Leo T. reviewed on 5/5/2018 + 1775 more book reviews

Rec'd an hour ago and I only looked at it on the bus trip to the library. However, I find that Mr. Kauffman has done an extraordinary job of research in this well tilled field. He has examined sources passed over or unavailable to previous scholars such as the military records of their search for the assassin, the Committee of Claims (Congress) records of those seeking a share of the reward, and the original drafts of Secretary Stanton's telegraphs. As I had read a couple of earlier books on this fifty years ago, I had no intention on doing more than glance at this but I found pleasure in reading exhaustively researched text and the often explanatory footnotes and to see where he obtained his information, I read the entire book before sending it to the old soldiers' home in hopes someone will be interested. Mr. Kauffman has even looked at the logs of ships in the Potomac River, etc. to determine what the weather was as JW Booth moved toward Virginia. There are all sorts of scattered reminiscences published decades later and assembled by the army of Lincolnia (?) collectors. He has talked to descendants of those involved at various stages of the story. The trial records are a rich source of contemporary information as are the claims for the reward.
In his introduction, the author notes that the assassination was as worrisome to Americans in its way as was the attack of September 11, 2001--people wondered what targets would be hit next. Kauffman aims to sort out what Booth's mental states was, the movements of the conspirators, and the state of the law in 1865. To him a central question is why a decent man (x) who was kind to kids, accepted in good society, and appreciative of poetry could commit murder. The author also notes the high handedness of certain measures taken by the administration and its armies as they fought this civil war that are usually mentioned only in passing in US History classes.
Interesting facts unearthed by the author include the sale of four slaves for $5-$10 each in Maryland in mid-1864 (an indication of how things were going for the CSA), the pelting of the troops in Baltimore as they marched through after Lincoln had slipped through to avoid repetition of a similar 'welcome' suffered by President Buchanan in 1857, and a 'draft club' where members would put up $50 each time a new call up was made so that members could purchase exemptions.
Detailed end notes, vast bibliography, not very good index, and a section of well chosen photos (some printed here for the first time).

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