What Was The Role of David Herold

[Laurie Verge]

I must have missed John's post on 2/18. In response, there is no doubt in my mind that John Surratt was #2 man in the kidnap scheme and may well have known that Plan B to kill Lincoln was always a possibility. The point I was making was that Surratt was under the command of the Confederacy, especially during the month of April and especially with Gen. Edwin Lee using him in part of the plan to transfer Confederate gold into Canada. I have always thought the prison camp at Elmira was a ruse. I suspect that there were some Copperheads in northwestern New York that Surratt was in touch with instead.

Anyhow, my point is that - no matter what Surratt knew and when - his obligation was to the Confederacy, not John Wilkes Booth at that point.

Also, I mentioned Fernando Wood because I consider him a very shifty person who shows up early in the Lincoln presidency as the president-elect came through New York. He and the Senator from Texas (whose name I can't think of) who stayed in Congress long enough to cause waves both deserve some study, IMO.