Book Review | The Assassin's Accomplice: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I've long known that the plan to assassinate President Lincoln was not the act of a deranged loner, but a wider conspiracy involving many accomplices and the highest ranking government officials. However, John Wilkes Booth is the sole name most often attached to the murder, for a variety of reasons; he was a famous actor, he was handsome, he escaped, he was hunted down, he in turn was shot against direct orders, and so on and so on. I also knew that one woman was convicted in the conspiracy plot and also executed, but I knew nothing else of her until now - except that she was supposedly quite innocent of the charges and only had the terrible misfortune of lending rooms to terrible men plotting terrible deeds.

The author had my attention quite early on. She admitted in the introduction that she began in an attempt to clear Surratt's name, so to speak. Though during the trial, Surratt was treated terribly by the public, there was a huge backlash after her death sentence was carried out and she became the first woman ever executed by the US government. What she found instead, was a surprise even to her, in that Surratt was perhaps even more deeply involved in the plot to kill the president than had ever been supposed before. She used a variety of sources - court testimony from witnesses on both sides, the confessions of other conspirators, and even long-lost interviews conducted before and after the trial.

As the subtitle states, this is about Surratt's role in the conspiracy. If you are looking for a full biography of her, this will not satisfy you, as that is not the focus. We do get a brief overview of her early life but the story really picks up when Surratt is widowed, running her boardinghouse and hosting friends she should have sent packing early on. Yet it is pretty clear that Surratt would not have shied away from such a plot as this, or Booth's earlier plan to kidnap Lincoln and ransom him for Confederate prisoners. Surratt's son (a slimy weasel, more on that in a minute) was good friends with Booth, and was only saved from hanging alongside his mother due to the fact that he was on one of his many spy missions for the Confederates and he stayed far away, in Canada, while his mother was imprisoned, tried by a military court, and executed. See, slimy. He could have saved his mother, though it would have mean his own death in return. But seriously, how do you just do nothing? It's not as though the trial last one day and the sentence carried out the next. He had plenty of time to even drop a letter in the mail that said, "Oh by the way, leave Mum out of this, it was all me. Try and find me, suckers". Okay, so it probably would not have said that, but he could have saved her. He did nothing. I wonder what his relationship was like with his sister after that, if she forgave him. Interesting to think about.

As is true of any book on someone whom we do not know a great deal about because they are famous for one specific action or moment in time, we sometimes get a broader picture of the war, the plot and other conspirators, all in order to give some more context. I found that background information to be relevant, because it all served to help me try and understand why someone would risk everything for what would surely turn out to be a very foolish and costly mistake. There is frustratingly little information at times, even regarding Mary and her role. She refused to answer questions or aid her attorneys in her defense, though she repeatedly stated that she was innocent. So, it is not for the author's lack of trying that we are left with so little information at times. When there is sparse information on Mary during the trial, there is plenty to discuss in regarding the other defendants tried with her.

I think the evidence presented against Surratt is strong, and the author did well in this regard. I don't see anything circumstantial regarding help in hiding the weapons at the tavern, and letting Lloyd know when to have the guns ready for use later on. Nor do I think it is circumstantial that Surratt has long and numerous private conversations with the men involved - especially Booth. Whether or not Surratt had any romantic feelings for Booth doesn't matter and if anything, it would have been considered far more inappropriate for her to meet with him privately if she did. If she was merely renting rooms to him and other friends of her son, there would hardly have been the need for such clandestine meetings anyway, and strange comings and goings all the time.

A issue that was highly controversial at the time was the trial itself. Though we of course can not change the venue today, this is still debated as well - and it was hotly contested by Surratt's lead attorney, who was suspiciously absent after the first week of the trial. He railed against the idea of a military tribunal trying the case both in that first week, then in his closing statement which was delivered in absentia from a document read by one of Surratt's two highly inexperienced younger attorneys who were in way over their heads. I can see the argument being made either way. The plot was motivated by the fact that all were Southern sympathizers (or like Surratt's son, actually working for the Confederate government as a courier and spy) who hoped to rally their cause. It was a military matter because even though the war was declared over, skirmishes continued well into the summer. On the other hand, they were all civilians, so was the military tribunal actually correct? In that period of time, I lean toward yes. Would the trial happen this same in the 21st century? Not a chance.

There is little speculation here once the trial gets going. The author presents the facts that are known and does not try to steer the reader one way or another. The key area where this stands out the most for me is in which Surratt's lead attorney all but disappears from the court room. He attends for the first week, then leaves behind a rather inexperienced and rather clumsy pair who do their client no service. Larson does not tell us why she thinks this happens, but offers the facts and leaves it at that for the reader to come to their own conclusions.

