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+--- Thread: Tidwell revisited (/thread-4305.html)
RE: Tidwell revisited - Mylye2222 - 09-01-2020 07:26 AM
What was the torpedo plot? Blowing away a public building in Washington full of officials?
I also heard Marshall Lamon and Washington police debunked a plot about dissemination of explosive
RE: Tidwell revisited - John Fazio - 09-01-2020 10:40 AM
(09-01-2020 07:26 AM)Mylye2222 Wrote: What was the torpedo plot? Blowing away a public building in Washington full of officials?
I also heard Marshall Lamon and Washington police debunked a plot about dissemination of explosive
Mylye:
The torpedo plot doubtless refers to the Thomas Harney Mission. It was Harney's purpose to infiltrate Washington, with appropriate help, and then blow up a wing of the White House where Lincoln and other federal officeholders had gathered incident to an entertainment program, thereby decapitating the government or a substantial part of it. It failed because Harney and a few of his men were captured on April 8 or 9. My view is that failure of the Harney Mission activated Booth's plan to decapitate the government, which was a contingency plan. Thus the letter (telegram?) from Booth to Surratt, who was in Montreal, on April 10, telling Surratt that their plans had changed and that he was to return to Washington forthwith. There is quite a lot written about it and reference to it even appears in Atzerodt's confession of May1, 1865.
John
RE: Tidwell revisited - Mylye2222 - 09-01-2020 12:08 PM
(09-01-2020 10:40 AM)John Fazio Wrote:(09-01-2020 07:26 AM)Mylye2222 Wrote: What was the torpedo plot? Blowing away a public building in Washington full of officials?
I also heard Marshall Lamon and Washington police debunked a plot about dissemination of explosive
Mylye:
The torpedo plot doubtless refers to the Thomas Harney Mission. It was Harney's purpose to infiltrate Washington, with appropriate help, and then blow up a wing of the White House where Lincoln and other federal officeholders had gathered incident to an entertainment program, thereby decapitating the government or a substantial part of it. It failed because Harney and a few of his men were captured on April 8 or 9. My view is that failure of the Harney Mission activated Booth's plan to decapitate the government, which was a contingency plan. Thus the letter (telegram?) from Booth to Surratt, who was in Montreal, on April 10, telling Surratt that their plans had changed and that he was to return to Washington forthwith. There is quite a lot written about it and reference to it even appears in Atzerodt's confession of May1, 1865.
John
Frightening. Like a 1865 version of 11 September 2001..... Thanks for the explanation John!
RE: Tidwell revisited - John Fazio - 09-01-2020 12:47 PM
(09-01-2020 12:08 PM)Mylye2222 Wrote:(09-01-2020 10:40 AM)John Fazio Wrote:(09-01-2020 07:26 AM)Mylye2222 Wrote: What was the torpedo plot? Blowing away a public building in Washington full of officials?
I also heard Marshall Lamon and Washington police debunked a plot about dissemination of explosive
Mylye:
The torpedo plot doubtless refers to the Thomas Harney Mission. It was Harney's purpose to infiltrate Washington, with appropriate help, and then blow up a wing of the White House where Lincoln and other federal officeholders had gathered incident to an entertainment program, thereby decapitating the government or a substantial part of it. It failed because Harney and a few of his men were captured on April 8 or 9. My view is that failure of the Harney Mission activated Booth's plan to decapitate the government, which was a contingency plan. Thus the letter (telegram?) from Booth to Surratt, who was in Montreal, on April 10, telling Surratt that their plans had changed and that he was to return to Washington forthwith. There is quite a lot written about it and reference to it even appears in Atzerodt's confession of May1, 1865.
John
Frightening. Like a 1865 version of 11 September 2001..... Thanks for the explanation John!
Mylye:
You are quite welcome.
If you would like to pursue the plot to decapitate the Union, may I respectfully suggest my book, titled Decapitating the Union, which you can easily obtain from Amazon.
John
RE: Tidwell revisited - Mylye2222 - 09-01-2020 12:53 PM
(09-01-2020 12:47 PM)John Fazio Wrote: Mylye:
You are quite welcome.
If you would like to pursue the plot to decapitate the Union, may I respectfully suggest my book, titled Decapitating the Union, which you can easily obtain from Amazon.
John
John:
Roger sent me about your book via email. Unfortunately I can't afford your work for the moment but yes, it really seems a good read.
RE: Tidwell revisited - John Fazio - 09-01-2020 03:15 PM
Mylye:
I know all about financial difficulty; I've been there, done that. Please send me a snail mail address and I will be happy to send you a complimentary copy of the book, with no shipping charge.
John
RE: Tidwell revisited - Mylye2222 - 09-01-2020 03:28 PM
Are you sure? That's soo kind of you! Hugs
Please check your inbox.
RE: Tidwell revisited - John Fazio - 09-01-2020 06:10 PM
Mylye:
I am sure. I need a name and an address.
John
RE: Tidwell revisited - McCastle - 11-18-2020 09:33 PM
The hysteria was so great that hundreds of people were arrested or investigated on suspicions of the flimsiest sort. A man named P.F. Walker wrote from New York alleging that George Emack was just the sort of character to be mixed up in the assassination. He thought someone should see if Emack was involved.
William A. Tidwell 1979
Prince George's Co. MD. 1861
"George, my second born, my daredevil- ever on my mind. When he was young, I taught him to ride- saddle his pony, take a proper seat- how to speak with his reins. I did not teach him to ride as he has ever since- standing in the stirrups, dashing about the county like a storm. I tell him You owe a debt of mercy to your animal, but he is off before my words can catch up to his ears."
