The Trial: The Assassination of President Lincoln and the Trial of the Conspirators

by Edward Steers Jr. (Editor), Terry Alford (Contribution by), Burrus Carnahan (Contribution by), Joan L. Chaconas (Contribution by), Percy Martin (Contribution by)

Overview

" With commentary by Terry Alford, Burrus Carnahan, Joan L. Chaconis, Percy Martin, Betty Ownsbey, Edward Steers Jr., Thomas R. Turner, and Laurie Verge On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. By April 26, eight of the ten people eventually charged as accomplices in Lincoln's murder were in custody. Booth was killed resisting capture and John Surratt was in Canada, his whereabouts unknown to Federal authorities. In the days that followed, President Johnson issued an Executive Order directing that the persons charged with Lincoln's murder stand trial before a military tribunal. During the fifty-day trial, over three hundred and sixty witnesses gave testimony. Benn Pitman, a recognized expert in the art of phonography (an early form of shorthand), was awarded a government contract to produce a true and accurate transcription of the testimony. Working with four assistants, Pitman produced transcripts that served the general public through daily releases to select members of the press as well as to the prosecution and the defense. Pitman was given the right to publish the transcriptions for public sale, and he skillfully winnowed t Edward Steers, Jr. Edward Steers, Jr.he 4,300 pages of transcription into a single 421-page volume. Copies of the original 1865 edition, as well as subsequent reprints, are exceedingly rare. Here for the first time, leading experts in the field lend their insight in a series of commentaries that complement Pitman's published transcript -- included here in its entirety -- exposing various perjuries, explaining testimony that has escaped scholarly attention, and clarifying the events surrounding the assassination as never before.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813139081
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	07/07/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	552
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Edward Steers Jr. is the author of several books about President Lincoln and his assassination, including Lincoln: A Pictorial History, His Name is Still Mudd: The Case Against Doctor Samuel Alexander Mudd, and Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Table of Contents

Preface VII

Introduction Edward Steers Jr. XI

The Military Trial Thomas Reed Turner XXI

General Conspiracy Edward Steers Jr. XXIX

Testimony Relating to John Wilkes Booth, and Circumstances Attending the Assassination Terry Alford XXXVIII

Edman Spangler Betty J. Ownsbey XLVII

Mary Elizabeth Surratt Laurie Verge LII

John H. Surratt Jr. Joan L. Chaconas LX

George Atzerodt Edward Steers Jr. LXVI

Lewis Thornton Powell, alias Lewis Payne Betty Ownsbey LXXII

Samuel Alexander Mudd Edward Steers Jr. LXXIX

Samuel Arnold and Michael O'Laughlen Percy E. Martin LXXXVIII

General Order Number 100 Burrus Carnahan XCVII

Military Commission Exhibits in the case of U.S. vs. D.E. Herold, et al. CI

"Lost Confession" of George A. Atzerodt CIV

Title Page to Original Edition i

Contents to Original Edition v

Illustrations follow page XCVI

Editorial Reviews

"Under the guidance of the experts—Steers's line-up 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. Everyone with a general or scholarly interest in the assassination and the war will want to have this book."—William Hanchett, author of The Lincoln Murder Conspiracies

From the Publisher

Beginning with essays by Steers and other Lincoln scholars about Booth and the eight people arrested as part of the conspiracy, most of the book consists of testimony and legal arguments from the trial transcript. Far from a slipshod investigation, the case looks pretty strong against those accused, with witness testifying to their various meetings before the assassination. Fascinating stuff for history buffs. — The Hancock News

Hancock News

Reading about something is one thing, but reading the actual testimony - for instance, a witness's play-by-play of John Wilkes Booth's final moments - made the event real in a way I'd never experienced before. I had no idea that Ulysses S. Grant and General Hamilton (Alexander Hamilton's grandson) were among those who testified, or that so much energy was invested in tying the conspirators to ongoing intrigues wiht the Confederate Secret Service. In addition, the actual protocols and arguments are fascinating, taking you through the nuts and bolts of trying a case of such magnitude. The Trial is an invaluable resource and a world-altering reading experience. — San Francisco Book Review

San Francisco Book Review - Glen Dallas

Edward Steers Jr., an accomplished historian who has written informative books on Lincoln's assassination, offers a fairly light hearted- but fully documented- look at some of the legends and myths that have bedeviled our understanding of the 16th president and his times.

Bowling Green Daily News

A first rate book that gives all of the details about Lincoln's assassination and the conspirators' trial.

The Lone Star Book Review

Brings together a special edition of the trial transcript and ninety pages of commentaries by modern authorities on testimony deemed important to both the prosecution and the defense.

Journal of Illinois History

The Trial is an invaluable resource and a world-altering reading experience.

San Francisco Book Review

An invaluable reference work and a book that anyone with a serious interest in the Lincoln conspiracy ought to own.

Journal of Southern History

A valuable work.... Even casual perusers will find passages that tell them something interesting about some of the Confederacy's more sinister schemes, as well as the political atmosphere of immediate postbellum America.

Books and Culture

"The Trial's major strength is that it has been assembled by Edward Steers Jr., unquestionably the world-class expert on Abraham Lincoln's assassination. He has enlisted first-class assistance from other experts, each of whom provides lucid and thoughtful input."

Civil War News

Steers has edited an important book in Pitman's trial documents, making it generally available to modern readers.

Civil War Book Review

Succeeds in gathering under one cover the essential and unvarnished details of that tragic and twisted affair, including the shadowy presence of the Confederate Secret Service.

The Washington Times

Now readers have easy access to a vital original source document.

William Hanchett

Qualifies as the single most important volume on the Lincoln assassination.

Joseph Edward Garrera

The Lincoln scholar, and even those with a less consuming interest in the murder of the Savior of the Union, will find this book fascinating.

Signal Flag

Steers is meticulous but never boring, and readers will be fascinated by the variety of tales told about Lincoln's life and death.

Indiana Magazine of History