A strength of the book also lay in the choice of photographs. Instead of one section lumped all together on glossy paper in the middle, photographs are dispersed throughout. The most haunting to me took my completely by surprise. In a series of photographs, we see the convicted lead to the gallows that had been constructed, tied up, and eventually dead, after they were left hanging for twenty minutes to ensure they were in fact dead. I was taken by surprise by that last photo, in all honesty. I guess I simply did not expect for photographs to be taken, or printed, of the four with their heads covered by hoods, arms and legs bound. It really got to me, seeing it there in black and white.

Overall, I feel like this is great read that is necessary to understanding the role of Surratt in a crime for which she has long been paraded around as wholly innocent of and separate from. Clearly, that is not actually the case. Highly recommended.

Six Months at the White House with Abraham Lincoln

I received a digital ARC free from Endeavour Press via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Rating: 4 Stars

This is the account of artist Francis Bicknell Carpenter's time in the White House, as he painted 'The First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation'. It is a reprint of the original 1866 account and a valuable asset to any Lincoln Library. Carpenter includes some truly great details about life in Lincoln's White House. He makes several keen observations of Lincoln during his time in painting the famous work of art, and also included some contemporary documents to add to the time and place. He also included conversations and thoughts of others who he spoke to during that period. Through it all, Lincoln's character comes through vividly, both highly intelligent and incredibly humble.

I feel this is certainly an important book, as it gives such a clear picture of who Lincoln was. He is so idolized, almost to the point that his true self doesn't even exist anymore, nor do any accounts of him., because he is this larger than life character. The writing itself slowed me down at times because lets be honest, prose from 1866 is a bit different from prose of 2018. Still, a worthy read.

Long Road to Hard Truth: The 100 Year Mission to Create the National Museum of African American History and Culture

I received this ARC free via NetGalley from Proud Legacy Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5 Stars

This is yet another ARC that I had put aside in 2017 when life was crazy hectic and I wish I had not. This book is so important to our nation's history and the specific struggle that our African American brothers and sisters have endured in fighting to be recognized as citizens in their own country. This book needs to be taught in all high school history classes.

In this text Robert L. Wilkins tells the story of how the National Museum of African American History and Culture finally came into being, after decades of starts and stops, permeated by the latent and outright racism of several players in this saga. Judge Wilkins writes not of the museum itself and the numerous artifacts, oral histories, and exhibits, or the celebrities who lent their time to its creation, but of what it took to actually get the museum built in the first place. He has exhaustively searched archives and all possible repositories of knowledge to find every single instance of attempts to create a museum of African American history and the multiple reasons those plans were halted. This became a kind of obsession for Judge Wilkins, first leading him to cut back on his time as a public defender to devote time to his goal of seeing a museum dedicated to the sacrifice and struggle of African Americans and their place in US history. I think Wilkins job as a public defender really helped him realize his greater purpose and it is something the author touches on at various points. He mentions that the majority of his clients are young black and Hispanic men, many of whom he says don't see a future for themselves when he asks where they see themselves in five years. The heartbreaking answer is that some do not even see themselves as being alive in five years. These young men, many still teenage boys, did not care much to know the history of the Civil Rights Movement, how people died for their right to attend proper schools and get the education they deserved. But, Wilkins also discovered something else: when many of these same boys and young men were incarcerated, they started reading because they had nothing else to do. When they truly learned about all that it took to get the access to that education, it opened their eyes to opportunities they had wasted. Wilkins saw the museum as an opportunity not only to showcase the achievements and contributions of African Americans, but to be an inspiration to the young men and women who saw only a bleak future for themselves.

Through this book Judge Wilkins chronicles the attempts by various groups to create a space to honor African American history. it begins with the exclusion of black troops being honored after the Civil War ended. Various excuses were made as to why the troops were not invited, and none were acceptable. To rectify this, on the 50th anniversary of the original Review, again when African American units were excluded, supporters first attempted to create a monument to these men who fought for the Union and were all but erased from history. Through the era of Jim Crow, which saw lynchings become a disgusting sport, these advocates sought to create a national museum. Decades of obstacles followed, including the back and forth on whether the Smithsonian should be involved, should it be located on the Mall, and so on. I was so very disappointed to read of the specific lack of interest from the Smithsonian in the creation of a national museum. As I was reading I did not understand the hesitation, as I hoped that surely such a bastion of culture and knowledge could not also be so deeply entrenched in systematic racism. I was disheartened to see an institution I held in such high esteem could be on the wrong side of history. Yet, it was.