Margaret Emack
In the book J. Wilkes Booth; His Sojourn through Southern Maryland, Confederate spy, Thomas A. Jones wrote;
"Among the many men whom I put across the river in those early days of the war was one Capt. Emack". see pg. 16-20
https://books.google.com/books?id=DvX9muJfAQIC&q=emack#v=snippet&q=emack&f=false
"Emack, while in Maryland on a recruiting expedition, was captured by a detachment of Union soldiers. The men who were taking him to Washington stopped for a while at a small village in Prince Georges County, called T. B. Emack was left on the porch in charge of one of the soldiers, while the others entered the house. He placed his hand in his breast pocket and called to the soldier as if he had something to show him. The unsuspecting soldier approached and Emack drew a knife and plunged it into him. Late that evening, he arrived at the house of a gentleman near Bryantown , who he knew, was a warm sympathizer with the Confederacy. The gentleman of the house was absent, but the lady of the house was home. She took him in and ministered to his wants, and after he had rested sent him on his journey in company with some other gentleman who had stopped on their way to Virginia."
Jones leaves out key details in his story regarding George Emack, including his failure to mention that the arrest took place at the home of Andrew Gwynn. Author Effie Gwynn Bowie, daughter of Confederate Capt. Andrew Jackson Gwynn, gives another portrayal of this event that provides some important details that Thomas Jones left out of his book ( "J. Wilkes Booth")
On page 355, In her book "Across The Years in Prince George's County", (Charles Co. Public Library) Effie Bowie wrote the following..
"Pleasant Springs ( home of Andrew Jackson Gwynn ) was a large two story house, piazza latticed at the ends and covered in roses. It was reached by a long lane from the Piscataway road with the village of T.B. to the left and Piscataway to the right, distant about three miles.
The story goes that Capt. Emack had been found in the house by Union soldiers and arrested. He made his escape in the woods near T.B. Capt. Emack, fortunately for all concerned, had emptied his saddlebags of mail which he had hidden under a mattress fearing possible arrest, thus saving many arrest and worse"
Bowie also relates on page 354 that the house was burned in retaliation. Notable in Bowie's account is the absence of the stabbing incident at T.B.
Returning to "J Wilkes Booth", Thomas A. Jones writes that.. ."In September of 1861, soon after the incident just related, (stabbing at TB.) on returning home from one of my trips to Richmond, I was arrested and sent a prisoner to Washington." see pg. 20
Author and historian John Wearmouth wrote on pg.18 of "Thomas A. Jones Chief Agent of the Confederate Secret Service" that Jones was arrested by a detachment of Sickle's Brigade on September 24,1861. The key to this part of the story isn't when Jones was arrested, but when he left, or rather "fled" Charles County Maryland to Richmond, Va. If Jones was arrested after returning to Charles County from Richmond Va. on Sept. 24, 1861, then it should be fair to assume that he went to Richmond "very soon after" the Emack stabbing at T.B.
Was this "incident" the primary reason why Andrew Gwynn, along with brothers Bennett and George, "skeedaddled" to the woods behind Doctor Mudd's house where they hid for a week before going to Richmond?
After Capt. Emack stabbed the soldier at T.B., Jones says he fled to "the home of a warm confederate sympathizer". (Dr. Mudd?) Also, if the soldiers at T.B. returned to Pleasant Springs and burned it to the ground, then where did Andrew J. Gwynn, his brothers George & Bennet and the other occupants of the house flee to?
The following statements were made by the men hiding in the woods behind Dr. Mudd's house in September, 1861.
"I know Andrew J. Gwynn very well. Since 1861 he has been in the rebel army. About the 1st of September, 1861 I was in the neighborhood of Doctor Mudds house for about a week.; It was about the time that Col. Dwight's regiment was passing through: Mr. Gwynn and his brother came down in a fright, stating that they had been in the house to arrest them, or had been informed that they were on their way there."
I also received notice that I was to be arrested. The two Gwynns' came down then; I met them at Doctor Mudd's.
Jerry Dyer
Trial of the Conspirators
Test. Of Jeremiah Dyer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"About the latter part of August, 1861, I was with my brother, Andrew J. Gwynn, Mr. Jerry Dyer, and Albion Brooke at Doctor Mudd's place. About that time General Sickle's came over into Maryland, arresting almost everybody. I was told I was to be arrested, and went out of the neighborhood to avoid it. I went down to Charles County: stayed among friends for a week or so....Interrupted by Assistant Judge Advocate... "what occurred in 1861 is not an issue."
Question; On what grounds did you supposed you would be arrested?
Answer: I was a captain of a company down there. I petitioned Gov. Hicks and he gave me a commission. "There was a warrant out for my arrest."
Bennet Gwynn
Trial of the Conspirators
1865
_________________________________________________________
In September of 1861, I accompanied Benjamin Gwynn, and Andrew J. Gwynn to Virginia. We supposed we were to be arrested and went to Richmond to avoid it. We were in the pines at Doctor Mudd's for four or five days before we left. Mr. Gwynn came down and said they had been to the house to arrest us. I also received notice that I was to be arrested.
Q. Where did you and the party who were with you near Doctor Mudd's, sleep?
A. We slept in the pines near the spring. We had some counterpanes which were furnished by Doctor Mudd. : We were in the pines for four or five days.
Q. Who were the parties
A. Bennet Gwynn and Andrew Gwynn.
Q. That was after the Rebellion commenced?
A. Yes
Q. Did you see Jefferson Davis while you were in Richmond?
A. Yes, but I never spoke to him in my life.
Jerry Dyer
Trial of the Conspirators
***********************************************************
The statements of the men hiding in the woods suggest that the arrest of confederate spy Emack at the home of Andrew Gwynn triggered the events at Dr. Mudd.'s house.
Still a better question.. why were authorities after George Emack in the first place?
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29151440/george-malcolm-emack
George Malcom Emack was born July 29, 1842 in Prince George's County Maryland, about twelve miles from Washington City. Their home, Locust Grove, was purchased by his father Elbert and was originally part of a plantation owned by Truman Belt. It was Belt who allowed the Federal Government to erect the first telegraph lines extending from Washington to Baltimore directly through Locust Grove. The cutting of those lines in 1864 during Bradley Johnston's & Jubal Early's failed raid on Washington is rather significant. George was among them.
