Dave Taylor / Davey Herold Question

[John E.]

Hi Folks,

A few years back, Dave Taylor asked a simple question:

What is the source for Davey Herold accompanying Lewis Powell to Seward's home on April 14, 1865 ?

Forgive me if this has already been revealed but the first source I am aware of came from George L. Porter. Has this already been resolved?
Just for the record - I believe this was an assumption on his part.

John

[RJNorton]

Hi John. Katy of Catoctin (1886) by GATH is considered historical fiction (or a novel), right? But, for what it's worth, here's a small part of what GATH wrote:


"In the mean time Herold had ridden with Payne to the door of the Secretary of State, in an old tall brick house, on a secluded side of the President's green square. At the next corner below, in a brick dwelling, was the headquarters of the commander of the city of Washington, where generally orderlies and horses were to be found ready to take dispatches; but these murderers had chosen a late hour of the night, when the military business was done, and while peace was so far insured that discipline was much relaxed.

Leaping from his horse, Payne handed the bridle to Herold, who sat there with a foolish smirk of dread.

The tall brigand, with perfectly beardless face, and something of an Indian in bearing and in straight black hair, and with a powerful columnar neck and broad chest, walked up to the bell and rang it."

[Linda Anderson]

Hi John. Katy of Catoctin (1886) by GATH is considered historical fiction (or a novel), right? But, for what it's worth, here's a small part of what GATH wrote:


"In the mean time Herold had ridden with Payne to the door of the Secretary of State, in an old tall brick house, on a secluded side of the President's green square. At the next corner below, in a brick dwelling, was the headquarters of the commander of the city of Washington, where generally orderlies and horses were to be found ready to take dispatches; but these murderers had chosen a late hour of the night, when the military business was done, and while peace was so far insured that discipline was much relaxed."

Well, the part about the commander of the city of Washington's headquarters being next door is misleading because the fire at General Augur's headquarters had occurred two weeks before and the headquarters had been moved to a few blocks away. There were only a couple of sentries next door who stayed at their posts when William H. Bell ran to them for help.

The fire was discussed on another thread. I still wonder if the timing had anything to do with the attack on Seward.

http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...adquarters

[Dave Taylor]

John could you post the source for Porter saying Herold escorted Powell? I've seem to forgotten that one.

I'm not sure if this goes along with Porter's version, but Art Loux had pointed out that the July 8th, 1865 edition of the Boston Daily Advertiser included the story:

[John E.]

John could you post the source for Porter saying Herold escorted Powell? I've seem to forgotten that one.

I'm not sure if this goes along with Porter's version, but Art Loux had pointed out that the July 8th, 1865 edition of the Boston Daily Advertiser included the story:

Hi Dave, its on the bottom of page 527 of Porter's "A Tragedy Of A Nation" in the Medico-legal Journal, Volume 18. Porter provides a nice recap of the conspirators and their crimes but there is no telling where he got his information from.



http://books.google.com/books?id=uxgCAAA...er&f=false

I still believe Powell went to the house by himself. Herold probably signaled "All systems go" from Pennsylvania Ave. but I don't believe his plan was to hold Powell's horse or escort him from Seward's home.

Just my opinion.

[Jim Garrett]

I believe that the Powell-Herold action team was probably right. Maybe to Booth, Seward was the second most important target. Seward was an ardent abolitionist and a high value target. Johnson was somewhat on the outs with the administration and was probably the perfect model for the modern VP. Herold was not much more than a unreliable errand boy, and he proved that his best role was as a companion. I think JWB was a good judge of human character and did the best with what he had to work with. He probably felt the assassination of Lincoln and Seward would have the desired effect. If Atzerodt was successful, even better.

