Customer Reviews

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

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In 1865 President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, this is commonly known by most people. But what is not known is that there were eight others who had a part in the conspiracy to kill the president.

Unlike the other books I have read on the subject; this one has very little plot, in fact the book spends more time talking about the trial rather than the events leading to the assassination. Rather the author has put together the actual court transcripts of the testimony against each of the conspirators.

After reading the text, which took about 5 hours, I learned more about those involved and even found out a few new things along the way. I found the discussion about Dr. Mudd so intriguing I spent several hours on the internet reading about him.

I found the book well documented and researched. The author has certainly seemed to leave no stone unturned. Overall this book is the best overall presentation into the murder and conspiracy I have read so far.

If you are looking for serious information about the Lincoln Assassination or just wondering what happened than this book is the place to start looking.

In this much-needed reprinting of Benn Pitman's transcript of the trial of the "conspirators" to assassinate President Lincoln, a new element has been added in the articles in the front. Although the trial itself remains, unfortunately, unannotated, a variety of top scholars in the field contributed articles on the conspirators and the trial itself which are both helpful & interesting. This is certainly one of the best purchases I have ever made. The list of witnesses that make Pitman the preferred version of the trial, and the charming print style left as-is, make for an enjoyable read or for helpful reference material. However, it should be kept in mind that Pitman's version is an edited copy of the original trial, with the dialogue surrounding each witness reduced to monolouge testimony, and some confusing areas eliminated or altered. Nonetheless, this is a valuable resource.

I would recommend accompanying this book with Carmen Cumming's Devil's Game: The Civil War Intrigues of Charles A. Dunham, which helps the reader understand the confusing testimony of Sanford Conover, the alias of Charles Dunham.

A few weeks ago I wrote a bad review of this book. I suppose it was just because I had a bad day at the office so to speak. I had quickly scanned through the book and at first glance it wasn't what i thought it would be. But after actually taking the time to read it I was overwhelmed and felt bad about the review I gave earlier. This is a great book with good insight by many of the leading Lincoln scholars. So i stand corrected and highly recommend this book.