It seems probable, based on the statements of Thomas A. Jones, that Emack was one of the men who fled to Doctor Mudd's along with Bennett Gwynn, Andrew Gwynn, George Gwynn, Albion Brooke, and Jerry Dyer. While Andrew Gwynn became Captain of Company F of the First Maryland Cavalry CSA. , Emack made his way to Libby Prison in Richmond where he took charge of Union prisoners. Soon after arriving in Virginia, the stabbing at TB. appeared in multiple newspaper publications. . https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026536/1861-10-03/ed-1/seq-4/#date1=1789&index=5&rows=20&words=Emack+G+M&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1963&proxtext=g+m++emack&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
On the 14th of September, Mr. G.M. Emack of Prince George's County, Maryland was arrested by a party of Sickle's Brigade and carried before General Walker, commanding during the sickness of Sickles. Seeing an opportunity, he suddenly drew his knife and stabbed Walker twice, mortally wounding him.
______________________________________________________
Accused of torture, Lt. Emack was well known and despised by the prisoners at Libby, Castle Thunder and Belle Island.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84023127/1862-12-26/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1860&index=0&rows=20&words=Emack&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1865&proxtext=emack+&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
I must not fail mention a Court Martial of which one Norton of the 34th Vermont went through. I learned from a wag of a captain, who heard it, and was greatly amused by it. This Lieut. Emack is a renegade Marylander, and his father stays in Washington most of the time, writing to Richmond what news he can get. He wished to make up a guerilla company of renegades as desperate as himself, so was taking every prisoner under suspicious circumstances making them pass an examination, offering great inducements; telling them they are put down as deserters and winding up by enrolling them or sending them back to prison; Young Norton had been spoken of as a "dead shot" by the officer who brought him in, and Emack was " bound to have him". Norton was summoned to the office...
Emack; You were taken as a spy, and will be shot.
Norton; Thunder!
Emack; No help for it I reckon.
Norton; The Devil!
Emack; I have orders to hang you.
Norton; Hell!
Emack; What do you say for yourself?
Norton; You're another!
Emack; Look out, I'll string you up in ten minutes
Norton; Go there yourself!
By this time the other officers were convulsed with laughter at the cool impudence of the " Yankee Boy" and the failure of Emack whom they secretly despised, to frighten him.
Emack; If I will not hang you... will you join with my company of guerrillas?
Norton; Nary!
Emack; Would you rather be hung?
Norton; Yawpy, Yawpy...
Emack; I'll stand no more! Bring the rope and hang the damned Yankee!
Norton; Perhaps, perhaps no so.
Captain J coming in asked the "Yank" if he had really been a spy. " No Sir !" said little Vermont, and this fellow knows it. He thought to frighten me into a traitor, but he couldn't come in. I went out on the day I was taken, shot a "secesh" and a pig. I'm sorry I killed the pig. I had on my uniform and had my gun. Spies don't go that way.
No...said the Captain, and you are a true man, even if you are a Yankee boy. Go to your quarters. I think the Lieutenant ( Emack) is sufficiently amused.
I sent a note up through a crack in the floor, telling Norton I heard he was to have a sham trial, and that he would oblige, a brother Vermonter, and the only Vermont officer there, if he would be as saucy as possible.
************************************************************
A letter from a Union prisoner... "These cowardly scoundrels watched for every opportunity to annoy and insult the prisoners in their charge. Lt. Emack, of Maryland , who had charge of the prisoners at Richmond, is another vulgar bastard who insulted the officers, and who need not look for much favor should he fall into the hands of the injured men who are no longer dependent on him."
************************************************************
Another wrote of prisoner exchange..
"We hailed with shouts of delight, the Stars and Stripes, and with overjoyed hearts anxiously awaited the moment when we should set our feet beneath their ample folds. When the rebel steamer left us we gave three cheers for Capt. Goodwin, who though a rebel, was still a gentleman, and treated prisoners kindly. Lt. (John E) Emack. who came down on the rebel boat was the most contemptible puppy, I think, I ever saw, and it is a wonder to me if he could ever have a mother that could love him".
teFhttps://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85038121/1862-05-22/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1860&index=0&rows=20&words=Emack+John&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1866&proxtext=john+emack&y=16&x=15&dailterType=yearRange&page=1
"He was hated and despised by all of the prisoners: He was known in the various prisons as "Plug Ugly" and "Baltimore Rowdy". For him we gave three groans and waived adieu to prison life,"
"I cannot close without giving you a description of the manner in which they punished prisoners for any little violation of orders or saucy talk: They would first handcuff them, then pass a rope under the armpits and across the back. The ends of the rope are then made fast to one of the tobacco screws. The poor fellow was made to stoop down until he was fairly under the screw and was then drawn up until his toes barely touch the floor. The victim was then left in that awful torture for half or three fourth of an hour, leaving the hands and arms so numb they would be unusable for half the day."
Notation: The reference to John E, as in (Johnny Reb) is undoubtedly Lt. George Emack,
Emack's crimes did not go unnoticed at the end of the war; These are excerpts from;
War Department, Bureau of Military Service
November3,1865
Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War
Lieut. Emack and ***** Turner of Libby Prison; Capt. G.W. Alexander of Castle Thunder are all presented by the accompanying testimony as guilty of acts more or less cruel and criminal in their treatment of prisoners of war. Besides Winder and Nesbitt, it is not known that any of these criminals are in military custody..
J. Holt
Judge Advocate General
____________________________________________________
Col. N.P. Chipman, US Army
Sir,
In compliance with your desire that I would make a statement of such information as I could furnish relative to the treatment of Union prisoners confined in the Southern States during the war. I have the honor of presenting the following, which if not as full in detail as be necessary will be made so upon your intimating what place or person you desire information about.
