[mairdie]

Today is the 240th anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln - April 14, 1865.

In tracking down my father's side of the family, I was shocked to discover my father's mother's father - Brig. Gen. Henry Lawrence Burnett, who ran the investigation of the assassination for Secretary of War Stanton and was one of the special judge advocates at trial, under Judge Holt. In traveling to his country home in Goshen NY, I discovered that he had placed a typed manuscript of his memories of that time in the Goshen library and took away a copy.

While serving as District Attorney for the Southern District of NY under Presidents McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, he had toured around the country giving this as a talk with the purpose of defending two friends he felt unjustly castigated for their parts - General John Hancock and Judge Holt.

After the trial, ggfather stayed on to put the papers of the investigation and trial together for the Library of Congress, so I was able to buy microfilm of that record in his own handwriting. It was one of the earliest subsites I put into my website in 1998, 27 years ago.

[AlaskaErik]

My math puts it at 160 years ago. I did major in accounting.

[PGR88]

Booth, the moment he fired, dropped his pistol and drew a long knife. Major Rathbone instantly sprang upon him and seized him. Booth wrestled himself from the major's grasp, and made a violent thrust at his breast with the knife, which Rathbone parried, receiving a wound in his left arm between the elbow and the shoulder about one and one half inches deep and several inches in length.

Booth then rushed to the front of the box, Major Rathbone attempting to seize him again, but only caught his clothes as he was going over the railing. Booth put his left hand on the railing, holding in his right hand the knife point downward, leaped over and down to the stage about twelve feet. As he was going over or descending, the spur on his right foot caught in the flag, which had been draped in front of the President's box in honor of his presence, and clung to it, causing his left foot to partially turn under him as he struck the stage, and thereby one of the bones of his left leg was broken.

Had it not been for this accident, Booth doubtless would have made his escape into Virginia within the Confederate lines, possibly out of the country. Thus it was that the national flag was a mute instrument in the vengeance that overtook the President's murderer. Booth as he fled across the stage, partially turned facing the audience, threw up his hand holding the gleaming knife and shouted, "Sic semper tyrannis!"

I never studied Lincoln's murder closely enough to know that Booth struggled with Maj. Rathbone and was part of reason Booth fell awkwardly.... One learns something new every day....

[j.havenfarm]

Next month I’m making my 4th trip to DC. I find Ford’s Theatre and Peterson House incredibly somber places. This time I’m also visiting Surratt’s boarding house. I’m glad it has been preserved all these years, and can live with the fact that it’s now. Chinese restaurant

[Georgia Girl 2]

I failed math 105 at FSU but I think its more like 150-160 without putting pencil to paper. 😉

[wardaddy]

Despite discussions about Abe

Killing him at the end was disastrous for America and my region in particular

His vision post war was far preferable to his radical cohorts and their in some cases Marxist buddy ups

As if Morgantheai had gotten his way in 45

[mass55th]

Thanks for sharing your family history with us. It’s always interesting to read new source material that hasn’t been previously known.

[linMcHlp]

bkmk

[AppyPappy]

My great grandmother was born the year Lincoln was Assassinated. I met her as a child.