almost downgraded the review by one star too because of what I saw in the book's acknowledgements. You see, Swanson thanked is friends "at the Heritage Foundation." What's the matter with that? Well, Heritage is extremely ideological. (I know, for, among other reasons, I have a distant cousin who works there.) How would one have felt after reading such a book if the author had said, "Many thanks to all my buddies at the Communist Party." It might make you want to find another more credible book because that party tends to be ideological. Heritage may be the other side of the political spectrum but is no less ideological, so it made me wonder about the author's motives and objectivity. But, despite Heritage, I found the book worth reading and, yes, difficult to put down. So, over and above the Booth speculation, I recommend it.
Book Description
Acclaimed as the definitive illustrated history of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, Lincoln's Assassins, by James L. Swanson and Daniel R. Weinberg, follows the shocking events from the tragic scene at Ford's Theatre to the trial and execution of Booth's co-conspirators. For twelve days after the president was shot, the nation waited breathlessly as manhunters tracked down John Wilkes Booth—the story that was brilliantly told in Swanson's New York Times bestseller, Manhunt. Then, during the spring and summer of 1865, a military commission tried eight people as conspirators in Booth's plot to murder Lincoln and other high officials, including the secretary of state and vice president. Few remember them today, but once the names Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, George Atzerodt, Edman Spangler, Samuel Arnold, Michael O'Laughlin, and Dr. Samuel Mudd were the most reviled and notorious in America.
In Lincoln's Assassins, Swanson and Weinberg resurrect these events by presenting an unprecedented visual record of almost 300 contemporary photographs, letters, documents, prints, woodcuts, newspapers, pamphlets, books, and artifacts, many hitherto unpublished. These rare materials, which took the authors decades to collect, evoke the popular culture of the time, record the origins of the Lincoln myth, take the reader into the courtroom and the cells of the accused, document the beginning of American photojournalism, and memorialize the fates of the eight conspirators.
Lincoln's Assassins is a unique work that will appeal to anyone interested in American history, Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, law, crime, assassination, nineteenth-century photographic portraiture, and the history of American photojournalism.
Customer Reviews:
reads like a movie.......2007-10-12
This is an EXCELLENY book. The pace reads like a movie. The characters are expertly depicted and the author presents a flow of events that kept me reading continuosly. The sparse use of photos bothered me at first but then I realized that I liked it better not to have too many images.
Certainly worthwhile........2007-06-29
Although I detest Mr. Swanson's attitude toward the assassination & "scholarship", I am very pleased with my copy of this book. It has a great deal of fine photographs, and makes a very enjoyable purchase for that reason only. Unfortunately, the authors titled the book very oddly -- as those who went on trial were not Lincoln's assassins, and some of them were not even privy to the plan at all, and equally unfortunately, the actual assassin is given only 2 or 3 photographs out of the many included. There was also an sickening decision made when there are pages and pages of essentially identical photos of the hanging, which are not only revolting but very repetative, and could have been greatly reduced to make room for more interesting & varied photographs. That aside, I found the painting by Lew Wallace, given an honorary spot in the front of the book, to be perhaps my favorite assassination-related picture to date. I am very grateful for this book.
P.S. Reprinting the cover to look more like Manhunt? Bad idea. The 1st edition was so much prettier.
Don't miss Manhunt! .......2007-06-27
This is an incredible hour by hour account of the death of President Abraham Lincoln and the search for his killer, John Wilkes Booth. Swanson includes historical accounts taken from the achieves,various testimonies from the people who lived this horrific event along with many other resources. There is a lot about this terrible time in our history that I didn't know, and James Swanson has numerous notes that can take you easily into even deeper research. It completely held my attention on every page of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a difficult time putting it down. There is so much information I plan to read it again. His 2nd book, Lincoln's Assassins, is a great follow up to this book. If you love history, Manhunt is a must!
Worth It Just For The Photos.......2007-06-26
This is a wonderful addition to the book collection of any reader of Lincoln or civil war history. I have studied the story of the Lincoln conspirators for nearly 20 years, and have read a lot of fine material on the subject, but this book contains amazing photos I did not know existed. Where one may have seen a single picture of the conspirators or their July 1865 hanging.......this book contains pages and pages of photos of them, taken shortly before their execution, often from the original glass negatives. Of course, it also contains a vivid narrative of their trial and last moments. Others have written superb accounts of these events. This book is "worth it just for the photos."
An excellent book.......2007-03-26
In this fascinating book, an accomplished author teams up with an avid Lincoln-ologist to produce an excellent work. This book has a fascinating account of the capture, trial and (in some cases) execution of John Wilkes Booth's fellow "conspirators," and an excellent collection of pictures and reproductions of important documents.
Overall, I found this to be an excellent book. It has just enough text to be highly informative on the conspirators, without getting bogged down in minutiae. Also, it keeps a level-headed approach to the assassination throughout, eschewing the kind of theorizing that marks too many books on the subject. Yep, I highly enjoyed this colorful and highly readable book, and give it my highest recommendations!
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
There are a few books that belong on the shelf of every Civil War buff: James M. McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom, one of the better Abraham Lincoln biographies, something on Robert E. Lee, perhaps Shelby Foote's massive trilogy The Civil War. Add Jay Winik's wonderful April 1865 to the list. This is one of those rare, shining books that takes a new look at an old subject and changes the way we think about it. Winik shows that there was nothing inevitable about the end of the Civil War, from the fall of Richmond to the surrender at Appomattox to the murder of Lincoln. It all happened so quickly, in what "proved to be perhaps the most moving and decisive month not simply of the Civil War, but indeed, quite likely, in the life of the United States."
Things might have been rather different, too. "What emerges from the panorama of April 1865 is that the whole of our national history could have been altered but for a few decisions, a quirk of fate, a sudden shift in luck." When Lee abandoned Richmond, for instance, his soldiers rendezvoused at a nearby town called Amelia Court House. There, the general expected to find boxcars full of food for his hungry troops. But "a mere administrative mix-up" left his army empty-handed and may have limited Lee's options in the days to come. Or what if Lee had decided not to surrender at all, but to turn his resourceful army into an outfit of guerrilla fighters who would harass federal officials? National reconciliation might have become impossible as the whole South turned into a region plagued with violence and terrorism. For the Union, "there would be no real rest, no real respite, no true amity, nor, for that matter, any real sense of victory--only an amorphous state of neither war nor peace, raging like a low-level fever." One of Lee's officers actually proposed this scenario to his commander in those final hours; America is fortunate Lee didn't choose this path.
