What are you reading now?

[BettyO]

David's two alma maters were Georgetown College and the prestigious Rittenhouse Academy - both of which would not have put up with Mr. Herold if he were the "dimwit" that he is portrayed as.

Agreed! Amen, Sister Laurie -- Davey may have been more than somewhat immature, but not stupid in any way -

[L Verge]

David's two alma maters were Georgetown College and the prestigious Rittenhouse Academy - both of which would not have put up with Mr. Herold if he were the "dimwit" that he is portrayed as.

Agreed! Amen, Sister Laurie -- Davey may have been more than somewhat immature, but not stupid in any way -

My family knew him and said that living as the only boy with seven sisters and a mother was hard on him. I have often wondered if the "dimwit" testimony didn't derive from people who knew him, felt sorry for him, and were trying to spare his life by giving such testimony. Attempts were certainly made to suggest that Powell's constipation was a sign of insanity, and they even counted the bumps on Dr. Mudd's head to try and establish deviant behavior.

[RJNorton]

Laurie, that mistake on Herold dates all the way back to Oldroyd. He wrote Herold attended Charlotte Hall (bottom of p. 135).

[L Verge]

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll stop blaming Mrs. Campbell. I have a vested interest in Charlotte Hall because I am the first generation of one side of my family to not attend the school since the late-1700s. That was because I was a girl before it went co-ed. It has now gone out of existence.

Years ago, I spoke with Dr. Henry Guyther, who wrote a book on the school's history, and he agreed that neither Herold nor Surratt is listed on the many rosters over the years. The Civil War years are missing, but we can account for where both of the young men were during that period.

The school was very Confederate, and a number of the young cadets ran away one night to slip across the river to join Maryland units that were forming in Virginia. My great uncle, Charlie Braddock, was one of them, and he never came home. His mother kept a lantern in her parlor window until the day she died hoping that he would make it home. It wasn't until I met James O. Hall that we found out that Charlie made it to the last days of the war, but was killed in the fighting around Weldon Railroad. We don't know where he's buried, but there is a memorial stone for him in the family cemetery - with a Confederate marker.

[Thomas Kearney]

I'm currently reading the Screenplay I am writing for my new project, titled "Ford's". I don't think it counts as a Lincoln book.

[HerbS]

Good for you Tom!

[Thomas Kearney]

[undefined=undefined]

Good for you Tom!

Thanks, Herb. I just started writing the opening scene. I need more information about the performance of "The Hole In The Wall" starring Laura Keene, which was playing at Ford's Theater the night before the assassination. If anyone on the forum is willing to help, please PM me.

[L Verge]

Tom Bogar would be the first one to approach about this. There are also several biographies written on Keene that might mention the play.

[Jenny]

As of today, Wild Bill's The Last Confederates Heroes is in my hot little hands. I've been meaning to get this book forever and I am already thoroughly enjoying it!!

[Tom Bogar]

[undefined=undefined]

Good for you Tom!

Thanks, Herb. I just started writing the opening scene. I need more information about the performance of "The Hole In The Wall" starring Laura Keene, which was playing at Ford's Theater the night before the assassination. If anyone on the forum is willing to help, please PM me.

Tom, I have never heard of a play by that name. On April 13, 1865, Laura Keene performed Tom Taylor's comedy, The Story of Peggy the Actress, about actress Peg Woffington, a role Keene loved to play. It was also sometimes called Masks and Faces.

[Eva Elisabeth]

"Hole in the Wall" is an air published in Playford’s Dancing Master, 1725, but probably dates even back to ~1700. The melody appears in Henry Purcell’s Abdelazar suite (beautiful - worth checking the link!):
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TUxbcJIOHNY

[Thomas Thorne]

I am reading the British soldier, G.F.R. Henderson's 1898 classic "Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War."

I can see why it is considered the best pro Jackson book. But some of Henderson's facts are at variance with accepted history. e.g. Henderson wrote that Robert E Lee was Commander in Chief of the Confederate armies in the spring of 1862, before he assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia. In reality Lee served during this period as a military adviser to Jefferson Davis.

In addition Henderson, a very professional soldier, had the naive pre WW1 belief that modern military staffs were so talented that military catastrophes were a thing of the past.

Tom

[HerbS]

Wild Bill's book is an excellent read! He has done a tremendous job of precise research.

[BettyO]

Wild Bill's book is an excellent read! He has done a tremendous job of precise research.

I agree, Herb! It's the BEST Lincoln assassination novel out there - the research and writing is phenomenal!

[Gene C]

We have a very nice library book sale in my town twice a year, with the summer one being the biggest. If you are a "Friend of the Library", which only cost $10 a year, you get to attend the book sale a day earlier than the general public. Most of the books are donated, but everything I purchased this year was a former library book, and they had a very wide selection. Most libraries have these sales as a way to make money, and you can frequently find some interesting books.

I purchased six books and spent a total of $6. 5 of the 6 were hardcover.
Washington's Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade
Diary of a Christian Soldier - Rufus Kinsley & the Civil War by David Rankin
Lovejoy, Martyr to Freedom by Paul Simon
True Crime in the Civil War by Tobin Buhk
Faith in the Fight - Civil War Chaplains
Herndon's Informants by William Herndon (another classic $1 find)

If you like to read, take advantage of these sales. You never know what you may find. If after you read it, you don't care to keep it, donate it back. You can usually find a list of these sales on the internet
http://booksalefinder.com/