[RJNorton]

I posted this before, and a few folks offered opinions but nothing specific regarding a source. I think I'll try again. Mike Kauffman has a different version of Harold/Powell at Seward's than any other author I've seen. In American Brutus, Mr. Kauffman writes:

Lewis Powell and David Herold had already gone to Lafayette Park. The Park superintendent always called out the time as he locked the gate, and as soon as that happened, Powell would approach the Sewards' house. He would knock on the door, and then tell the servant he had medicine to give the secretary. It seemed an excellent plan, but at the last minute a complication arose: one of Seward's doctors was still in the house. Now Powell had to either come up with a new cover story or delay his attack. Since nothing came to mind, he sent Harold galloping away to tell the others to hold off.

Herold then rides to the Kirkwood House in an attempt to tell Atzerodt not to do anything yet.

Has anyone ever read this prior to American Brutus? Could the source possibly be something Powell told Eckert? This scenario is not in any other book I've read.

[BettyO]

Don't know where this came from. I think the bit about the gate (which I've read before) comes from Tanner's book -

I could ask Mike -

[John E.]

I've never seen Mike's version of events anywhere else.

[BettyO]

Me neither. I can ask him - I call him every now and then -

[L Verge]

I've never seen that version either, and I question why there is no note as to the source since he is very meticulous with notations. I suspect this might be another example of speculation that he makes occasionally in his writings.

[MaddieM]

John could you post the source for Porter saying Herold escorted Powell? I've seem to forgotten that one.

I'm not sure if this goes along with Porter's version, but Art Loux had pointed out that the July 8th, 1865 edition of the Boston Daily Advertiser included the story:

Hi Dave, its on the bottom of page 527 of Porter's "A Tragedy Of A Nation" in the Medico-legal Journal, Volume 18. Porter provides a nice recap of the conspirators and their crimes but there is no telling where he got his information from.



http://books.google.com/books?id=uxgCAAA...er&f=false

I still believe Powell went to the house by himself. Herold probably signaled "All systems go" from Pennsylvania Ave. but I don't believe his plan was to hold Powell's horse or escort him from Seward's home.

Just my opinion.

Yeah, me too. If Powell knew enough to find his way back to H Street after spending three days hiding out, then surely he'd know Washington enough to find his way to and from LaFayette Square. Also, isn't it on record that he spent a day or two on 'reccies' sussing out the place.

---

I believe that the Powell-Herold action team was probably right. Maybe to Booth, Seward was the second most important target. Seward was an ardent abolitionist and a high value target. Johnson was somewhat on the outs with the administration and was probably the perfect model for the modern VP. Herold was not much more than a unreliable errand boy, and he proved that his best role was as a companion. I think JWB was a good judge of human character and did the best with what he had to work with. He probably felt the assassination of Lincoln and Seward would have the desired effect. If Atzerodt was successful, even better.

Wasn't Powell Booth's most trusted stalwart and reliable team player? Atzerodt on the other hand was a known drunk. Why then would Booth instruct Herold to ensure Powell did the job, rather than Atzerodt. If he was that good a judge of character?

[BettyO]

I, too believe the same - that Powell knew his way back to the Surratt House sure enough and more or less also knew his way to the Seward House; especially if he was checking the place out over the period of a week while flirting with a maid-servant. I think that Herold was probably the "point man" of the affair....

[Cliff Roberts]

I don't recall whether Powell was ever at the Surratt tavern, but it's always seemed to me that Herold's job was not only to make sure Powell found Seward's home, but then, more importantly, to guide him to the rendezvous point at Surrattsville. Powell's wanderings through rural Washington after finding that Herold had abandoned him are pretty clear evidence that he did not know how reach the Navy Yard Bridge, much less Surrattsville. And where is the evidence that Powell had earlier "cased" the Seward residence? Wasn't it Booth who flirted with the servant girl?

[BettyO]

Robinson in his testimony stated that Powell came to the dining room window on the morning of the assassination to "ask after the health of the secretary."

Mike Kauffman also stated that Powell was flirting with a Seward maid. Powell more or less was not headed to Virginia but Northward; probably to Baltimore.