Program on C-Span this weekend

[L Verge]

I love The Cosgrove Report, pure fiction, but the source notes are worth the price. I would say that both of those novels are thought inspiring -- unlike The Woman Who Loved John Wilkes Booth and The Lincoln Conspiracy, that miserable "classic" from Sunn and its cohorts.

[Gene C]

I remember the Cosgrove Report. Great story, but I was really disappointed in the ending.

[Jenny]

I'm not huge on historical fiction but if you enjoyed this one, Laurie, I suspect it probably would.

[L Verge]

It just dawned on me that I left out one significant character in my synopsis of The Lincoln Deception -- our newspaper reporter, George Alfred Townsend! He was in on the secret too. The author did not have Mr. Townsend character stand with very high standards either.

[RJNorton]

The "secret" seems awfully long and complex for Bingham to blurt out on his deathbed. No wonder he changed his mind!

[L Verge]

Agreed!

[Gene C]

Some interesting stuff on C-Span 3 this weekend (I hope it's interesting)

http://series.c-span.org/History/The-Civil-War/
Revolutionary War Military Kidnappings
The Civil War - Battle of the Crater
The Civil War - Gen A J Smith's Guerrillas and the Battle of Nashivlle
The Civil War - US Colored Troops and the Battle of the Crater

as well as some other interesting stuff. So if your afraid to venture out to visit your local antique store this weekend, all is not lost. You can spend it constructively glued to your tv screen (or taking a well deserved nap)

[LincolnToddFan]

I can't even read about the Crater, let alone see a TV program about it. It sounds like horror beyond imagining.

Thank you Gene.

[Gene C]

Some interesting stuff on C-Span 3 this weekend (I hope it's interesting)

http://series.c-span.org/History/The-Civil-War/
Revolutionary War Military Kidnappings
The Civil War - Battle of the Crater
The Civil War - Gen A J Smith's Guerrillas and the Battle of Nashville
The Civil War - US Colored Troops and the Battle of the Crater

as well as some other interesting stuff.

I watched a large part of the first three programs - lectures. Amazing to see someone take an interesting topic and make it boring.
These three programs fell way below my expectations.
For the most part, the information was poorly presented.

[L Verge]

Too bad you don't live closer to Surratt House, Gene. We had an excellent program -- very well attended also -- on "Sister Soldiers" today. The speaker did a PowerPoint presentation and talked on the women of the Civil War period who chose to disguise themselves as men and serve in the armies both North and South. It is estimated that as many as 1000 women served on both sides.

One interesting lady was Jennie Hodges of New York, an Irish immigrant who "became" Albert Cashier and served in over 40 engagements without ever being found out. After the war, she continued to live as a man and do "manly" jobs. In 1911, she was struck by an automobile, and it was only then that doctors tending her injured leg discovered that she was really a woman.

[SSlater]

I happened upon "Killing Lincoln" today. on National Geographic. If you missed it, you didn't miss anything. It is strange, why doesn't some one know what a Tobacco Barn looks like. Some scenes were sanitized, I guess for little folks - there was no blood on Booth's head rest. (Nice clean pillow). There was no problem showing the conspirators - all close ups are original photographs. The scene in the barn, looked like someone's parlor - all neat and clean. Lots of room to run around in. Right in the middle of one scene, Booth drops. _ no explanation. etc. After the war, Garrett sued the U. S. Government for the personal possessions that burned in the barn. That barn had to be PACKED. There is a report of that of the suit in The Surratt Research Library. They would have been paid, if they could prove that they were loyal to the North. Most of the entire show, was various people Talking about the "incident". ANYONE on the forum could have done better. It was dull.

[LincolnToddFan]

I went on Amazon reviews and made a mildly critical comment about "Killing Lincoln"...that narrator Tom Hanks had made the error of referring to Edwin Stanton as the Secretary of State, and I barely escaped with my life. You'd have thought I was criticizing Shakespeare the way Bill O'Reilly's fan club turned on me!

[Anita]

I can't even read about the Crater, let alone see a TV program about it. It sounds like horror beyond imagining.

Thank you Gene.

Yes Toia, it was gruesome. My great great grandfather Joshua Chapman lost his arm on the first day of the Battle of the Crater. He was a Corporal in the 23rd Georgia Infantry, Co. F.

[BettyO]

Lew Powell's only surviving brother, George, was severely wounded in the leg at the Battle of the Crater. Young Powell and his family believed that he had been killed, but fortunately he survived, though with dibilitating injuries for the rest of his life.

My great great grandfather was also in the battle and survived.

[LincolnToddFan]

Anita and BettyO, how proud you must both be of your ancestors to have survived such a battle.

Honestly, it's so gruesome that whenever I am reading Civil War history I skip through it. Petersburg too.