A Finger in Lincoln's Brain

[STS Lincolnite]

(03-27-2015 10:17 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  The author notes that if Mary Lincoln had not "humiliated Julia Grant, Grant's military escort would undoubtedly have prevented Booth from entering the vestibule." This entry is from page 59. The conclusion being, of course, that Lincoln would not have been shot that evening.

That is a pretty large conclusion to draw considering the evidence and variables.

Booth initially believed that Grant would be in attendance at the theater that night. He was a resourceful man and would have surely taken the possibility of a military escort into consideration and planned for it. Heck, he may even have thought he could waltz right by any escort because he was the famous actor John Wilkes Booth. And who knows, maybe he could have. As he said, his face was his passport.

I also don't think that if Grant had attended, him having a military escort is a foregone conclusion. If I recall (and I think it was addressed previously on this forum), Grant had on at least one prior occasion attended the theater, and on that night he had no military escort.

I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable assigning blame for Lincoln's death on Mary whether her actions lead to Grant declining the invitation to attend or not. The blame falls squarely on Booth.

I will read this book at sometime in the future and hopefully will have more context by which to properly evaluate the conclusions that are drawn.