Assassination Trivia

[Steve Whitlock]

(01-21-2021 06:38 AM)Steve Wrote:  

(01-20-2021 03:30 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:  I have a newsclip that says Dr C. D. Gatch was in uniform, and another that says he wasn't. Meanwhile, here are a couple more photos of him in uniform. The first is the same photo, but larger, that I already showed, and the 2nd is a full body look of him in uniform, from "Descendants of Godfrey Gatch" by Virginia Gatch Markham. C. D. Gatch is in the OH 1860 census as a physician, and in the 1863 U.S. Civil War Draft Reg. records (as a physician). Another record says he was the Assistant Regimental Surgeon, 89th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Reg't.

Some of the remarks, made 40 years later, by Oliver Gatch, don't ring true, as in his claim that Charles was the first doctor to reach Lincoln, that being Dr. Leale; nevertheless, he does appear to have served as a physician during the Civil War, but I haven't found him in a company roster so far. Most telling, to me, is the newsclip the day after the assassination that names him in attendance at Lincoln's bedside. Why would he have been mentioned if not there?

I also have a city directory that shows Dr. C. D. Gatch, but this is enough evidence to show he was a physician, prior to and during the Civil War. Was he in uniform at Ford's theatre is in question, as regards your initial query for the statement of Clara Harris.

In my earlier post I meant since Oliver Gatch says they were admitted to the box by the guard/Maj. Rathbone in his accounts, C. D. Gatch couldn't be the "Naval Surgeon" described in her affidavit climbing up into the box. Contract surgeons did often wore uniforms when at work.

A famous contract surgeon, Mary Walker the only woman to win the Medal of Honor, wore one. Also it escaped my mind before, but Morgan's Raid passed through Ohio in July 1863 and if Dr. Gatch was still under contract he could've been pulled into field duty then. Camp Dennison was targeted but later bypassed during the raid.

Here's the documents which show Dr. Gatch's continuing presence in Ohio:

-An 1862 petition Dr. Gatch signed, as a citizen, concerning a chaplin appointment to Secretary of War Stanton


-An 27 August 1862 newspaper notice published in the Cincinnati Comercial Tribune praising the former boss of the Camp Dennison Hospital Department


-The 1863 draft registration which you already posted above

-This 1864 Ohio business directory. I had to crop it to make it fit as an attachment, but Dr. Gatch is listed under "Druggists"


Also I found a copy of Oliver Gatch's orders returning him to his unit dated April 14, 1865 - proving he's in Washington DC along with his brother


I'll send a few of the Oliver Gatch newspaper accounts, to Roger to post, from 1907-09; they sort of conflict with themselves along with the accounts of the others at the box.

Steve Williams,

Great work, Steve! I'm also adding the pages from the link you sent. They are easier to read, for me anyway.

I'm also adding the obit for Dr. C.D. Gatch. The Oliver Gatch story came out 40 yrs later, but the 1870 obit also mentions him finding the wound for Lincoln, and making a fatal prognosis, which conflicts with Dr. Leale's testimony that he did those things. I wonder whether Oliver told the 1870 newspaper reporter that Charles was the one. Oliver never mentions Dr. Leale, who has the better corroboration.