Daniel R. Weinberg

Assassinations don't really make good fodder for coffee table books. But James Swanson and Daniel Weinberg give it the old college try with Lincoln's Assassins: Their Trial and Execution (William Morrow, 2006). More than 250 images from the aftermath of the assassination are included here: photographic portraits of the assassins, printed materials showing the diffusion of the news about Lincoln's death, the capture, trial and execution of the conspirators, plus artifacts from the period. show more Among other previously-unpublished material, Alexander Gardner's haunting photographs from the execution are published in their entirety and in the correct order for the first time, the authors claim.

The photos are preceded by a short narrative introduction to the events which followed the assassination; that includes long excerpts from contemporary newspaper accounts which recount in full graphic detail the deaths by hanging of the eight conspirators.

Macabre doesn't even begin to describe this book, but it is well designed and described. It will be of interest to the serious Lincoln assassination buff.

http://philobiblos.blogspot.com/2008/09/book-review-lincolns-assassins.html show less

Having just seen the new movie The Conspirator (2011, directed by Robert Redford), I was faced with the realization that, despite a life-long fascination with and admiration for Abraham Lincoln, I knew very little about the events that occurred following his assassination. The movie was thought-provoking enough to warrant me racing home from the theater and beginning to research how accurate the movie’s portrayal was. The movie’s website (http://www.conspiratorthemovie.com/) offers ample show more resources for those interested in learning more. However, the short answer to “was the movie accurate?” is that yes, indeed, it was accurate – and I was reassured by the involvement of historians during writing the script and filming.
So, it was under this pretense that I found myself picking up another James Swanson book. I had read Chasing Lincoln’s Killers when it came out and found it a nice concise look at the post-assassination and pre-trial events. This title, Lincoln’s Assassins, offers a bit more insight into the arrests, trial, and execution. However, readers need to be cautioned that, as Swanson himself states in the introduction, the book is not intended to be a complete account of events and, in fact, no such historical account exists. I suspect that Mr. Swanson is undoubtedly working on such an account; he seems perfect for the job given his previous works on Lincoln and obvious passion for this bit of history.

What the book does provide is a look at what citizens of the day were hearing and reading about the events. The introduction and the chapter summaries set the stage for what to expect, and, as warned, the book is mostly photos and news clippings detailing the arrests, trial and execution.

Was it enough? No. Did it whet my appetite for more? Most certainly. Will I pick up Swanson’s more concise book on the trial and execution that is sure to be forthcoming (but entirely a guess by me)? Most definitely. show less

An excellent addition to any Civil War historian's collection. Many of the items and pictures included have either never been seen before in book form before or are presented in a new light. Most interesting is the series of photos taken by photographer Gardner. They are a series of shots of the hanging, beginning with the empty gallows, the arrival of the condemned, the reading of the sentences, the hooding and the tying of the legs of the condemned, and concluding with a rare action shot show more of the victims struggling in their nooses and one final shot taken of the dead and now still conspirators. The last two are especially chilling. These photographs, along with the obsessive collecting of souvenirs done, illustrate perfectly the ghoulish Victorian obsession with memorializing death.

All in all, a very illustrative view of the assassination, the conspirators, the trial, the hanging and the aftermath of all four. As a side note, the main author of this book, "James L. Swanson" would write additional books in the Civil War canon. The first is "Manhunt!" all about John Wilkes Booth's flight from Washington and the subsequent manhunt to find him. The other is "Bloody Crimes" which concerns the funeral train of President Lincoln and the last days of President Davis' presidency. Both are very exciting and would look at home on any Civil War historian's bookshelf. show less

An excellent addition to any Civil War historian's collection. Many of the items and pictures included have either never been seen before in book form before or are presented in a new light. Most interesting is the series of photos taken by photographer Gardner. They are a series of shots of the hanging, beginning with the empty gallows, the arrival of the condemned, the reading of the sentences, the hooding and the tying of the legs of the condemned, and concluding with a rare action shot show more of the victims struggling in their nooses and one final shot taken of the dead and now still conspirators. The last two are especially chilling. These photographs, along with the obsessive collecting of souvenirs done, illustrate perfectly the ghoulish Victorian obsession with memorializing death.

All in all, a very illustrative view of the assassination, the conspirators, the trial, the hanging and the aftermath of all four. As a side note, the main author of this book, "James L. Swanson" would write additional books in the Civil War canon. The first is "Manhunt!" all about John Wilkes Booth's flight from Washington and the subsequent manhunt to find him. The other is "Bloody Crimes" which concerns the funeral train of President Lincoln and the last days of President Davis' presidency. Both are very exciting and would look at home on any Civil War historian's bookshelf. show less