Did Rathbone get blamed?

[calebj123]

Henry was never officially blamed for allowing Lincoln to get shot. He did however internalize this belief and blame himself. Friends stated that he would constantly bring up the matter and state that others thought it was his fault, but his friends reassured him this was not true. Rathbone could not stop the ruminations from playing over and over again in his mind and during conversations not related to the assassination, he would bring it up. It was a constant thought he carried with him and he couldn't escape other reminders either. Such as his oldest son sharing Lincoln's birthday and the family lived across the street in direct view of the White House. This could be one reason Henry and his family spent more time in Europe in later years. And yes Laurie, it's my belief that Henry suffered from PTSD. His symptoms of depression, paranoia and anxiety are all major indicators. To drill down even further Henry probably suffered from Survivor's Guilt. This was just recently added as a component of PTSD. The disorder itself is constantly evolving as researchers and doctors learn more about it.

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Also, one quick note on Mallon's Henry and Clara. I know he did a fair amount of research and I've heard his book is wonderfully written. I have not read it however as I didn't want to be influenced by any information that was fiction. He took quite a few liberties in order to create a better story, one big one for instance was he made Henry older than Clara, however in real life it was the opposite. Clara was two years older. I see Mallon's book as movie based on a true story. It's a wonderfully romanticized version of the facts.