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

" 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. 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

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 U.S. 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, a recognized expert in phonography, an early form of shorthand, was awarded the government contract to produce a transcription of each day's testimony. Pitman made these transcripts available to the prosecution and the defense, as well as to select members of the press. Although three versions of the trial 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 the testimony by name and date, and added summaries of the testimony. 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.

A Special Edition Of The Trial Transcript As Compiled And Arranged In 1865 By Benn Pitman.--jacket. In This Reprint Edition Of Pitman's Original 1865 Version, Eight Leading Assassination Scholars Provide Commentary Designed To Guide The Leader Through The 402 Pages Of Testimony By Focusing On The Relevant Testimony As It Relates To Each Defendant--preface. 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. Edited By Edward Steers, Jr. A Special Edition Of The Trial Transcript As Compiled And Arranged In 1865 By Benn Pitman--spine. Originally Published: Cincinnati : Moore, Wilstach & Baldwin, 1865, With Commentary. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. 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) WHEREAS, the Attorney-General of the United States hath given his opinion: That the persons implicated in the murder of the late President, Abraham Lincoln, and the attempted assassination of the Honorable William H. Seward, Secretary of State, and in an alleged conspiracy to assassinate other officers of the Federal Government at Washington City, and their aiders and abettors, are subject to the jurisdiction of, and lawfully triable before, a Military Commission;