Louis Weichmann

[Pamela]

I"ll study Lee when I want to walk around with a migraine. When he comes to mind, I think of the oath (sworn before God and country) he violated after graduating at the top or near the top of his class from West Point, and that had he applied his (apparently) military genius to the Union, as Lincoln asked him to, the war would have been much shorter, Lincoln wouldn't have been assassinated, these fools wouldn't have swung from the gallows or gone to the dry Tortugas, and maybe 300,000 lives or so would have been saved. And I'm not into the military campaigns and generals--I prefer bonnets to battles. I hope I never have to look at another painting of Lee the noble aristocratic general--what are there, hundreds of them?

And then there's that annoying quote of his-"It is well that war is so terrible lest we should grow too fond of it." To me, he was a man on a head trip, enjoying his power to be able to order men to their deaths and all the while being revered by those same men. Geesh. Lee also makes me think of his buddies in the slavocracy, lording over their slaves, creating mulatto children with their sex slaves and then acting like they didn't know where they came from. Aren't you sorry you brought that up, Laurie?

Please, God judge me not Southern enthusiasts.

I remember some of the information you posted about the Tribune when I first started reading Lincoln books. I find that interesting.

Jenny, I'm glad you're enjoying this thread. One of the many slurs cast his way is the notion that Weichmann provided prisoner information from his job, to the rebels. I believe that came from Augustus Howell, a notorious blockade runner, liar, and friend of the Surratts, and from conspirator Sam Arnold, who got it from assassin and liar Booth. How in the world would these operators been able to pass up a juicy plum like Weichmann's place of employment with the Dept of Prisoners? They couldn't--it was too perfect, Booth could impress Arnold, who was never going to meet and converse with Weichmann, so the story was safe. Howell tried to chip away at Weichmann the witness during the trial (and completely failed). Booth and the Surratts also stole the Father Menu letter and either Booth or Surratt commissioned the phony Clara letter to compromise Weichmann.