Winik is an exceptionally good storyteller. April 1865 is full of memorable images and you-are-there writing. Readers will come away with a new appreciation for that momentous month and a sharpened understanding of why and how the Civil War was fought. Let it be said plainly: April 1865 is a magnificent work, surely the best book on the Civil War to be published in some time. --John J. Miller
Book Description
One month in 1865 witnessed the frenzied fall of Richmond, a daring last-ditch Southern plan for guerrilla warfare, Lee's harrowing retreat, and then, Appomattox. It saw Lincoln's assassination just five days later and a near-successful plot to decapitate the Union government, followed by chaos and coup fears in the North, collapsed negotiations and continued bloodshed in the South, and finally, the start of national reconciliation.
In the end, April 1865 emerged as not just the tale of the war's denouement, but the story of the making of our nation.
Jay Winik offers a brilliant new look at the Civil War's final days that will forever change the way we see the war's end and the nation's new beginning. Uniquely set within the larger sweep of history and filled with rich profiles of outsize figures, fresh iconoclastic scholarship, and a gripping narrative, this is a masterful account of the thirty most pivotal days in the life of the United States.
Customer Reviews:
What about rethinking U.S. Grant.......2007-08-26
The Book was great, except for the matter of fact way of treating Grant. Winik has given me a new perspective on the Cival War. I did not know that this country was largely about words, but little substance. Jefferson's writings were carried out by Abraham Lincoln. What I discovered in Winik's book was that this country was not defined. That is a big thing in itself. Abraham Lincoln simply applied Jefferson's writings far beyond Jefferson did. I remember an old axiom that states "standing for something is only worthwhile when it costs you something to stand for it". I guess Abraham Lincoln was the only President of the U.S. willing to pay the price. This Winik says in his great book, in a more graceful way. I'm sending this book to my son-in-law. Winik's book is a graet read and a knew depth in the Cival War.
Courage and Contingency.......2007-07-13
As the Civil War reached its denouement in April 1865, we tend to think that the victory of the North was already a foregone conclusion. In truth, it is clear that no one yet knew how the war would end. April 1865, by Jay Winik, tells the story of this last month of the war, and how the events that occurred would shape the destiny of the nation. It is a tale of contingency--if one event had gone differently, or one leader had made the other decision, our country might not be what it is today. In Winik's own words, "The ultimate fate of nations is often measured and swayed not by large events, but by tiny ones, small, symbolic gestures that shape men's passions...and quell or inflame lingering hostilities for years to come" (182). In order to demonstrate this, Winik first and foremost deals with the events of this final month, describing their historical background and stressing their importance. Winik also creates vivid vignettes of the men in whose hands lay the power to make or break our foundering country during those uncertain days. And finally, perhaps most importantly, Winik demonstrates that out of the ashes of war, the fragmented group of states was reborn as a nation.
Edward Ayers, in his book In the Presence of Mine Enemies also discussed contingency. But while Ayers was concerned only with the events of the Civil War, and how with small changes they could have been radically different, Winik focuses on the decisions of the great men who drive the cogwheels of history. It is on their shoulders that the monumental decisions of this last month rested, and it is with them that the fate of the nation hung in the balance.
One prominent issue that Winik discusses is whether even after the fall of Richmond and the ragged deterioration of the Confederate armies and their supply lines--would the Confederacy fight on? The Confederate fighters could have split up and taken to the hills, becoming partisans for their cause and engaging in guerilla warfare, prolonging the war indefinitely (146). Jefferson Davis himself supported this plan (299), and it was the worst fear of Lincoln and Grant (66). But it was General Robert E. Lee, with considerable strength of character, who decided against prolonging the conflict, and to the considerable dismay of his superiors, Lee stoically surrendered to Grant at Appomattox (166-169). The fate of the war was in the hands of Lee, and it was Lee who realized that while one must be strong in war, it is necessary to be equally strong in peace. Lee accepted defeat with fortitude, urging his people to become good citizens once again and avoid further bloodshed. Lee spearheaded the Confederate effort to procure peace with the same fervor as which he had prosecuted the war effort (311-316).
Winik also discusses the Northern side of the problem. How should the Union treat the defeated Confederacy? Would there be vindictive retribution, a bloodbath including public hangings of war criminals and the imposition of martial law? Winik shows that it was in the hands of the Union generals as much as it was dependent on government legislation. If Ulysses Grant gave Lee generous terms of peace upon Lee's surrender, further conflict could be avoided. And stirringly, Grant rose to the occasion. Grant, the hardened and often dispassionate veteran of battle saw Lee's surrender as having far-reaching consequences upon the future of the nation. Grant extended the olive branch to Lee, paving the road to reconciliation. As Winik writes so movingly, "Grant himself, spoke simply but clearly: the North may defeat the Confederate armies, it may strip away their guns and remove their cannons, but, if Grant was going to have anything to do with it, it would not also destroy their dignity" (182).
The meeting between Confederate general Joseph Johnston and Union general William T. Sherman took place in the same spirit of appeasement, bolstered by the events at Appomattox. Johnston amicably agreed to Sherman's generous terms, even though both men knew that they were acting against the wishes of their respective governments (318). What can explain how the enmity between all of these hardened fighters simply melted away? Perhaps these generals and their soldiers saw much farther than the politicians because they were out in the field. They had fought with each other in struggles bitter and destructive, they hated each other with a passion, but they also gained respect for one another. Not only did they understand that the war was too devastating to be continued, but they began to realize that the similarities that bound them together were greater than the differences that had split them asunder.
Abraham Lincoln saw further than perhaps any other man of the time, and this is why Winik stresses that he was the keystone that the entire conclusion of the war effort rested upon. Lincoln was probably the only man with the tenacity and conviction to stick to his principles through four hard years of unmitigated bloodshed and unrelenting criticism on all fronts. Lincoln persevered because he was the ultimate champion of the concept of union, stubborn in his belief that the states must be reunited in order to be re-forged as a nation. So on the one hand, Lincoln prosecuted the war with an iron fist, battering the South and burning their cities to the ground, and quelling dissent in the North with the suspension of habeas corpus (246-247). But by the same token, only Lincoln understood that after the cessation of hostilities, the South had to be let off easy, for real reconstruction could only be accomplished through reconciliation. The former Confederates had to be allowed to ease their way back into their own lives and rebuild their broken homesteads without feeling that they were under the control of an autocratic sovereign authority (251). Therefore, it is all the more crushing when we consider Lincoln's assassination; for the bullet that shot him dead also killed his plans for peace. His successor, Andrew Johnson, was rash and vindictive, determined to punish the South for its crime of rebellion (273). Winik asks: would it all come undone? Lincoln was dead, and a palpable feeling of dread and uncertainty hung in the air. Perhaps John Wilkes Booth was part of larger conspiracy to decapitate the Union government. Perhaps the Confederate government itself was the incendiary force behind Booth's deed (259-260). The outcome of April 1865 was far from certain, and this is what Winik is trying to show: one man or one event might have changed everything. Indeed, in the case of Lincoln it is very possible that our nation would be different today if he had presided over the difficult task of Reconstruction.
