Killing Lincoln: The Real Story

[Steven Hager]

When the Republican Party was formed, Stanton remained a staunch Democrat, but did not support secession rights. Lincoln wanted Democrats in his cabinet. Congress was incredibly corrupt, and when Stanton took over the War Department, he quickly absorbed control of the newspapers, telegraph lines, and secret police. He was mentally disturbed, as evidence, his penchant for keeping corpses in his home and dressing them up, not to mention moving the rocking chair Lincoln was assassinated in into his office so he could sit in it. He was infamous among the military for stage-managing kangaroo courts against officers who were not sufficiently loyal to him, and thus got control over the military. Stanton is not some hero to hold up for adoration. Quite the contrary.

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The other detail so overlooked is the man who engineered Stanton into politics, a man who just happened to be the secret leader of the Knights of the Golden Circle, aka Liberty Boys, according to a War Department report. Strange that this close association would be overlooked by every historian especially since Vallindigham was the man who hated Lincoln with a purple passion and wanted him dead more than any other living individual. And there he is, Stanton's mentor.

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Another character missing from the pages of history is Simon Wolf, who represents the Jewish merchants who were profiteering off the war. He was their lawyer and lobbyist in Washington, and very close with Stanton. These merchants were often harassed and arrested by the Union forces, and, in fact, General Grant put out an order to have all jews arrested during a campaign, an order quickly rescinded by President edict after Wolf visited Lincoln and protested. Wolf met with Booth this day, we know this is fact because he wrote about it in his autobiography, although he seems to have told some lies in doing so, since he claims Lucy rejected Booth on that day, when in fact, Lucy claimed to Edwin Booth she would have married his brother on the steps of the gallows, so strong was her love for him.