In his quest to see this vision come to fruition, Wilkins was named as a member of the Presidential Commission. The commission was tasked with writing the plan to create the museum, the space to be used, and so on. Wilkins poured over every single document related to the attempts to create a museum in the past, also taking note of what the reasons were for the project not moving forward. All of this culminated in a report that was finally accepted and 100 years after this journey first began, Congress finally authorized the museum. The National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in September of 2016.

As I wrote earlier, this is a book that must be taught in high school history classes. Until we as a nation confront the fact that so much of our history is steeped in the horrors of  slavery and discrimination, from the rise of the KKK to Birth of a Nation, and everything beyond, this is a very real part of shaping our nation even today. It took so long for this museum to become a reality, far longer than it should have. Not until a bipartisan effort of both Democrats and Republicans, an effort also supported by George W. Bush, did this happen. This is something important to consider, and is worth reflecting on. Why did it take so long? I think the answer is a hard truth that we don't want to see.

While the text itself is not terribly long, there are extensive notes (12% of the ARC) that highlight the numerous sources the author drew on in his quest to see this project through to the end. I highly recommend this to all.

The Gettysburg Campaign: The History and Legacy of the Civil War’s Most Famous Campaign

Rating: 3 Stars

Review:

I have been trying for some time to find an interest in the Civil War. It is easily one of the most important series of events in the history of the United States, yet it is something I have never really been interested in. I'm not sure why, because when I was younger I loved learning about the 1800s and I wanted to be a pioneer (I know right?!). But I definitely do not enjoy reading about military history, war, weapons, battle plans, etc. I am interested in the social and cultural aspects of the war, and was looking at this one to supplement that and start small, by looking at one battle. And naturally, I had to choose the most famous battle of them all.

Overall this was a decent introduction to a very dense and complex topic. I really enjoyed the fact that there were so many photographs included, especially of the many generals and other military men when they were discussed. I find this especially helpful in non-fiction texts, particularly when there are a lot of players involved and it is a new topic to me. There were also multiple instances of primary sources included, which I can always appreciate. The editors included many, many parts of whole letters from various generals to their wives, to fellow generals, or their superiors. It is always interesting to have insight into historical figures in this way, to get the words directly from their mouths or pens.

The book is, however, not without issues. These seem to be editing issues for the most part. Especially early on, I was finding whole paragraphs, or at least sections of paragraphs, repeated within pages of one another. This was incredibly distracting, especially on a Kindle. I would read a section and then suddenly be reading it a few paragraphs later, and I would think I had somehow gone backwards. This is something that must be taken care of in order for the book to be taken seriously, as it reflects poorly on the scholarship and the text itself.

I found this quote wryly amusing: "Perhaps none other than George Pickett himself put it best. When asked (certainly ad nauseam) why Pickett's charge had failed, Pickett is said to have tersely replied, "I've always thought the Yankees had something to do with it.""

I can recommend this with some hesitation due to the above-mentioned editing. Luckily the issues do not occur throughout the entire book, otherwise this would be one I would not have finished.

Haunted Plantations of the South

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Review:

I receive this as an ARC free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Ghost Hunters (but not Ghost Adventures, those guys are ridiculous and never try to debunk anything and seem to always think the ghost are cussing at them. So stupid). But, anyway, I requested this one because I am interested in ghost stories and architecture as well - especially the various styles described in the book; plantation homes are beautiful.

Unfortunately, you don't get to see what any of the homes or areas look like, since there are no pictures. To be fair though, I was reading an ARC so it is possible that pictures were added to the finished product.

I wanted to like this one, but it got to be very repetitive - there are only so many ways you can describe hauntings that result from murders, suicides, diseases, war, and old age. I also found some of the back stories to be sometimes contradictory, or the stories that lead to the hauntings as such also. I mean, I understand that we don't know all the history of these places, but when you say on one page that no activity involving the ghost of Jefferson Davis has ever been reported at a particular plantation house, but then a few paragraphs later relate a story of a couple's wedding photo capturing a man in the window who looks like Jefferson Davis...things like this need to be caught in the editing process. There are also a few other quibbles I had that were similar in nature, so no need to recount them here.

This is an interesting one to skim, but due to so many similar stories, it is difficult to read straight through. I do appreciate that the author gave indications as to whether the properties are accessible to the public or not. One who is more familiar with these properties might also be interested, as he does go into as much detail as possible from what records still exist.