Ruggles. Bainbridge and Jett at the River

[SSlater]

Ruggles, Bainbridge and Jett did not [b"]find"[/b]John Wilkes Booth at the Rappahannock River, because there never was a concerted effort by the Confederate Secret Service to find John Wilkes Booth - he was never missing, lost, or in need of help. After the assassination, he had a need for the "Secret Line" so he jumped in and used the Line. He was able to move South with ease. He got a little lost between Dr. Mudd and Samuel Cox, but Swann resolved that and he arrived at Rich Hill, as expected. The only reference that I can find where there is a mention of "finding Booth" is at C.R. Pg 448 that says " One can speculate, almost to a certainty, that word was passed around among key members of the underground to be on the lookout for Booth. More simple said would be "Booth will be here any day now. Do what you can for him.

Thus Ruggles Bainbridge and Jett, or anyone else, were never ordered " to find Booth." Their meeting at the river was mere coincidence.

in summation there is no need to search for who was it that ordered a search for Booth. - it never happened.

[SSlater]

[quote='SSlater' pid='63504' dateline='1485146246']
Ruggles, Bainbridge and Jett did not [b"]find"[/b]John Wilkes Booth at the Rappahannock River, because there never was a concerted effort by the Confederate Secret Service to find John Wilkes Booth - he was never missing, lost, or in need of help. After the assassination, he had a need for the "Secret Line" so he jumped in and used the Line. He was able to move South with ease. He got a little lost between Dr. Mudd and Samuel Cox, but Swann resolved that and he arrived at Rich Hill, as expected. The only reference that I can find where there is a mention of "finding Booth" is at C.R. Pg 448 that says " One can speculate, almost to a certainty, that word was passed around among key members of the underground to be on the lookout for Booth. More simple said would be "Booth will be here any day now. Do what you can for him.

Thus Ruggles Bainbridge and Jett, or anyone else, were never ordered " to find Booth." Their meeting at the river was mere coincidence.

in summation there is no need to search for who was it that ordered a search for Booth. - it never happened.
[/quote
I forgot to add an item for your amusement. to wit: Frank Stringfellow was moving down the Secret Line at the same time that Booth was, and crossed the Potomac the same night as Booth, from Thomas Jones' farm. Stringfellow left Washington about April 1, but was captured and escaped and had other problems that delayed him. I was able to establish this with "Weather Reports" shown in the Gunboat Logs and Stringfellows's own story in "Stringfellow of the Fourth" (Not important but interesting.)

[JMadonna]

I was under the impression that Stringfellow moved north through Baltimore after his escape. How did you determine he moved South.

[LincolnMan]

Mortimer Ruggles-- one of the Michigan connections to the Lincoln assassination story. Born at Fort Wilkins in Michigan's U.P.
Served in Confederate Army.
Died in New York...

[L Verge]

(01-23-2017 05:49 PM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Mortimer Ruggles-- one of the Michigan connections to the Lincoln assassination story. Born at Fort Wilkins in Michigan's U.P.
Served in Confederate Army.
Died in New York...

Within the past decade, a member of the Surratt Society found his unmarked grave and arranged to have it marked.

[L Verge]

(01-23-2017 09:21 AM)JMadonna Wrote:  I was under the impression that Stringfellow moved north through Baltimore after his escape. How did you determine he moved South.

I hope that John Stanton will pick up on your question and give a detailed answer. Otherwise, I am going to have to pull an old Surratt Courier out of the files.

About twenty years ago, I did a small article on Stringfellow and a piece of correspondence (or section from memoirs) in which he gives a description of heading south out of the city -- and it almost seems that he is describing Mrs. Surratt as his guide.

[LincolnMan]

(01-23-2017 06:23 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(01-23-2017 05:49 PM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Mortimer Ruggles-- one of the Michigan connections to the Lincoln assassination story. Born at Fort Wilkins in Michigan's U.P.
Served in Confederate Army.
Died in New York...

Within the past decade, a member of the Surratt Society found his unmarked grave and arranged to have it marked.

Very cool! What a great thing. A Confederate marker then?

[L Verge]

(01-23-2017 07:42 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(01-23-2017 09:21 AM)JMadonna Wrote:  I was under the impression that Stringfellow moved north through Baltimore after his escape. How did you determine he moved South.

I hope that John Stanton will pick up on your question and give a detailed answer. Otherwise, I am going to have to pull an old Surratt Courier out of the files.

About twenty years ago, I did a small article on Stringfellow and a piece of correspondence (or section from memoirs) in which he gives a description of heading south out of the city -- and it almost seems that he is describing Mrs. Surratt as his guide.

Here is an interesting article on Stringfellow for those who may not be familiar with the gentleman: http://www.myhenrycounty.com/frank-stringfellow3.php

[SSlater]

(01-23-2017 08:24 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(01-23-2017 07:42 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(01-23-2017 09:21 AM)JMadonna Wrote:  I was under the impression that Stringfellow moved north through Baltimore after his escape. How did you determine he moved South.

I hope that John Stanton will pick up on your question and give a detailed answer. Otherwise, I am going to have to pull an old Surratt Courier out of the files.

About twenty years ago, I did a small article on Stringfellow and a piece of correspondence (or section from memoirs) in which he gives a description of heading south out of the city -- and it almost seems that he is describing Mrs. Surratt as his guide.