Lastly, Winik discusses a fundamental change that the Civil War brought to our country. Before the war, even before secession, the United States "were" only a collection of states bound together under the auspices of a rather weak federal government. No one was sure if secession was unconstitutional--Winik demonstrates that many had tried it, but none had succeeded (pardon the pun) before the South did so prior to the Civil War. But the outcome of the war answered the question of secession forever. The United States is a nation, not merely a collection of states (378-380). The long years of brutal conflict brought the people on both sides to the conclusion that the United States was now one unified nation, never again to be sundered by any division among its inhabitants. In the irony of all ironies, Winik shows that by the end of the war, even slavery was no longer an issue. By 1865, the Confederate legislatures had already decided to enlist former slaves in the army to bolster their thinning ranks, and as a reward their freedom would be ensured upon the conclusion of their duties (51-62). With the slaves free on both sides, what was the Confederacy still fighting for? Winik says, "In the end, what the Confederacy cherished most was its independence...as April 1865 approached, the two sides...were closer on the issue of slavery than perhaps they had ever been since the founding of the republic, and yet it no longer mattered" (62). But when the healing process finally began, it was implicitly understood that slavery was dead, and that the country could begin a more vibrant existence as a nation.
April 1865 is not only well-researched and informative, but Winik's narrative is unusually eloquent and poetic. Most surprising for a historical work is that it is also a gripping tale, the suspense being so palpable that I was actually on the edge of my seat. Additionally, it discusses issues of the Civil War that are often not comprehensively dealt with in other books. Furthermore, not only is April 1865 a fine example of historical analysis, but it is also a biographical work of the highest standard. With the touch of a master storyteller, Winik expertly portrays the complex, often conflicted, and yet utterly brilliant lives of the most important characters of the drama; from Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis to Nathaniel Bedford Forrest and John Wilkes Booth. Winik's work is truly a masterpiece, one that will change our perceptions of the final days of the Civil War and help us to better appreciate even the seemingly small actions of the larger-than-life actors who stepped forward in a time of need and shouldered the burden of destiny.
To quote John Wilkes Booth: "The country is not--April 1865 what it was.".......2007-05-31
A glance at the title of Jay Winik's book would suggest that it might be a day-by-day chronology of what was happening during the fateful month that saw the end of the Civil War. But in "April 1865: The Month That Save America" Winik focuses specifically on a series of pivotal decisions that set the stage for reconciliation instead of retribution after the Civil War. Winik's ultimate context is hinted at in his prelude, "A Nation Delayed," that looks at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello as a metaphor for how the United States lacked a national identity prior to the Civil War and focuses on how sundry rebellions and attempts at nullification proved the Southern Confederacy was just the last (and bloodiest) in a long series of attempts to resist being a real nation. But that is exactly what Winik finds at the end of this volume.
"April 1865" is divided into four parts. Part I, March 1865 looks at "The Dilemma" that faced Abraham Lincoln in terms of creating a common country once the war is over. Winik covers the range of Lincoln's thoughts before the fateful meeting on the "River Queen" where he told Generals Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman the sort of peace he envisioned. Part II, April I, 1865 looks at "The Fall" of Richmond and the "Decision" that faced Robert E. Lee between surrendering and turning the Army of Northern Virginia into guerillas. The importance of Lee's decision is balanced by the terms Grant proposed at Appomattox, which embodied Lincoln's hopes. However, Lincoln's assassinations begins "The Unraveling" of this promising start, and Part 3, April 16, 1865 looks at the assassination and its aftermath as essentially the 19th century equivalent of September 11th. Just as Part 2 ends with Lee's surrender, Part 3 culminates in the surrender of Joseph Johnston's army to Sherman. In contrasting what happened when Lee met with Grant versus the meetings between Johnston and Sherman, Winik shows how things had changed but remained the same.
Part 4, Late Spring, 1865, focuses on what Winik labels as "Reconciliation," although the term clearly does not fit everything that was happening. Winik is loath to go beyond the month that gives his book his title, but Lincoln's burial and the Grand Review of the Armies of the Republic both happened the following month, as did the capture of Jefferson Davis. This brings me to one significant thread that Winik neglects completing, because having set up the idea that Andrew Johnson wanted to hang Davis, Lee, and every other leader of the rebellion as traitors, Winik never gets around to what stopped the new President and the rest of the Federal government from doing just that. The capture of Davis is utterly devoid of the dignity that permeated Lee's surrender at Appomattox, in large part because it takes place after Lincoln's assassination. Hanging Jeff Davis from a sour apple tree seems inevitable, but that is not what happens to the former president of the Confederacy and what stayed the hand of Johnson and others who howled for blood should have been laid out to complete the circle, especially since that would be Lincoln's final victory.
With his Epilogue, "To Make a Nation," Winik continues to look at what was happening in the country in late spring 1865, touching on the future of the reunified nation, but focusing on how the nation have irrevocable changed because of what happened in April 1865. In focusing on a pivotal series of decisions, Winik makes the case for his thesis, usually by postulating in some detail what would have resulted from the grim alternative. His biographical sketches of the major players focus on those elements that not only explain how they came to a particular time and place, but also why each did what he did, for better or worse. Winik also fleshes out the significant shift as the "United States" went from plural to singular in popular usage, because ultimately what matters here is what differences these differences made, which includes tantalizing glimpses of what might have been, for better or for worse. The Civil War has been called our American "Iliad," and in this book Winik reminds us that the analogy is apt, not just because of the bloody carnage, but because what happened between Lee and Grant at Appomattox is akin to what transpired between Achilles and Priam in their fateful meeting. But by underscoring a series of key decisions Winik ensures his readers will always remember these specific instantiations of what Lincoln called "the angels of our better nature."
Exuberant History.......2007-05-18
Any student of the Civil War will enjoy this lively, well written book. The author's thesis is that reunification after Appomattox was anything but inevitable. He makes a persuasive case for a long-lasting guerrilla war but for the magnanimity of Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, Lee and Johnston. He is certainly correct that reconciliation of the North and South was a rare exception to the typical chaos and retribution after a civil war or revolution.
Winik's passion and enthusiasm are contagious. He is particularly effective in bringing home the brutality of war, the realities of life for the common soldier and conditions in the war-ravaged South. I have several nits about the book (e.g., repetition, some shallow characterizations and his idolatry of Lee), but none of them should discourage anyone from reading it.
Far from "amazing" and "incredible"........2007-05-14
Being required to read this book for school is the only reason I would have ever picked up this book. However, after the first 50 pages, I have decided to spare my brain from this utter nonsense.
Winik spends far too long on unnecessary subjects such as the various meats and other foods served at Lincoln's inauguration. While the narrative on Monticello may be interesting to some, it served no purpose to why April 1865 was the month that saved America.