At Libby Prison,
Major Thomas Turner
Captain Warner, commissary
Lieut. George Emack
Lieut. LaTouche
Lieut. Bossieux
Richard Turner
The only prison officials of whom I heard complaint were Lieut. Emack and Richard Turner, the former for harsh and tyrannical display of authority, the latter for the same severity in a greater degree. The condition of the prison was better than any of the other prisons, excepting the period when so many were crowded onto Belle Isle. At Belle Isle prisoners suffered intensely from the cold, being insufficient shelter for the immense number confined within it's narrow limits. this shelter could have been readily obtained, as was displayed by the ease with which extensive hospitals were erected around Richmond.
Very respectfully, your obt. servant
P. Cashmere
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An excerpt from testimony of Benjamin Sweerer
Color Sargent
Ninth Maryland Regiment
"I was captured on October 13, 1863. I was held prisoner on Belle Isle for over five months, there were about thirteen thousand prisoners, about half of whom were provided shelter, the rest were just lying on the naked sand of the island. I lay there over two months without ever putting my head under shelter, although it was wintertime. Not having fuel to warm us, and not provisions enough to live on, I saw men freeze to death. I saw them starve to death, and after they were dead I saw them lying for eight or nine days outside the entrenchments where we were kept. The hogs were eating them. We were refused permission to bury them. I spoke to Lt. Bossieux, who had charge of the island. He told me he had nothing to do with it, that it was in accordance with orders he received from Major Turner. The death of the prisoners was caused mostly by starvation. When I came home I weighed one hundred twenty three pounds. My ordinary weight in health is one hundred seventy or one hundred eighty pounds".
Still another soldier wrote that.... "there is a man named Emack, a lieutenant in Rebel service. This man has frequently boasted that he passed through Federal lines at the time of the Bull Run fight, and taking a musket amused himself by picking off Federal soldiers."
see article on Bull Run: https://www.oah.org/resources/scholarship/civilwar/gallery/ruins-of-mrs-judith-henry-s-house/
Apparently, one boast that George made landed on the desk of Abraham Lincoln, and it would soon have a profound effect on his family back at Locust Grove in Prince George's County.
Letter from Abraham Lincoln to John A. Dix
May 19, 1862
Lincoln's endorsement is written on a copy of a letter from an unnamed Maryland man in prison at Richmond, May 12, 1862 setting forth information of a Confederate plot engineered by Maryland secessionist who are returning from Richmond to their homes but organized in a secret society with 5000 rifles concealed in Baltimore in "one house alone" an "vast sums of money."
Soldiers quickly descend on Locust Grove. George's mother Margaret wrote about the incident in her diary, which can be found in a book by George's granddaughter entitled JUANITA WILDROSE My True Life by Susan Downe : (Peddler Press)
Union soldiers arrive at Locust Grove,
Prince George's County, Maryland
1862
....an abrupt series of blows on a door downstairs, they hear a protesting voice, servant Oriana is in the kitchen, now heavy boot falls on the stairs. Lydia is fast. In two swift passes she gathers up the letters, their envelopes and genuflects to put in the chamber pot. She crams the letters (Confederate mail) into the pot and drapes it with a small towel. Holding her head high, Lydia passes the four soldiers now halted at the foot of the bed. She will hide the letters in the shrubbery behind the privy.
Ma'am we are here to arrest Lt. Emack. George's mother, Margaret, cannot withdraw her eyes from the bayonets mounted on their muskets.
"Please leave the bed Ma'am " , and as quickly as she does so they set to work bayonetting the mattress.
Lt. Emack is not here..
..."so you would say ma'am"
"At last they leave. Every mattress in the house had been stabbed to tatters, curtains pulled down and doors and cupboards slammed ajar. Feathers, clothing books, and little shattered treasures everywhere."
Diary of
Margaret Turner Emack
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unable to find George, the authorities arrested his father Elbert. On May 23, 1862 John Dix replied to Abraham Lincoln's letter about the Confederate plot.
Baltimore, Md,
Sir,
I caused Mr. Emack, who was referred to in the Richmond letter, to be arrested, brought to this city (Baltimore) and examined. Nothing treasonable was found on his person or premises. All of his Union neighbors bore testimony to his exemplary character, and am satisfied that he has been guilty of no disloyal act. I also believe the Richmond letter is as erroneous in most of it's other statements, and that there is no organized plot in this state to overthrow the government.
Your obt ser.
John Dix
From the Collected Works Of Abraham Lincoln: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/lincoln/lincoln5/1:498?amt2=40;amt3=40;rgn=div1;singlegenre=All;sort=occur;subview=detail;type=proximity;view=fulltext;q1=emack
__________________________________________________________
Thomas Jones wrote about the clandestine activities of father and son in "J Wilkes Booth" The following statement by Jones is attributed to spy Elbert Emack,.
"Quite a prominent gentleman of Prince George's County, Maryland, was very active as a mail agent. He turned his attention to gardening, and, as he lived but a short distance from Washington City, would drive his wagon into town and get a load of manure, in which he would hide the matter for the South, and bring it safely out."
This account of Elbert Emack's activities also appears in the book "Come Retribution" (Tidwell, Hall & Gaddy)
Near the time of his arrest, Elbert Emack sent this article to the Baltimore Sun in an attempt to defend himself...
Prince George's Co., Md.
