Nope - no handsaws for me, thank you!

Although I did learn how to plow with a horse! Now THAT'S hard work - and not just for the horse, either! I took out almost an entire row of tobacco! HA!
I figured if I was going to be writing about things as they were in the Civil War that I might as well experience what went on on the home front! You have to drop the plow when you go around a corner -

A local living history working farm in my area where I used to volunteer let me learn how to plow. Harnessing the horse is the easy part....

Joe mentioned learning new stuff from Betty about Lewis Powell - Surratt members will learn some new things about the gent when they receive their newsletter in January, and those who attend the Surratt conference in March will get even more information. Betty's grand book Alias Paine: Mystery Man of the Lincoln Assassination will hopefully be in its updated second edition by conference time.

Amazon has finally figured out that I'm addicted to Civil War materials. I just received notice of two new books: Rise to Greatness: Abraham Lincoln and America's Most Perilous Year by David Von Drehle (the year was 1862). The second book is The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace by H.W. Brands.

Thanks Joe and Rob. It was super to read that!

Quote:Joe mentioned learning new stuff from Betty about Lewis Powell - Surratt members will learn some new things about the gent when they receive their newsletter in January, and those who attend the Surratt conference in March will get even more information. Betty's grand book Alias Paine: Mystery Man of the Lincoln Assassination will hopefully be in its updated second edition by conference time.

Laurie -

You are much too kind!

There will be more new surprises regarding Mr. Powell AND his Baltimore girlfriends at the Conference - as well as in the January Courier....

My wife paid four dollars for a first print edition of the book Booth and the spirit of Lincoln. I know nothing about it. Anyone familiar with it?

Boy, that's an oldie. Bernie (Bernice) Babcock wrote it early in the 20th century, I think. I read it years ago; and if I remember correctly, it is a fictionalized examination of Finis Bates's escape theories.

Im on chapter 6 of D Miller DeWitt, The Judicial Murder of Mary Surratt. Its slow going as the long sentences loose me from time to time. I am enjoying it though.

David, you are a better person than I. I tried reading The Judicial Murder of Mary Surratt years ago and almost gagged on the Victorian prose! Back then, however, that book and Guy Moore's The Case of Mary Surratt and Helen Jones Campbell's frustrating Case For Mrs. Surratt were about all there was devoted strictly to the lady. Moore's was the best IMO.

Guy Moore is still alive and just renewed his membership in the Surratt Society. I don't have the book in front of me, but I believe that it was published about 1961. It's one of those cases where he chose the subject of Mary Surratt as his master's thesis - at the urging of his wife, who was convinced of Mary's innocence - and the thesis turned into a book. Tim Good's Eyewitness...accounts mentioned in another thread ended up being published the same way.

BTW: Moore ended up considering the Surratt case from both sides, so his wife did not have complete literary control! It was still sympathetic to the lady.

Laurie, I would say that although DeWitt is slow going it's a good sleep aid if you try to read it at night before bed !! I seem to do better when its my morning read. If I can fit it in I can finish it by Friday but only if I tackle it before noon. I do like reading some of the arguments for and against the jurisdiction of the military tribunal. I esp liked Dewitts take on Reverdy Johnsons written argument concerning jurisdiction. Although I am begining to feel I have a good grasp on the events of spring/summer 65, the trial is my last major topic. Like many who get into this Ive put it off till the end. I think Ed Steers trial book is under my Christmas tree. If I can get through that one, I'll let you pat me on the back. LOL.

Just finished Benjamin Thomas "Abraham Lincoln". It was as good as everyone said it is. A great one volume work on Lincoln's entire life. I bought a used copy from the Surratt House for $5. Thanks Laurie!

Now to read his work on Stanton.

David,

Steers's Trial book will be a breeze after Judicial Murder! Ed's book is so good because each conspirator is discussed and his/her trial "musts and don'ts" noted by a variety of contributors before you really tackle the trial transcripts. It helps to make sense of all the judicial jargon.

Evening Friends, What am I reading now? Well by accident I went downtown to pick up tickets for an up coming play. I was told I had to wait an hour before picking up tickets. So stopped into small pawn shop to look around a bit and came across a book named Kennedy and Lincoln by Dr. John Lattimer. The book was written in 1980 and I am sure that many of you have seen or read the book but I have to say I have not put it down yet.A very good read.

I second Gary. In fact I own 3 copies of Dr. Lattimer's book. It is a terrific resource to have on the shelves.

Reading? What's that? Who has time to read?

I'm reading Tarbell's All In the Day's Work, although I would like to read something not related to any writing I'm doing. Saw yesterday that Edmund Morris, author of the trilogy on Teddy Roosevelt, has a new book of collected essays called This Living Hand and Other Essays, so I imagine I'll read it in the near future.

Best
Rob