Instead of trying to show readers that he is, in fact, an excellent writer who has done far too much research and therefore tries to shove every single fact he found into a 388 page book, Winik should focus on his thesis and not on his arrogant attitude and increasing sense of drama.
Book Description
The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history -- the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry troops on a wild, twelve-day chase from the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia.
At the very center of this story is John Wilkes Booth, Americas notorious villain. A confederate sympathizer and member of a celebrated acting family, Booth threw away his fame, wealth, and promise for a chance to avenge the Souths defeat. For almost two weeks, he confounded the manhunters, slipping away from their every move and denying the justice they sought.
Manhunt is a fully documented work, but it is also a fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, this is history as youve never read it before.
Customer Reviews:
Manhunt CD:The 12-day Chase for Lincoln's Killer.......2007-01-12
Hard to believe that a story so well known to every American school child can be so riveting. Historically entertaining and educationally engaging this CD is a must listen.
Exciting.......2006-10-02
From the opening minute until the closing segment of this audio book is one that will keep your interest. The author writes a story that makes you feel like he was really there observing the entire adventure. Richard Thomas who is the narrator adds great depth to the story by his wonderful reading voice. In addition, this story is a great way to learn a little history of the Civil War time period while enjoying the audio book.
Great Story--Keeps you rivited even though you know the outcome!.......2006-04-24
You'll learn many fascinating facts about the conspiracy to assassinate Lincoln (and others) in this fast-paced, well written book. From Dr. Mudd's actual involvement with Booth, to the escape route, to Secretary of War Stanton's actions after the death of Lincoln.
A must for non-fiction readers.
Customer Reviews:
Superb account of Assassination Plot against Lincoln.......2007-03-07
Edward Steers wrote one of the best accounts of Lincoln Assassination in recent history. Although his writing style is bit dry as many reviewers in the past have noted, his research is untouchable and this is a very readable account to anyone who have any interest in this subject. The author laid everyone and everything out in a clear and understandable matter. He take a careful reading to all who was involved, their backgrounds and the roles they played during the war. He also take study to Lincoln's own lackluster desire for security and how that encouraged men like Booth to take him on. Lincoln didn't realized that perception of protection can deter an assassination then the actual protection itself. The author take the efforts to debunked many myths and self-serving stories surrounding Lincoln assassination plot including if the real John W. Booth was really died on the porch of the Garrett house. The author also explained the legal definitation of the case and how it may be applied even in modern era.
One of the great services of the book comes surrounding the role Dr. Samuel Mudd played. The author made it loud and clear that Mudd was clearly guility of the role he played and richly deserves his life sentence although he only served four years before being pardoned. Dr. Mudd is definitely not an innocent bystander and he was deep into the plot to assassinate Lincoln. Most of Mudd's guilt ironically come from Mudd himself which is a testament to the author's research. Mary Surratt's role was also clearly pointed out. Whether she deserves to hang or not is up to the moralists but she was definitely guility as Mudd.
If I had a singular gripe, I would have to say that the author could have included the very last photographs of Lincoln taken on 10 April 1865 (by Alexander Gardner), the one which have him smiling would have been a better choice then his Nov 1863 photo on the cover of the book or Lincoln's Springfield photo since the author states quite often in his narrative how happy Lincoln seem to be during his last days.
I would regard this book as a mandatory reading material for anyone interested in the Lincoln's assassination story. Although it little dry but still readable, superbly research and highly informative.
Slow in parts but worth reading for any Abraham Lincoln buff.......2006-07-30
Last year, I visited the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Musuem in Springfield, Illinois. At the Musuem, they had a temporary exhibit called "Blood on the Moon". It was a fascinatating exhibit and when I saw that the exhibit's name was taken from a book, I started looking for the book to go slightly more in-depth about the assassination. The book is pretty good. The beginning is good and I liked all the photos that were included in the book. But there are two reasons why I couldn't give this book 5 stars: there were parts that I had a hard time keeping myself interested in. A slight bit of dry reading. The second reason is the author's repeated repeatings of somethings in the book. I'm not quite sure if the author forgot that he had already mentioned those facts or perhaps is underestimating the readers intelligence in remembering what they've read but I was annoyed that some things that I had already read kept popping up. I prefered the parts of the book when the author wasn't just reeling off facts and put things into action. The story of the assassination was fascinating and I liked how the author included maps of all the various Booth getaways. I also found the information about Lincoln's final trip back to Springfield very interesting.
So I wouldn't say this would be a book for anyone who is more interesting in maybe the story-telling aspect of this part of history since the telling of fact upon fact might bore some people slightly. But I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in learning about the Lincoln assassination and especially anyone who was lucky enough to see the Blood on the Moon exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Musuem.
Well Documented Facts and Myth Busters: Excellent Readable Book.......2006-04-22
Steers write one of the most accurate and detailed books on the Lincoln assassination. He provides a history of the times when the "black flag" of warfare was raised after the Union's infamous Dahlgren raid that was part of a two prong attack on Richmond. The mission was to free prisoners and disrupt Richmond and allegedly included plans to kill Davis and his cabinet. This controversial raid, As Steers points out, may have raised the ante of warfare without rules as the Confederates start their own controversial plans such as biological warfare that included an attempt to spread yellow fever. Steers starts breaking myths early with the Baltimore controversy where Lincoln switched trains to avoid a real plot to assassinate him as his train passes through Baltimore earlier than scheduled with no sop on his way to his inauguration. Steers documents how surprisingly accessible Lincoln was to the public and how he was relatively poorly protected or at times not at all at his request due to his intuition that anyone could commit the crime regardless of a guard detail. The author provides fascinating detail on Booth and his companions as they initially plot the kidnapping of Lincoln and in failing to do so, turn to assassination as the war is closing and Lincoln's sentiments toward "black human suffrage" raises Booth's ire to an intolerable level. The high points of the book are the well documented associations between Booth with not only his immediate quadrant of conspirators but also with Mary Surratt and a number of Confederate agents in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. Steers' analysis breaks any myth that Dr. Mud was innocent of aiding and abetting Booth. A recent book offers that Mud may have not recognized Booth when Booth appeared at Mud's home during his escape but that seems circumspect since Mud met Booth several times before and Booth was a relatively famous actor. The manhunt for Booth is covered in great detail and it is extraordinary fascinating as Booth escapes to Virginia with the help of established agents. Steers describes the temporary haven that Booth and Herold finally reach outside of Bowling Green at the Garrett farm but Stanton's dragnet discovers Booth's trail in Virginia. Although quite by accident, that accident puts them amazingly right on the trail of Booth at Port Royal, Virginia just west of Fredericksburg and a handful of miles from Booth's quiet and seemingly safe haven. As Steers notes, there is some interesting speculation as to why the three Confederates, who provide Booth assistance to his temporary haven, suddenly turn up to offer assistance at Port Royal. The author also presents excellent bios on the men involved in the conspiracies; the incompetent George Atzerodt who not only abstains from killing Andrew Johnson at the last minute but leaves evidence and a relatively easy trail to follow; Lewis Powell, the mysterious young veteran soldier who wounds virtually the entire Seward family in his attempt to kill the Secretary of State and goes stoically to the hangman; and young David Herold who deserts Powell but is Booth's guide in his escape through Maryland and into Virginia. Along with these prime conspirators, Steers brings in Booth's early associates that also get captured in the dragnet even though they withdrew from Booth's later plans. And finally Steer's aptly dismembers the theories that Booth escaped and that an imposter was buried in his name. Steer's even tells of an odd character that drags a corpse around for years eerily claiming it is Booth in an attempt for notoriety and money. The final chapter covers Lincoln's long funeral train trip that stopped at several large cities on his long trek back to Springfield, allowing a large population to view Lincoln's open casket. As the author notes, Lincoln returned to his hometown as he inferred when he left, that he might not return with the ability to enjoy his homecoming.