May 15, 1862
"My attention having been directed to an article in the Baltimore Sun of the 12th instant and copied from the Washington Star of Saturday last, in which I have been referred to as holding communication with my son in the Confederate army and implying that he is Informed by me of all that is going on behind Federal lines, all of which I unequivocally deny, and unhesitatingly assert that I have not written a line or sent a message to him since he left home in August last." (1861). Elbert Emack
Given the fact that Emack was labeled a "Baltimore Rowdy" and "Plug Ugly" by the prisoners in Richmond, and that he bragged of weapons that were most likely taken from the arsenal at Harper's Ferry, leads this story back to Dr. Mudd's house for a moment. Mary Simms, one of Dr. Mudd's slaves was asked under oath if Dr. Mudd ever said anything about Abraham Lincoln. Mary replied " when he (Lincoln) came here, he stole here in the night, dressed in women's clothes, and that they laid and watched for him, and if he had come in right they would have killed him." "He (Doctor Mudd) never said anything about shooting but said he would have killed him if he had come in right." He said "those men" he never mentioned names" ; Mary Simms
________________________________________________________
Bennett Gwynn re-examined:
Gywnn; It was thought a proper time for raising companies through the country; therefore I petitioned Gov. Hicks.
Q. Do you know whether Dr. Mudd was a member of one of those companies?
A. I think he was a member of a company gotten up at Bryantown.
Q .Were those companies organized for the defense of the United States?
A. They were commissioned by Governor Hicks.
In the 1867 trial of John Surratt, Bennett Gwynn was asked about the plan to abduct President Lincoln;
Question: Had you anything to do with the plan to interrupt Mr. Lincoln when coming from Annapolis? Answer: No,sir
Mr. Bradley interrupts... Mr. Lincoln coming from Annapolis... when? Answer: Any time.
( obviously, Annapolis has been confused with Baltimore Maryland)
___________________________________________________________
In "The Baltimore Plot" author Michael Kline wrote... On November 9, 1860, unhappy with the election of an anti-slavery president...Governor Thomas Hick's wrote to his friend Maryland Congressman Edwin H. Webster bemoaning Lincolns victory. Hick's letter had been written in the context of his inability to supply arms to Webster's company of Maryland Militia. After John Brown's vigilante raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 militias throughout Maryland began arming themselves against future attacks. The Maryland legislature has appropriated $70,000 for Hick's to purchase arms for distribution among the local military companies throughout the state. Hick's letter, however, suggests that the arms requested by Webster might be used for an offensive rather than a defensive purposes. In it, Hick's reveals a sinister motive;
"Will they ( the company to whom arms were to be supplied) be good men to send out to kill Lincoln and his men. If not. I suppose the arms would be better sent South.".
Notation; In September of 1861 a person listing their name as John Wilkes was also arrested in Baltimore MD. ( The Baltimore Plot )
Returning to Libby Prison, Capt J.T. Drew, who was taken prisoner at the Battle of Bull Run, stated that..."While a prisoner of war in Richmond Virginia during the spring of 1862 and at Salisbury, NC during that summer, I became acquainted with a Baltimore Rebel "of the Special Police of the Confederate Government" I forget his name. He was engaged in the Baltimore Rebels riot when the Mass. troops were attacked while pouring thru in route to Washington. He told me some plans which the Rebel Government had in view, in case our government began " illegitimate warfare" as he termed it, of using slaves for soldiers and inciting them in insurrection. It was to the effect that they " would destroy our leaders with the dagger, our people with fire. I took much of his talk for bunkum or a design to draw me out. I have no doubt that he was the man whom Davis used in conspiring with these assassins as he was the one, who by direction of Davis, caused the Baltimore riots. In hopes of making such a rising as it should carry Maryland out of the Union and capture Washington".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug_Uglies https://www.independentgreys.com/plug-uglies.html
Is it possible that Capt. George Emack was somehow involved in the Baltimore Riot which lead authorities to call for his arrest ?
George Malcolm left Libby prison to defend the retreating Confederate troops after the Battle of Gettysburg, where his exploits in saving remnants of Lee's army at Monterey Pass made him infamous in Confederate circles.
https://worldhistoryproject.org/1863/7/4/fight-at-monterey-pass
His fight with the forces of Judson Kilpatrick will repeat itself at Old Church Va. during the infamous Dahlgren Raid.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016751/1864-03-25/ed-1/seq-8/#date1=1789&index=0&rows=20&words=BODY+body+Colonel+COLONEL+DAHLGREN+Dahlgren&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1963&proxtext=body+of+colonel+dahlgren&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
In George W. Booth's A Maryland Boy in Lee's Army, he wrote that Captain Emack had a "personal gallantry to a degree that he was absolutely without fear".
General William Tidwell, in a rough draft for the book for the "Come Retribution", wrote that...
"The 1st Maryland Cavalry continued in the vicinity of Hanover until the
opening of Grant's wilderness campaign in May 1864."
" In June, the commander of the 1st Maryland Cavalry was told that he was to undertake an operation to kidnap President Lincoln."
" Like all good soldiers the Officers of the 1st Maryland Cavalry briefed their commander, General Early, on the kidnap project."
" He (Early) told them not to carry out the scheme. Instead , he with his entire Corp of 14,000 men would undertake the mission."
" There had been a number of schemes on the Confederate side concerning special operations to free theses prisoners." ( from Point Lookout)
" In the hurly-burly ( battle of Fort Stevens ? ) the kidnapping had apparently been forgotten. It was obvious that Early's forces could not reach
Point Lookout in time to release the prisoners." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Stevens
On July 12, 1864, while Lincoln observed his military forces at the Battle of Fort Stevens, Capt. Emack was with Bradley T. Johnston in Beltsville, MD, 12 miles from Washington City.
