What Was The Role of David Herold

[BettyO]

I agree, Laurie. Now that we know that Powell was engaged to be married, I too think that he was headed North to the Bransons.....

[Matt Macoubrie]

I like to claim that Herold was Booth's right hand man! Besides setting up appointments, he knew the Virginian landscape very well, which helped Booth when trying to escape after assassinating Lincoln. I like to call him the "Google Maps"!

[Laurie Verge]

That's a good way of putting it, except that Herold's expertise was the Southern Maryland portion of the route. There is no evidence that he ever had traveled into the Norther Neck of Virginia. Of course, the fugitives got a much better reception in Southern Maryland than they got in Virginia - maybe because of Herold being known by many of them. The Virginians on the other hand had experienced a much worse Civil War than the Marylanders had and were probably very leery of anyone showing up on their doorsteps that they had not met previously.

[BettyO]

Quote:The Virginians on the other hand had experienced a much worse Civil War than the Marylanders had and were probably very leery of anyone showing up on their doorsteps that they had not met previously.

Yes, I think that the Virginians were more or less a bit more wary than Marylanders regarding strangers. There is also nothing to insinuate that Davey had ever even been into Virginia before. He was a slick talker, though and yes, Matt - I (and others as well) appreciate your views on his character. He wasn't an idiot - he was a sly fox!

[RJNorton]

When I think of Theodore Roscoe I think of his book titled The Web of Conspiracy. But he also wrote another, much shorter book titled The Lincoln Assassination, April 14, 1865. On. p. 84 of that book Roscoe writes that David Herold said that Booth had 35 accomplices. Does anyone know what the source is for Herold saying this number?

[BettyO]

Hmmm - I have that book as well. Remember that Powell said that "They haven't caught the one half of them yet..." Interesting. Wonder what both boys meant? And yes, why the number of 35 -

[John Stanton]

IMO Herold did not have an explicit job in the assassination. He "Helped" where he could. Maybe, an "observer-reporter". But he was "hired" 0riginally, to take the abduction party down the "Bumpy Oak Road". Who else would have know that route? That was critical to finding Indiantown Farm.

[L Verge]

I don't remember ever seeing any author except Roscoe use that figure or statement. I have often wondered where he got it because it is not in the Herold statement in the War Department files. There has been a persistent rumor that Herold wrote a second confession during recesses in the trial, but that confession has never been found - if it truly existed.

Perhaps Herold was estimating the amount of Secret Line agents that were prepared to help in the escape during both plots. While I believe that people high in the Confederate command were involved at least in the kidnap plot, I certainly would not call them accomplices - more like planners to me. And, if we want to accept the belief that part of Mosby's Rangers under Garland Smith were assisting in St. Mary's County, that could add up.

In reference to the latter, I have always meant to find where William Burtles lived. We know that it was in the opposite direction of Col. Cox and closer to the St. Mary's County line. I have wondered - since that was the first place that Booth and Herold asked Oswell Swann to take them -- if the fugitives were considering an escape into Virginia via St. Mary's County and then into either the Patuxent or Wicomico Rivers and a lower crossing of the Potomac.

[Gene C]

Perhaps Booth felt Herold was waivoring in his help and support, so he lied to Herold about how many people were involved in order to keep him in the plot.
He tried that with Arnold, O'Laughlen, Lewis Paine (and Samuel Chester-?)

Then again, if you count everyone in Richmond and Montreal that knew of the plot, there could be up to 25 (or more)

[L Verge]

Agreed, Gene. I would just like to know where Roscoe found Herold's statement about 35 people. Also, start counting the number of people who helped the fugitives along the route, got pulled in and questioned, but were never put on trial. That's a goodly amount.

[RJNorton]

(12-29-2012 06:06 PM)L Verge Wrote:  An assassination topic that seems to have no clear answer is: What was the role of David Herold on the night of April 14, 1865? Was he to chaperone Lewis Powell? Keep an eye on Atzerodt? Guide Booth?

Members of the Surratt Society will be treated to an extensive article on this subject in the upcoming February issue of the Courier. The author is John Fazio, who I believe is a member of this forum. Mr. Fazio is a lawyer and lays out the scenario and his thoughts in gunshot blasts.

Anyone want to chime in here on his/her opinions and then compare them in about a month when the Courier goes out to members? Did Herold accompany Powell? Did he desert Powell? Was he a point man to see that others carried through and report to Booth? Thoughts???

Kudos to John Fazio for his excellent article. This is an extremely difficult topic due to a scarcity of real evidence. I do not ever recall reading an article like this that tries to nail down what Herold did and did not do in Washington on April 14th in this sort of detail. I think John did an amazing job.

[Gene C]

What article?

[RJNorton]

Gene, it's in the February Surratt Courier, pp. 3-17.

[BettyO]

I have revised Alias to reflect the new findings in the 2nd edition. I no longer believe the old canard that Herold accompanied Powell to Seward's House -

[Hess1865]

That was a great article about Herold in the Courier!!!