Excellent.......2005-01-23
Having spent many years reading every book I could find on the Lincoln assassination, I was a little skeptical at first, too many nutty conspiracy theories and Stanton bashers are out there already. But I'm pleased to say that the author of this excellent book has certainly done his homework. The main attraction here is the documented proof of Dr. Samuel Mudd's involvement with Booth. It was more than just a casual acquaintance and it was NOT a coincidence that Booth sought Mudd's help after the former broke his leg after leaping from the presidential box at Ford's theater.Steers doesn't worship anyone, unlike other Lincoln authors have done in the past, rather he presents the players and the facts, warts and all. If you are SERIOUS about the topic, put this tome at the top of your list.
The definitive book on the Lincoln Assassination.......2004-12-23
This is an incredibly well written book. Mr. Steers weaves a logical, thorougly understandable trail of events that lead to Lincoln's assassination, and the hunt for J. Wilkes Booth afterwards. His writing also shows how the attitudes towards Lincoln changed with his murder. Lincoln was not well loved in the North, and many there were wary of his suspension of civil liberties and his desire to franchise African-American soldiers. No wonder Booth thought he would be a hero. Mr. Steers also makes a strong case against Dr. Mudd, whom many nowadays want to paint as an innocent person caught up in post-assassination hysteria.
I have had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Steers talk, and he is a fascinating speaker as well as an excellent writer.
This book, along with "Twenty Days", belong in every Lincoln collection.
Book Description
It is a tale as familiar as our history primers: A deranged actor, John Wilkes Booth, killed Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s Theatre, escaped on foot, and eluded capture for twelve days until he met his fiery end in a Virginia tobacco barn. In the national hysteria that followed, eight others were arrested and tried; four of those were executed, four imprisoned. Therein lie all the classic elements of a great thriller. But the untold tale is even more fascinating.
Now, in American Brutus, Michael W. Kauffman, one of the foremost Lincoln assassination authorities, takes familiar history to a deeper level, offering an unprecedented, authoritative account of the Lincoln murder conspiracy. Working from a staggering array of archival sources and new research, Kauffman sheds new light on the background and motives of John Wilkes Booth, the mechanics of his plot to topple the Union government, and the trials and fates of the conspirators.
Piece by piece, Kauffman explains and corrects common misperceptions and analyzes the political motivation behind Booth’s plan to unseat Lincoln, in whom the assassin saw a treacherous autocrat, “an American Caesar.” In preparing his study, Kauffman spared no effort getting at the truth: He even lived in Booth’s house, and re-created key parts of Booth’s escape. Thanks to Kauffman’s discoveries, readers will have a new understanding of this defining event in our nation’s history, and they will come to see how public sentiment about Booth at the time of the assassination and ever since has made an accurate account of his actions and motives next to impossible–until now.
In nearly 140 years there has been an overwhelming body of literature on the Lincoln assassination, much of it incomplete and oftentimes contradictory. In American Brutus, Kauffman finally makes sense of an incident whose causes and effects reverberate to this day. Provocative, absorbing, utterly cogent, at times controversial, this will become the definitive text on a watershed event in American history.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Lincoln Assassination ReDux.......2007-04-17
A brilliant and fast read. For once the anti-Lincoln feel that permeated parts of the North gets mentioned. John Wilkes Booth emerges from the depths of insanity to quite a clever player according to the author. Bravo. Great work of history.
The Book That Reads Like A Movie.......2007-03-08
First of all let me say I don't get to read often, as I usually don't have the time. However, I started to read this book and could not put it down. It holds you from the very beginning, the setting is Fords Theater and you are in the audience. The scene is perfectly described; as if you are actually there, noting who is sitting next to you and who can be seen in the balcony. The book then takes you back, after the chaotic night of the assassination, into Booth's boyhood and earlier life, bringing you right back up to the night of April 14th 1865.
The chase of Booth continues the story and then of course his death and trial of the conspirators. Previous reviews state the book slows during the trial; however I found it to be very interesting. Kauffman goes to great length to explain the law of the time and how different it is than that of today, including arguments over the years about the governments' handlings of the trail.
To me, this book truly reads like a movie, making it easy to picture the story as it unfolds and if you imagine Johnny Depp (a handsome and well loved actor) in the part of John Wilkes Booth one can easily see why this would translate well onto the big screen. Kaufman describes things that are happening, through all the ciaos the night of the assassination to each individual meeting Booth had with his conspirators, with great detail.
History does not paint a pretty picture of Booth, however I believe this book helps to tell the real story of a man who thought he was doing a justice for his country (the South) and not just the normal story your taught in school about a crazy man that shot Lincoln.
interesting and informative.......2006-11-03
this was an interesting, well written account of john wilkes booth and the lincoln assasination. it provided the reader with a very accurate image of the era and political climate at the time without being a boring political analysis. the characters were very well laid out, as was the terrain covered in the escape. you could almost feel that you were there. it differed in opinion here and there with "manhunt", but not in any significant way. it was so inspiring to me that i booked the "john wilkes booth tour" through the surratt museum out of clinton, md. the tour was expensive ($60 per person, plus food and lodging and a 4 hour drive)and a great disappointment and i would not recommend it, but i would highly recommend the book to anyone interested in this topic.
Sic Semper .......2006-10-29
Hundreds imprisoned in American jails with no expectation of probable cause, including a third of the Maryland state legislature. Prisoners shrouded in hoods. Citizens having to sign "loyalty statements" before they vote. Some kind of scenario dreamt up for a modern movie mimicking the current US regime? Nope. It's a description of the wartime policies of the first Republican administration, Abraham Lincoln's. And according to Michael W. Kauffman's brilliantly lain out narrative of Lincoln's assasination and its aftermath, the tension these policies led to in Maryland, especially, was quite palpable.
