| Description |
1 online resource (cvi, 421 pages) |
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text file rdaft |
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(pdf) |
| Note |
Includes index. |
| Contents |
Introduction / Edward Steers, Jr. -- The military trial / Thomas Reed Turner -- General conspiracy / Edward Steers, Jr. -- Testimony relating to John Wilkes Booth, and circumstances attending the assassination / Terry Alford -- Edman Spangler / Betty J. Ownsbey -- Mary Elizabeth Surratt / Laurie Verge -- John H. Surratt, Jr. / Joan L. Chaconas -- George Atzerodt / Edward Steers, Jr. -- Lewis Thornton Powell, alias Lewis Payne / Betty Ownsbey -- Samuel Alexander Mudd / Edward Steers, Jr. -- Samuel Arnold and Michael O'Laughlen / Percy E. Martin -- General Order Number 100 / Burris Carnahan -- Military Commission exhibits in the case of U.S. vs. D.E. Herold, et al. -- "Lost Confession" of George A. Atzerodt -- The assassination of President Lincoln and the trial of the conspirators (p. [1]-421). |
| Access |
Access limited to subscribing institutions. |
| Summary |
Transcripts from the trial of John Wilkes Booth's co-conspirators, plus commentary:"Unquestionably the world-class expert on . . . Lincoln's assassination." - Civil War News On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in what he envisioned part of a scheme to plunge the federal government into chaos and gain a reprieve for the struggling Confederacy. The plan failed. By April 26, Booth was killed resisting capture and eight of the nine conspirators eventually charged in Lincoln's murder were in custody. Their trial would become one of the most famous and most controversial in US history. New president Andrew Johnson's executive order on May 1 directed that persons charged with Lincoln's murder stand trial before a military tribunal. The trial lasted more than fifty days, and 366 witnesses gave testimony. Benn Pitman, an expert in phonography--an early form of shorthand--was awarded a government contract to produce a transcription of each day's testimony. Pitman made these transcripts available to the prosecution and defense, as well as select members of the press. Although three versions of the testimony were published, Pitman's edited collection was the most accessible. He skillfully winnowed the 4,300 pages of transcription into one volume, collated the testimony by defendant, indexed it by name and date, and added summaries. In The Trial , assassination scholars guide readers through all 421 pages of testimony, illuminating Pitman's record. By drawing together the evidence that resulted in the conspirators' convictions, The Trial leaves no doubt as to the events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, making this book a fascinating account of the trial as well as an essential resource. "Steers's lineup is truly expert--readers will be able to distinguish between fact and fancy and come away with a far better understanding of Lincoln's assassination." --William Hanchett, author of The Lincoln Murder Conspiracies. |
| Note |
Publisher metadata. |
| Subject |
Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy Trial, Washington, D.C., 1865.
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Trials (Assassination) -- Washington (D.C.)
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Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Assassination.
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| Genre/Form |
Electronic books.
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| Added Author |
Steers, Edward, Jr., 1937- editor.
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| Added Title |
Assassination of President Lincoln and the trial of the conspirators.
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| ISBN |
9780813139081 (e-pub) |
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9780813122779 (print) |
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