Prince George's Co, Maryland
In the forenoon of , a body of cavalry appeared on the White House farm (formally part of Locust Grove) and picketed their horses in a new cut oat field about a quarter of a mile from the tavern. Soldiers and officers took sixty barrels of corn out of the corn house, all the hay, and stripped the milk-house of it's contents. Mrs. Brown, then widow of John W. Brown having died in 1862, went to the top story of the house and saw a cloud of dust. She hastened downstairs and asked the Union officer who seemed to be in command if he was expecting some more troops ; that some were coming toward the White House farm. He ran upstairs to look, came down very quickly gave the alarm and the Union troops started on the run to where their horses were picketed in the oat field. But they had not run far when a body of Confederate cavalry came up under the command of George Emack. Emack shot one of the retiring Federals soldiers. He then wrote a message and sent it back up the road by an orderly. Soon that orderly returned and with him came Bradley T. Johnston and behind him a long column of cavalry with artillery. Telegraph lines in front of the White House were chopped down. The Union men retreated rapidly in the direction of Washington, but the Confederate cavalry did not give chase. A wounded soldier falling into the hands of the Confederates was sent by Emack to the family home (Locust Grove) near Beltsville. It was then and continues to be one of the most beautiful homes in Maryland. At the time of the skirmish George's father Elbert G. Emack was living there. Living there today is Edward Emack, a brother of George Emack. The Confederates remained on the Brown farm that night. The next day they took up the march following the road past the Maryland State College of Agricultural, and then turning off to the west later in the day joining the troops of Jubal Early in their retreat from Washington.July 12
see article. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1916-11-05/ed-1/seq-49/
Another question.. was Capt. George Malcolm Emack directly involved in the assassination or abduction of Abraham Lincoln? Let's go back to the beginning of the story when George stabbed that soldier at T.B. That wasn't just a random soldier that Emack stabbed in order to escape. In fact P.F. Walker, who Tidwell spoke of in the very first paragraph of this story was actually Professor William Walker. After a long recovery, he barely survived the stab wounds that Emack inflicted. Shortly after the Baltimore Riot in 1861, Walker was commissioned by Maj. Gen. Joseph K. Mansfield to chase down and arrest the confederate spy George Emack. Although unofficial, he was referred to as "General Walker" by the cavalry that accompanied him in the search for Emack.
Fours years after the "incident" at T.B., Professor William Walker, who was also a tax collector was living in New York and apparently followed the daily details in the trial of the conspirators. In May of 1865 Louis Wiechmann, a boarder in Mary Surratt's house in Washington, testified about a confederate blockade runner staying at Mrs. Surratt's. He was going by the name Augustus Howell. William Walker immediately realized who he was and sent the following letter to Lincoln appointee and fellow tax collector Joseph J. Lewis in Washington City.
See obituary (center page) Poisoned by Hemlock: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84027008/1875-04-09/ed-1/seq-2/
sidenote ; Joseph Lewis was responsible for inventing the American tax withholding system.
https://mainlinetoday.com/life-style/how-this-civil-war-era-man-helped-create-modern-taxes/
P.F.W. Walker
81 Beaver St.
New YorkMay 19, 1865
"I see from the testimony of Wiechmann given yesterday in the Conspiracy case that "Howell" has figured among the conspirators and that he is now in prison. Now, this (Augutsus) "Howell" is the (George) Emack who stabbed me. "Howell" was an alias by which he went at the time. He is of the family Emack which resides, probably now as in 1861, about 12 miles this side of Washington on the Washington branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad..
This "Howell" or Emack in 1861 was a spy, was so at the time I arrested him, was subsequently a subordinate of General Winder, was in charge at Libby Prison and was the tyrant there who tortured Union prisoners under his charge. Thinking this information may be important as a guide in the inquiry pending, I communicate it to you to be furnished to the proper office."
Hon. Joseph J. Lewis
Wash DC
May 19, 1865
Tidwell File: James O. Hall Research Center
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Further statements of Surratt boarder Louis Wiechmann regarding Augustus Howell. ( M-599 File )
When Howell was Mrs. Surratt's, he gave the name of Spencer. They refused to tell me his right name, but afterward learned from John Surratt that his name was Augustus Howell. His nickname in the house was Spencer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This man fears the name Spencer very much. I know not why.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was once confined to the Old Capitol. I know not under what name.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I heard him (Howell) say in the parlor (at Mrs. Surratt's) that he took a pair of gold Spurs from the residents of Prince George's Co. as a present for R.E Lee. I am quite certain that Capt. Gwynn knows everything about him and the spurs as he has been secreted at his house once or twice and can tell more about the man than I. see article: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn89060124/1900-08-24/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1789&index=4&rows=20&words=JARBOE+WILLIAM&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Maryland&date2=1963&proxtext=william+a+jarboe&y=16&x=10&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
___________________________________________________________
When I came into prison here, he threatened me and said that I should not say anything against him else it would be worse for me and that he was afraid of being implicated in the conspiracy plot.
___________________________________________________________
There is a man named Augustus S. Howell ( a notorious rebel) who visited the house of Mrs. Surratt and on one occasion brought a Mrs. Slater who was running the blockade...he has the reputation of being the most notorious blockade runner ever crossed the Potomac.
____________________________________________________________
Thomas Harbin and Joseph Baden, both "members" of Emack's First Maryland Cavalry Company B, helped John Wilkes Booth & David Herold escape after the assassination of President Lincoln.
see article: Harbin arrested with aka; Howell
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85025007/1862-10-31/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1861&index=1&rows=20&words=Augustus+Howell&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1865&proxtext=augustus+howell&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
Luther A. Martin also plays a key role. see article: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Thomas_Harbin_Newspaper_Article
see article:Surratt & Wyvill arrested
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85025007/1863-06-01/ed-1/seq-4/#date1=1789&index=0&rows=20&words=Surratt+Wyvill&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1963&proxtext=surratt+wyvill+&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
_________________________________________________________
Augustus Howell
Trial of the Conspirators
May 19, 1865
(not in chronological order)
Question; What portion of the Confederate army did you serve in?; Answer; I was in the First Maryland Artillery.
Question; State your full name to the Court. Answer; My name is Augustus Howell.
Question; Whereabouts did you reside in Maryland? Answer; Prince George's County
Question; Did your family reside there? Did you as a boy? Answer; Yes, sir
Question; Is Spencer your name? Answer; It is one of my names.