Since Maryland was a border state....Union, but Southern by culture and values (some in Maryland had slaves), many had mixed feelings about the war and about any support for the Union cause. Enter John Booth, son of famous stage actor Junius Brutus Booth, and soon to become an even greater star. John Booth seethed with anger throughout the war, even as he built his acting career, until he began to hatch the plot that took place at Ford's theater on the night of April 14, 1865. Part of what motivated him, however, was the praise and cheers he thought he'd get from over the country after his deed was done. And much of his story plays out as a twisted version of Shakespeare's "Julius Ceasar" (one in which John and his brothers had often starred), where the assasin Brutus, instead of being honored as in the play, is hunted down, injured, and finally killed as he hides in a burning barn.
Though we may know the "facts" of the story from junior high school history (Ford's theater, "Our American Cousin", "Sic semper tyranis!",), here is a book that not only fleshes out that terrible night, but takes us into the investigation much like Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" did for the Cutter murders of the 1950s. Plunging into Booth's history through the use of eyewitness accounts, letters, archives, and a good knack for putting two and two together, Kauffman shows how some earlier accounts missed or inadvertantly added things to the story (a good example is the alleged guilt of Dr. Mudd, the doctor who treated Booth's broken leg after the fall from the President's box to the stage).
This is great historical reading. It reads easily, brings out information not yet considered, and provides good analysis of that information, both from a psychological and historical viewpoint. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would very much recommend it.
A wonderful, thoroughly readable book........2006-10-21
American Brutus is one of the best books on the assassination of Abramham Lincoln that I've read so far. I've only taken an interest in the Civil War era in the past four or five years, and the definitive event of that period is the murder of the president by a southern sympathizer with little understanding of the consequences of his actions to anyone but himself.
The book is as effective as a stage drama, partially because Lincoln, other than as the object of Booth's ire, plays little role other than that of victim. Although it begins with a graphic description of the assassination and a gripping death watch before it goes on to fill in the whole story, it is not really about Lincoln the man at all but one about a time period that divided families as well as the country. Even Robert E. Lee's son died fighting on the Union side. For such tremendous disunion and violence to reach even the level of the individual within a family, major moral issues had to ignite feelings that overrode those of family loyalty.
For many who learn about the War in high school or college American history, the entire event seems to be about slavery. It seems so incredible observed in these terms to even contemplate a southern point of view as justified in any way. The decision that Lee, the quintesential Southern gentleman and solid citizen, makes to return to fight for the Confederate cause seems to make no sense at all. Certainly considering our beloved icon Lincoln as a "villain" and a "tyrant," as Booth did and as many in both North and South did, seems incredible.
In fact however, and as this book makes much clearer, the war was actually about states' rights vs federal jurisdiction, and there were many even in foreign countries that also considered Lincoln in this negative light. Even newspapers in Great Britain felt he had overthrown the government of the people and condemned his actions, and this a mere 84 years after the American Revolution gave the English themselves a major headache. The founding fathers had designed a government that they felt would avoid anything like a king, dividing power among congress, the justice department and the president. States were admitted to the union, and at an early stage of US history were a loose federation of independent states--or so many in the South believed. The Civil War was the test of that assumption, and put "paid" to the notion that any state could abandon the Union. The self-same founders pointedly avoided the issue of slavery, however distasteful they may have felt it to be, because in their opinion it would have devided the union early in its inception, leaving the individual states prey to either the English or the French colonial ambitions. (As Benjamin Franklin put it in another context, they would all have to hang together; because if they didn't, they would all almost certainly hang separately!)
In analyzing Booth's actions, the author makes the public sentiment of the time much clearer. Booth, a melodramatic personality anyway, ultimately saw himself as a martyr to the cause of "justice" and "freedom," which today seems ironic, given that he stood for slavery and the southern lifestyle. Unfortunately for Booth, his lack of understanding of political realities--let alone of the fickleness of popular movements--left him the villain of the piece and Lincoln the martyr, and so they have remained to this day. Furthermore, by killing Lincoln, whose policy toward the defeated South would have been more conciliatory than punitive, he paved the way for the Reconstruction debacle that an administration change under these circumstances produced. This reality did not escape the more astute among the Southern politicians, who immediately realized that their situation had changed for the worse. This made Booth's actions very unpopular among Southerners. Where he had expected to be hailed as a hero, he found himself reviled as a coward and murderer.
I was really surprised at the amount of data that the author provided. I had no idea that so much was known, not only about Booth personally, but about his family, his theatrical peers, and his movements both before and after the assassination. The documentation of the pursuit of the assassins and the trial of the condemned was truly remarkable. Of particular interest is the extensive footnotes at the back of the book which clarify details without breaking into the flow of the narrative and which provide information regarding source material as well. The Coda to the work is also a satisfying thing, in that it provides information about many of the individuals who were part of the ongoing drama of the assassination, a drama that really didn't come to a conclusion until many of these people were themselves buried. This feature of the narrative ties up loose ends that make the story more polished and complete. It was interesting to realize that the emotional effects of the death of the president left lasting impressions on the lives of the witnesses to it.
A wonderful, thoroughly readable book.
Average customer rating:
- Ok, so history CAN be entertaining
- Yes, I know Lincoln got shot.
- Minute To Minute History, At Its Finest!
- Unexspectivily Moving.
- Gripping Account
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Day Lincoln Was Shot
Jim Bishop
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ASIN: 0517446499
Release Date: 1984-08-22 |
Book Description
Gripping, minute-by-minute account of the day President Lincoln was struck down by an assassin's bullet in Ford's Theatre. Parallels of the activities of the President with those of his assassin in an unforgettable, suspense- filled chronicle. 320 pages.
Customer Reviews:
Ok, so history CAN be entertaining.......2007-07-02
All history books should be written by Jim Bishop. He is able to bring the past to life with wonderful story telling that doesn't lose any details. This book taught me more about Lincoln than I have ever gotten out of classes and lessons. I had no clue that he disliked his wife and that John W Booth had failed so many times in his attempts. The deep research involved in such a writing must make it almost impossible to create history books in its image. Yet, we could do with less encyclopedia-like accounts of our past so that we keep our heritage instead of trying to wade through it. I will make sure to add Bishop's other masterpieces to my collection as soon as possible.
