20 additional prisoners in the Arsenal ???

[RJNorton]

(01-12-2016 05:38 PM)loetar44 Wrote:  Michael W. Kauffman in "American Brutus”, p 331: “So on April 28, Stanton ordered Major James Benton, commanding officer of the arsenal, to ready the prison building. Cells were cleaned and inspected, shuck mattresses were delivered, and a detail was assigned to guard the place. The transfer was made on April 29, when David Herold, Lewis Powell, Mike O’Laughlen, Sam Arnold, Ned Spangler, and JOAO CELESTINO, the sea captain, were led under cover of a latenight downpour to steamer Keyport. The ship took them to the old penitentiary.” Atzerodt ??? Was he transported another date?

Kees, what it says in Roy Chamlee's book is a little different. Chamlee writes, "On April 29, Stanton directed General Hancock to transfer all prisoners on the ships, except Celestino, to the military prison in the Arsenal."

Chamlee's footnote for this reads, "Stanton to Hancock, 29 April 1865, Edwin Stanton Papers, Vol. 26, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress."

In The Lincoln Assassination Conspirators: Their Confinement and Execution, as Recorded in the Letterbook of John Frederick Hartranft authors Steers and Holzer agree with Chamlee. They add that Mary Surratt was transferred during the evening on April 30 and Samuel Mudd on May 4.

John Fazio, in his book, is in agreement as there is no mention of Celestino being moved with the others.

Celestino was indeed transferred to the Arsenal Penitentiary at some point, but other than what Mike K. says, I am not seeing a date so far.