Question; Then did you give the correct name Augustus Howell? Answer; Yes, sir
Question; What name were you known by at Surratt House? Answer; My proper name I suppose.
Question; Did you ever give the name Spencer? Answer; Not to any stranger
Question; How long have you had the name Spencer? Answer; For some time. I do not know know how long.
Question; Was it given to you in infancy? Answer; I don't know.
Question; Since how long have you had that name? Answer; My friends generally call me that.
Question; I'm not asking you what your friends call you. Answer; That is my name and I have told you so.
Question: When running the blockade,what name did you go by? Answer: By the name Howell.
Question: Tell us your first acquaintance with Dr. Mudd. Answer: I have known him a long while:
Question: Were you ever at his house? Answer: Yes sir.
Question: When? Answer: Over a year ago.
Question: How long did you stay with Dr. Mudd? Answer: Only an hour or two.
Question: When coming from or going to Richmond ? Answer: I was not coming from Richmond and had not been there.
Question: How soon after did you go? ( to Richmond ) Answer: I don't know
Question; Where did you get the cipher that you testified to? Answer; I have been acquainted with that cipher for some six or seven years.
Question; Where did you get it? Answer; I learned it in a magicians book.
Question; I want you to give the Court what your name is. Answer; I gave it to the Court. My name is A.S. Howell
Question; Now, what is it in full? Answer; My name is A.S. Howell- Augustus Howell.I generally write it short A.S. Howell.
Question; Did you not swear that it was Augustus Howell? Answer; I very seldom use the S in my name, and frequently had the name Augustus
Howell, but my proper name is A.S. Howell.
Howell: I met Louis J. Wiechmann once at Mrs. Surratt's. When I saw Mr. Wiechmann I showed him a cipher, and how to use it.
{ the cipher found among Wilkes Booth's effects was shown to the witness}
The cipher I showed to Mr. Wiechmann was the same as this.
https://archive.org/stream/trialofallegedas03john#page/n185/mode/2up (See Howell Pg. 102)
___________________________________________________________
Regarding the code to the Confederate cipher used for the kidnapping and assassination of President Lincoln. The code key to the cipher was "Come Retribution". The day after Lincoln was murdered, George's mother again made the following entry in her diary...
Locust Grove
April 16, 1865
Throughout all the territories controlled by the Union, and that of course includes us, there is almost an hysteria, as everywhere troops hunt down Lincolns assassin, and others who might be part of the conspiracy to kill him,
"We know the Union slogan ''Come Retribution". We must be careful. We know that George is acquainted with Booth."
Two days later, George's parents somehow knew the authorities were coming for him again. Margaret wrote again on April 18th.
[i]"We must leave home. Not far, only to Baltimore. Within three hours of our leaving yesterday a detail of Union soldiers came to the house looking for George. Of course they did not find him. George would never endanger us by coming home in theses fraught days, hours after Mr. Lincolns death. George has been under suspicion for years."
Why did Margaret Emack think that "Come Retribution" was a Union slogan? Did she somehow stumble upon the code phrase, only to have her husband or son (both Confederate spies) brush it off as some "Union Slogan"?
If this scenario holds true that Augustus Spencer Howell is actually Confederate spy George Emack, then George should to be missing. In other words, if George, aka. Augustus Howell was arrested at the Surratt House on March 24, 1865, and was in prison at the time of the assassination, then where was George? By all accounts he should be missing, and will need an alibi. If his true identity (Howell) were revealed, it would clearly establish a direct link between the Confederate Government, George Emack, and the plot to capture or kill President Lincoln.
Are the following just alibis ?
According to confiscated Confederate records, Emack was admitted to C.S.A General Hospital in Charlottesville Va. on March 1,1865; primary disease; Diptheria; Records then show he was also admitted to Stuart Hospital in Richmond on March 9,1865 with the same potentially deadly disease. (primary disease; Diptheria )
Admission slip notes that he was released from Stuart Hospital on April 2,1865.
George is listed as "Major" Emack, not Captain. It's also interesting that he wasn't transferred but rather admitted to each hospital.
On April 2, 1865, the very same day that George Emack was released form the hospital, the Richmond Whig reported that he checked into the Spotswood Hotel. However, the hotel clerk says otherwise. Did someone sign Emack's name to the register in order to provide an alibi?
"The Last Rebel and the First Union Entry"
The register at the Spotswood Hotel, under the date April 2, bears this entry, the last ever made while Richmond was in Confederate possession. "Major George M. Emack, 1st Maryland (Rebel) Cavalry" and opposite in the clerk's hand, is written, "NO STAY" which is significant. The first name on the opposite page, under date Monday, April 3, is registered the name" E.F Dodge, Surgeon 19th Wisconsin Regiment.The two names, as entered, may be said to represent the Alpha and Omega of the several causes.. the beginning and the end.
https://www.civilwarrichmond.com/written-accounts/newspapers/richmond-whig/3579-1865-04-07-richmond-whig-last-rebel-and-first-union-patrons-at-the-spottswood-hotel
"I did not understand until two or three days afterward that he (Surratt) had gone to Richmond. He went on the 29th of March and returned on
the 3rd of April".
Louis J. Wiechmann
"I accordingly left home for Richmond, and arrived safely on the Friday evening before the evacuation of that city. On my arrival I went to the Spotswood Hotel, where I was told that Mr. Benjamin, then Secretary of War, wanted to see me."
John Surratt
____________________________________________________________
Then on April 28,1865 Brigadier General, Thomas Munford (C.S.A.) wrote the following to Lieutenant- Colonel Dorsey, commander of the 1st Maryland
Cavalry.
Cloverdale; Botetourt,Va. April 28,...
" I have just learned from Captain Emack that your gallant band was moving up the valley in response to my call."
Why does Brig.General, Munford refer to George as Captain Emack and not Major Emack? .