Yes, I know Lincoln got shot........2007-06-07
The Day Lincoln Was Shot is, in fact, about the entire day of Lincoln's death. If you decide to pick up this book make sure you set aside a lot of time and anything else you could be doing. This book is a very detailed hour by hour account of the day Lincoln was murdered. I do give the author credit for being historically accurate. Although it was accurate, this book did not have the ability to capture and hold on to my attention. The plot was pretty straight forward and I felt as though i was reading something straight out of a history book plus what's inbetween the lines. Mr.Bishop did make a good effort and put alot of time into this book judging by how detailed it is. The level of detail however, was my biggest problem with this book. I understand that Lincoln got shot and it was tragic but I don't need to know his murderer's every action throughout the day to get to where he was when he shot Lincoln.
In conclusion, reading this book was comparable only to cruel and unusual punishment and I can only hope to never read anything this horrible ever again.
Minute To Minute History, At Its Finest!.......2007-04-30
"The Day Lincoln Was Shot" takes the reader through an minute by minute account of the events involving the principal characters involved in the Lincoln assassination. The story actually starts weeks before the assassination and traces the Booth conspiracy, first to kidnap, and then to murder Lincoln as well as Lincoln's activities amid the rumors of conspiracy and murder. The roles of others, prominently Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, are artfully woven into the book. Author Jim Bishop skillfully switches between Lincoln and the conspirators while relating the events. Although I have long studied Lincoln Lore, I learned new things about the tragedy, and was reminded of other things which I had known. Never did my attention drift from the story. This is first class, minute by minute history, at its finest.
Unexspectivily Moving........2006-07-09
This book is amazing. I am a lover of American History, but only recenly did I read this book. I found it in a dollar pile at a book fair and it was one of the greatest things I've spent my money on.
I cannot remember the last time I was so moved by a book. Bishop's discription of this day has a rare quaility of being both objective and emotional. Such events in human history are bound in emotion, but there is one other way to present this material except objectivily because of its power and meaning.
"The Day Lincoln Was Shot" was one of the only books that caused me to weep while reading it. "The Final Hours" are presented with such digneity and grace that; while events occured over 150 years ago, they are as moving if they had happened 5 years ago. I would say that it has been 15 years or more since I have been so affected by a book. Bishop gives the reader an oppertunity to be apart of history and not just learn from it. You feel as if you are part of the crowd at Ford's Theater or at the Peterson home.
This is a great find and an important read for anyone who cares about human history.
Gripping Account.......2005-10-20
On my long commute to and from work, the audiocassette version of this book kept me thoroughly engrossed for days. No detail escaped Bishop's notice in this suprisingly gripping account of Lincoln's last day. An eminently satisfying piece of historical reconstruction.
Customer Reviews:
We Saw Lincoln Shot.......2007-04-21
A profound book, more so than I expected. It's basically a collection of 100 eyewitness accounts of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, focusing on the event itself. I read it cover to cover ... so I read about the assassination again, and again, and again. But one can pick up so much more.
You see complex insight into how witnesses felt after; how rumor of other tragedies spread in the hours after, as it can today; why some Southerners hated Lincoln and cheered his death; and, ultimately, why those who loved him were so profoundly affected. The last sentence of the book, from the last account, in particular, strikes me as heartbreakingly mournful -- from an obituary of the last living person to witness the assassination as a small child, and who passed away in 1954.
It's also interesting to note how much discrepancy can be found from account to account. This book should prove for all time that human memory is frail; and that what we swore we saw, no matter how firmly, is not always what actually happened. If these people are to be believed, a dozen or more different people tended to Lincoln immediately after the shooting and/or carried him from the theater. Of most interesting note, this book provides evidence, through its accounts, that Booth *did not* break his leg in the fall from the box to the stage -- a myth perpetuated to this day. You'll even find it mentioned in online encyclopedia articles.
A very good book, more likely better for skimming or reading in bits, although I read it sequentially. It gave me a greater appreciation of Lincoln in a human sense -- for his reality, not the myth. The book made me sad that we lost him -- but I also found myself thanking him for his achievements.
Recommended, especially to those with an interest in Lincoln's life or the assassination.
A Dramatic Historic Moment Captured.......2006-06-22
Good's book captures the immediacy of a dramatic and tragic moment in U.S. history: when John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in Ford's Theater in April 1865. Reading the accounts of eyewitnesses, we can all feel as if we were there--the lights are down, the actors are saying their lines, a gunshot pierces the air, a man leaps from the presidential balcony onto the stage, he yells something and waves a knife and disappears. Pandemonium ensues.
This book would make a good companion volume to James Swanson's Manhunt. Read them in chronological order (this book first) and be transported back 140 years.
Great book.......2001-02-22
Very comprehensive book- the only one out there like it. It is interesting to read what the people in the theatre that terrible night actually saw and heard. I learned some things I didn't know by reading this book, and would definately reccommend it to anyone interested in the Lincoln Assasanation.
Very resourceful as well as interesting!.......1999-12-08
I had to read a book on American History for my college course. I am interested in President Lincoln's assassination and this book caught my eye! Very interesting and hard to put down! Highly reccommended to anyone, old or young.
FANTASTIC BOOK...EVERY LINCOLN BUFF SHOULD READ IT !.......1999-02-13
This is a wonderful, very informative book. It's the only written collection of eye witness accounts ever published on the Lincoln assasination. Every Lincoln buff needs to add this one to his or her library.
Book Description
It was one of the most tragic events in American history. The famous president, beloved by many, reviled by some, murdered while viewing a play at Ford's Theater in Washington. The frantic search for the perpetrators. The nation in mourning. The solemn funeral train. The conspirators brought to justice. Coming just days after the surrender of the Confederate Army at Appomattox, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln has become etched in the national consciousness like few other events. The president who had steered the nation through its bloodiest crisis is cut down just as the bloodshed ends. It is a story that has been told many times, but rarely with the care and immediacy of The Darkest Dawn. Thomas Goodrich brings to his narrative the meticulousness of the historian and the flair of the fiction writer. The result is an engrossing account, filled with detail and as present as today's headlines. A gripping account of one of the most shocking events in American! history.
". . . This book moves at high speed, is tremendously exciting and true to the core. It is a priceless observation of America in a time of horrendous challenge. Thomas Goodrich deserves high praise for his achievement." —The Washington Times
Customer Reviews:
Booth assured Lincoln's place in history.......2007-08-06
He is one of the most recognisable figures in history: The tall, angular frame, the sad half smile, eyes dark, tired and sunken. The last picture of Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States, and reproduced here, is that of a man whose race is almost run.
Taken four days before the prominent actor and Southern sympathiser John Wilkes Booth ended his life with a shot to the head, Lincoln seemed ill at ease, the slight blurring around the hands indicating he was unable to keep them still for the time required for the exposure to take effect.
Could he be wondering about the next four years of his presidency, the monumental task of healing the wounds of a civil war he had insisted should be fought? The conflict, in which he had thrown the overwhelming might of the United States at the rebel Confederacy to bring about a difficult and costly victory, was all but over, but as shrewd a man as he would have guessed that the peace was going to be an even more formidable adversary. Did he have the answers?
