Time for a memorial honoring Boston Corbett?

[J. Beckert]

I think the important thing about the Richter/Smith article is that for the first time, it was shown how easy it could have been for Booth to have shot himself. No one had yet thought of the very simple way Booth could have easily inverted the pistol and done this without being a contortionist as most, if not all folks had speculated he had to be. The photo in the article clearly shows this.

Not to be disparaging towards the excellent work of Dr. Lattimer, but I remember seeing him in a video holding a gun in the traditional manner and insisting Booth couldn't have shot himself. Had Booth been holding the pistol in that manner, Dr. Lattimer may have been right. Booth however, was very familiar with firearms and by witness accounts, was an excellent shot. Shooting at a gallery in Washington (or Boston?), it was said he could shoot behind his back almost as good as he could shoot facing the target. No mention was made of how he was holding the gun, but it could have very well been in the manner stated.

Marry that to the fact he told a party on his escape that he would kill himself before they took him, the fact he was recently disgusted by witnessing Confederate Troops being paraded through Washington and was looking at the same ride himself, the autopsy report itself that supports that his injury was "downward and to the rear" - as it would be if he inverted the gun and I think he did kill himself.

Corbett's shot would have been hard to make and I think looking at only the circumstantial evidence, it tips towards Booth rather than a mentally impaired zealot.