____________________________________________________________
During his absence, George's mother made these entries to her diary...
April 10, 1865
"General Lee was defeated at Petersburg. George's Company joined in the last assault. So it is told, but we do not know it from him. We do not know where he is at present"
"We yearn for news of George"
April 28, 1865
" George's Company has moved into the Shenandoah Valley"
" George is not among them"
Margaret Emack
____________________________________________________________
In September of 1866 George wrote to his sister Eudora from New Orleans, Louisiana.
My Dear Dora,
When you write home, give my love to Father and Mother. It has been a very long time since I have heard from Mother. Her letters will be anxiously looked for".
George
__________________________________________________________
https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/bs-md-end-of-civil-war-20150407-story.html
RE: Tidwell revisited - RJNorton - 11-19-2020 05:41 AM
Joe, welcome to the forum and thank you for your post. For those of us who aren't knowledgeable on the topics you cite...would it be possible to post a short summary of the main points you are trying to make? Thanks, Joe.
RE: Tidwell revisited - McCastle - 11-19-2020 07:45 AM
(11-19-2020 05:41 AM)RJNorton Wrote: Joe, welcome to the forum and thank you for your post. For those of us who aren't knowledgeable on the topics you cite...would it be possible to post a short summary of the main points you are trying to make? Thanks, Joe.
Thanks to you as well, and good morning.
My rather lengthy post is an attempt to create a timeline of events concerning Confederate Captain George Malcom Emack and his involvement from the very beginning of the Civil War at T.B., until the time of the assassination when he is accused of being the notorious blockade runner Augustus Howell. Everything in between are pieces of that puzzle. While researching this, the timeline of events at Dr Mudd's house in September of 1861 began to correlate with with the stabbing of "General Walker" at T.B., not far from Surratt's Tavern. Each portion of my post contains a link with the source of the information. There are a few that I'll need to add.
The two main topics are to determine if Captain Emack is actually Confederate spy Augustus Howell, and if the stabbing in September
of 1861 was the reason why the Gwynn brothers fled to Dr. Mudd's.
Though some experienced in the assassination will recognize much of the information contained in my post, it is an awful lot to absorb for others. Whether my assumptions are correct or not, I find both topics very compelling and worthy of investigation.
Thanks again,
Joe
RE: Tidwell revisited - Steve - 11-20-2020 03:40 AM
Joe, I also want to welcome you to the Forum as well.
I had never heard of the theory that "Augustus Howell" was an alias before. I never looked into background beyond the trial record before. Unfortunately, right now I've had to stop paying for my research related website subscriptions due to a money crunch caused by the pandemic, so my research wings have been clipped for right now. Joe, if you can stay watching the Forum into next year, I could look into what I can find about Howell sometime early next year.
Joe, a really quick way to test to see if Emack and Howell are the same person is to see if "Augustus Howell" turns up in any pre-Civil War records. If Howell is an alias, he shouldn't. Also if anybody on the Forum can get ahold of Dave Taylor, because of his research into the lives of people connect ed to the trial, he might have more information on Howell.
RE: Tidwell revisited - Steve - 11-20-2020 04:45 AM
There's one event in which Augustus Howell appears in records before the trial and his stay with the Surratts that I'm aware of which should be added to your timeline of events. On October 24, 1862 Augustus Howell and five other men were apprehended by the Union schooner Mathew Vassar trying to row to Virginia. The men claimed to be trying to join the Confederate Army but they also tried to destroy numerous papers on them before they were captured. Here's a link to the relevant record:
https://books.google.com/books?id=y1lKAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA136&lpg=PA136&dq=onepage&q=%22Augustus%20Howell%22&f=false
I don't know how long Howell was held by Union authorities before he was released. So, I don't know if this conflicts with Emack's time period at Libby Prison or not.
Good luck with your research, Joe!
RE: Tidwell revisited - McCastle - 11-20-2020 08:51 AM
(11-20-2020 04:45 AM)Steve Wrote: There's one event in which Augustus Howell appears in records before the trial and his stay with the Surratts that I'm aware of which should be added to your timeline of events. On October 24, 1862 Augustus Howell and five other men were apprehended by the Union schooner Mathew Vassar trying to row to Virginia. The men claimed to be trying to join the Confederate Army but they also tried to destroy numerous papers on them before they were captured. Here's a link to the relevant record:
https://books.google.com/books?id=y1lKAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA136&lpg=PA136&dq=onepage&q=%22Augustus%20Howell%22&f=false
I don't know how long Howell was held by Union authorities before he was released. So, I don't know if this conflicts with Emack's time period at Libby Prison or not.
Good luck with your research, Joe!
Thanks Steve,
I have looked for Augustus Howell in the First Maryland Artillery C.S.A. and found a Gustavus Howell. That might be him. Thank you also for the link to the additional info on Howell's arrest. This is interesting due to the prisoners statements that Emack was receiving news from inside the Federal lines of Washington. His father smuggled the newspapers out of the city but not to Richmond. I'm pretty sure that George was doing more than just guarding prisoners. He was most likely meeting his father at at the Potomac River. Also, Howell and Emack were arrested on the same mail route. Emack at Pleasant Springs, when he gave the name Howell, and a man who gave the name Augustus Howell was arrested carrying mail at nearby Upper Marlboro MD.
Thanks again... any help is always appreciated.
RE: Tidwell revisited - Susan Higginbotham - 11-21-2020 11:24 AM
When I researched "Hanging Mary," I found that Augustus Howell was buried in 1869 in Congressional Cemetery under the name of Gustavus Howell. There is a hotel keeper by that name in the 1860 census in Aquasco, Prince Georges County, Maryland, and a boy by that name in the 1850 census living with a Joseph and Evelina Jenkins in Bryantown, Charles County, Maryland. It would be interesting to know if there was a connection between those Jenkinses and Mary Surratt's family.