"Alias Paine"

[Laurie Verge]

Good points, Tom, and some that reiterate what we have said earlier on this forum.

In an effort to outdo "Last Word Wick," (and I am smiling when I say that because I like to have the last word too), we tend to forget about the pre-planning that went into the final act of assassination. Joe Beckert has mentioned this earlier on our forum and recently sent me a personal e-mail: "There was chaos, but it was Booth's brand of chaos. Not sanctioned by a Gov't that was in disarray and not really useful to them, in my opinion. And it was met with a swift and heavy hand. This was a chaos that was basically useless to the CSA. Would a different timing of some chaos, at a different time be more useful? Sure it would, but the claims ring true. Davis did favor guerilla warfare. The Harney mission is an example of a last ditch effort in that respect. That plan was merely weeks before the assassination. All this clearly lands in Booth's lap. All the options that would have availed the CSA at an earlier time were executed a few weeks too late. I place the blame for that on Booth."

Those who study the assassination know that Booth's earlier kidnap scheme was at least the fourth such plot, with the earliest ones dating back to 1862. Then, we must consider that his plans began at least in the summer of 1864 - and during a period when the Confederacy could still have benefitted. Don't put the cart before the horse and start quoting battlefield authors who are explaining what happened after April 9, 1865. Think of what was supposed to happen and how the Confederacy could have benefitted.

Joe feels as Mr. Hall and many other respected scholars in the assassination field do - in the end, Booth became a loose cannon and took it upon himself to carry out the COME RETRIBUTION plan. His hope was that there was still some spark of military and civilian fight left that would ignite a miracle. If not, he had made his point anyhow in denouncing someone that he and many others considered a tyrant.

Sidebars: As to Foster appointing a Secretary of State, if the constitutional procedure were to be followed, wouldn't there have to be Advice and Consent from the Senate - which would consume days?

Also, I note that you again disparage Come Retribution. Two days ago, you admitted that you had not read it. Has that changed? Just for the record, Come Retribution is not my "be all end all" of assassination books to read. However, it forms a solid base along with American Brutus, Blood on the Moon, Sic Semper Tyrannis, and several others that must be considered in order to get a full picture on which to base judgment.