We shall never know as Booth's dramatic act at Ford's Theatre in Washington relieved Lincoln of that responsibility, leaving him simply as the leader who saved the union. Dying with Southern armies still in the field and the final acts of the war yet to take place, his administration was linked wholly with the conflict. The emotions his assassination unleashed ensured not just his place as a great American president, but his conversion into a secular saint.
As Goodrich points out in his epilogue: "In the stampede to elevate the slain president, his virtues were magnified and his vices diminished until the one became a caricature and the other all but forgotten." The cynic might add: "good career move, Abe."
The author, an historian and storyteller, who has specialised in this brief, dark period in American history, has taken the events of a few weeks of the spring and summer of 1865 and made them live again.
An act of outstanding scholarship, he has amassed hundreds of contemporary sources - biographies, eye-witness accounts, newspaper articles - to the point where he blends his own narrative with the quotations from which he draws, producing compelling descriptions that immerse the reader in the zeitgeist. His passage on the chaos that resulted from a `lying in state' in Philadelphia during Lincoln's cross-country funeral procession is typical.
"Mingled with the normal dull roar of so many thousands were the shrieks of crushed women, the shrill cries of trampled children, and the cursing and shouting of men. Silk hats, bonnets and parasols were smashed flat, dresses were ripped, hoop skirts were broken and mangled, the neatly pinned hair of ladies now fell to their waists in a disheveled mass. Ragged and tattered debris, including destroyed mourning badges and black crepe, littered the ground below."
The book is full of such rich description, including the wild and random acts of vengeance wreaked on anyone who did not show proper respect for the slain president. Any words said against Lincoln in public risked a beating or worse. Lynch law took hold. Even those whose mourning was not considered sincere enough faced the anger of the mob.
In the occupied Confederacy, civilians were forced to decorate their houses in black to honour the man they hated and reviled. Most swallowed their pride and complied, some like Mrs Stuart, hung herself rather than yield to the humiliation.
From the fall of Richmond, which signaled the end of organised resistance in the Confederacy, and Lee's surrender at Appomattox, through the assassination, its aftermath, the funeral procession, the death of Booth and the trial and execution of his associates, Goodrich opens a series of windows on those troubled, turbulent times.
For a while the victorious north, plunged from the pinnacle of joy to the depths of despair, became unhinged. As one witness recalled: "The sorrow and sadness caused...cannot be written; no pen can tell it. Only those who lived in these dreadful days can appreciate the pain we suffered."
Thanks to this book, we can appreciate a little of the anguish experienced by the bloody, war-ravaged nation as, united once more, it wearily resumed the journey towards its ultimate destiny.
One of the most informative reads on Lincoln and Booth.......2007-06-08
I enjoyed this book a great deal. The author is obviously not as much an admirer of Lincoln as I am. Other books I've read are more biased in Lincoln's favor. This author went much deeper into the history of the conspirators and others surrounding the assassination than other have done. A refreshingly unbiased account of the months before and after America's greatest tragedy.
Informative but Unkind to Mrs. Lincoln.......2007-02-16
I've read all I've found on Lincoln and yet I found new details about his death here that I had not read elsewhere. It doesn't rehearse the ins and outs of the conspiracy which is good if you've read "Blood on the Moon" and, even more so, "American Brutus". My cavil with 'Darkest Dawn" is that it portrays Booth all but sympathetically and Mrs. Lincoln as the devil herself. Mary Todd Lincoln was, without doubt, a manic-depressive who was dogged by bad health and hellish luck. She was a difficult lady who nevertheless withstood considerable slander and ridicule from both North and South. However, she was a staunch abolitionist who loved her husband dearly and was a kind and devoted mother. The author has the irritating habit of referring to her consistently as the "woman" and even finds her breakdown immediately after the assassination as reason for criticism. I guess if she hadn't, he'd be accusing her being part of the murder plot.
Darkest Dawn Review.......2007-01-09
I thought I knew a lot about the assassination of Lincoln. I was wrong. This easy to read book holds your attention as well as a novel, but is completely documented to please an academic. It provided intriguing information on the era, the people, and most notably to me, Mrs. Lincoln. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in American history.
All The Blame Should Not Be Placed On Booth Alone........2006-12-01
He was merely a player in this tragedy. Trained as an actor, he did his biggest role which changed the face of this country forever and ended his short life. John Wilkes Booth would never have killed Lincoln on his own. For some reason, by indoctrination or brain-washing by the conspirators who wanted Lincoln dead, he was used by the group and was in his own mind playing the theatrical role of his life. He was A Deluded Southern Sympathizer. He sprang from a great family of actors; his brother Edwin was an accomplished stage actor. Edwin did his deed so as to be famous in his own right. Many books have been written about John Wilkes Booth's participation in the Lincoln death.
It is sad that so much blame was put on his shoulders. I have been interested in Lincoln's assassination for over twenty years, mainly because they hanged Mary Surrat, the first woman to be officially killed in this manner. It was at her boardinghouse where the conspirators met to discuss and plan killing Lincoln and others in his Cabinet. John Wilkes Booth, from a prominent acting family, was a Confederacy sympathizer. But that in itself does not make him guilty. He was denied his right to a trial.
Most of the South were more than a little upset when Lincoln was inaugurated for the second time. They refused to accept him as "our" President. We had Jefferson Davis who married Zachary Taylor's daughter. I have read so much about Lincoln and also sympathized with Booth's reasoning. Lincoln, as it so happens, was a Shakespeare fan and enjoyed going to Ford's Theatre. John Wilkes Booth (Brutus) was one of the most promising young Shakespearean actors of his day. Booth considered Lincoln an "American Caesar." John Wilkes Booth is sometimes called the "American Brutus." There is a book out with that title, also one called The Myth of John Wilkes Booth.
He was a very handsome man and, even though he broke his leg in the leap to the stage (instead of running down the back stairs), he eluded capture with the help of a Dr. Mudd for twelve days. He was not given a chance to tell his side and the complex, misleading reasons he did what he did. That took fortitude! He did not act alone! That's a major issue. He was cornered in that barn like an animal and burned (at the stake) by the vigilante cowards. He was merely a misinformed player who ended up "on his own" after the dasdardly deed. He deserves better than to be called a devil. To some, he was an avenging angel. Terry Weber played the dual role in the Knoxville production of "Killing Lincoln," and had both Lincoln and Booth down pat. I have read many books about Abraham Lincoln and several about John Wilkes Booth which I have reviewed for Amazon.com
Book Description
The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history -- the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry and detectives on a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia, while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness.
Based on rare archival materials and obscure trial transcripts, Manhunt is a fully documented work, but it is also a fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, this is history as you've never read it before.
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