Thomas F. Harney

[L Verge]

Rick Smith brought me lunch today (Southern gentleman that he is), and we were discussing Harney's mission and a report that Col. Edward Ripley made in his post-war memoirs about his experience on April 4 after setting up headquarters in Richmond near the Confederate Torpedo Bureau. I believe that Ripley's unit was the first Union group to occupy the evacuated city.

According to Ripley, he interviewed a Confederate enlisted man who worked at the Torpedo Bureau and wanted to report a strange project at the Bureau. The man's name was William Snyder, and he said that a special mission had been dispatched by Gen. Rains that was aimed at the head of the Yankee government. Snyder wanted Lincoln warned, but could give no further information (names, etc.) because the mission was top secret. Ripley believed Snyder enough to arrange for him to visit Lincoln on board the Malvern in the James River. One hitch - Snyder had to write out his concerns and could not meet face-to-face with the President. Lincoln is said to have dismissed the warning

I believe that Harney's trip began on April 2, so Ripley's story would fit timelines perfectly. Hall, Tidwell, Gaddy, Steers, and others always wanted to find proof to link Harney, Rains, and Booth together. Steers covers this on pages 90-91 of Blood on the Moon. Come Retribution goes into more detail on Harney, Rains, and Snyder on pages 419-421.