Here is an interesting article on Stringfellow for those who may not be familiar with the gentleman: http://www.myhenrycounty.com/frank-stringfellow3.php

Thank you Laurie, for your post. It verifies all that I was about to say. JMADONNA's conclusion is easy to understand - if all you have read is COME RETRIBUTION[/i] ( pg. 412 ) The next line after "Stringfellow escaped on April 4," is "Ultimately Stringfellow made his way to Canada." Unfortunately, this leaves out some good reading.
There is a lot of good stuff on GOOGLE, this some good coverage from about 5 years ago. (Maybe RJN can tell us how to recover it.

Let me add another Item that I always attempt to bring up when we talk about Stringfellow. Frank and Emma had a son who he named JOHN STANTON STRINGFELLOW. Yes indeed! (I'M grinning ear to ear.)

[RJNorton]

John, I am not sure what you are looking for, but we had another thread on Stringfellow here.

[L Verge]

(01-23-2017 07:42 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(01-23-2017 09:21 AM)JMadonna Wrote:  I was under the impression that Stringfellow moved north through Baltimore after his escape. How did you determine he moved South.

I hope that John Stanton will pick up on your question and give a detailed answer. Otherwise, I am going to have to pull an old Surratt Courier out of the files.

About twenty years ago, I did a small article on Stringfellow and a piece of correspondence (or section from memoirs) in which he gives a description of heading south out of the city -- and it almost seems that he is describing Mrs. Surratt as his guide.

Finally had a chance to find the 1999 article that I did for the Surratt Courier regarding Benjamin Franklin Stringfellow's departure from D.C. I'll quote the pertinent points from that article:

"When Davis was writing his memoirs in the 1880s, he wrote to Stringfellow for suitable material to include...[Stringfellow wrote to Lee in the fall of 1864 with a proposal to kidnap Gen. August Katz. The plan failed. In February of 1865, he again wrote to Lee with a proposal to kidnap Grant. This one ended up with Jefferson Davis. By March 1, Stringfellow was on his way to Washington, posing as a student of dentistry. Why D.C.? Grant was in City Point near Richmond.]

"Stringfellow did not include his March 1865 mission in his report since Davis was already aware of it... He did offer enough information, however, to set us speculating. He tells of staying a few days at the Kirkwood House...[home to VP Andrew Johnson] and of being in constant contact with an officer 'occupying an important position' with Mr. Lincoln. He relates that his dentistry cover worked well and that he actually obtained a dental license within four weeks of arriving in Washington in hopes of using it to allow unhampered travel in the area. However, his plans changed abruptly, and he left Washington on April 1, 1865, for no explained reason. He headed through southern Maryland toward the lower Potomac crossing into Virginia. He had help, as he explains:

'Leaving the city of Washington by the aid of a person whose name is linked in
the history of these last dark days, I went some twelve miles the first evening.'

Twelve miles the first evening would put him at (or very near to) the Surratts' country home (now our museum), which continued to be a Confederate safehouse.
Could his aid...refer to help from Mrs. Surratt?"

In his testimony at the John Surratt trial in 1867, Weichmann describes Mrs. Surratt being at home on the morning of April 1, 1865, when he left for work, but not there when he returned from work. She arrived shortly thereafter in a buggy driven by her brother, John Zadoc Jenkins. Could the two have been on a mission to get Stringfellow to Charles County and across to Virginia?

Coincidentally, April 1, 1865, is also the day that Booth left D.C., telling Atzerodt that he was going to Canada.

The bulk of this article came from the research of James O. Hall.

[JMadonna]

'Coincidentally, April 1, 1865, is also the day that Booth left D.C., telling Atzerodt that he was going to Canada.'

Am I correct in assuming there is no record of Booth actually going to Canada?

[RJNorton]

(01-25-2017 08:51 PM)JMadonna Wrote:  'Coincidentally, April 1, 1865, is also the day that Booth left D.C., telling Atzerodt that he was going to Canada.'

Art Loux's book is confusing on this (regarding what city Booth departed for on April 1). On p. 192 it says, "On April 1 Booth took the afternoon train for New York." But on p. 206 it says, "Booth left Washington for Baltimore on the afternoon train."

[SSlater]

(01-26-2017 08:03 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(01-25-2017 08:51 PM)JMadonna Wrote:  'Coincidentally, April 1, 1865, is also the day that Booth left D.C., telling Atzerodt that he was going to Canada.'

Art Loux's book is confusing on this (regarding what city Booth departed for on April 1). On p. 192 it says, "On April 1 Booth took the afternoon train for New York." But on p. 206 it says, "Booth left Washington for Baltimore on the afternoon train."

Talking to Atzerodt is like talking to the "Town Crier". Your plans are all over town in an hour. (Was that what Booth's wanted?)
Booth had to go to Baltimore first (to visit relatives) and continue on to New York and Canada. The stop in Boston is my "unkown".
Did the people in Canada come to him?. Did he give up his mission?
or was he running so late that he gave up seeking reinstatement to the position as "number one assassin". ( There is a "cover story " available about his visit in Boston, to his Pharmacist Buddy.) That' Baloney! (Will we ever know it all?)

[JMadonna]

(01-26-2017 04:47 PM)SSlater Wrote:  Talking to Atzerodt is like talking to the "Town Crier". Your plans are all over town in an hour. (Was that what Booth's wanted?)
Booth had to go to Baltimore first (to visit relatives) and continue on to New York and Canada. The stop in Boston is my "unkown".
Did the people in Canada come to him?. Did he give up his mission?
or was he running so late that he gave up seeking reinstatement to the position as "number one assassin". ( There is a "cover story " available about his visit in Boston, to his Pharmacist Buddy.) That' Baloney! (Will we ever know it all?)

So are you saying there is a record of him in Canada or are you saying there is a record of him meeting his people from Canada, elsewhere?