Interesting Observations from James O'Beirne's Diary

[Susan Higginbotham]

Regarding Atzerodt Theodore Roscoe writes, "Of all Booth's co-conspirators Atzerodt was probably the earthiest. And much of that earth seems to have been on his wrists, on the nape of his neck, in his ears, and in the pores of his nose. Still, by all accounts, he was a good-natured sort of clod - an amiable animal with the face of a dancing bear."

Even Louis Weichmann seemed rather taken with Atzerodt. At John Surratt's trial, Weichmann spontaneously described Atzerodt as "witty" and "funny," and in his book described him as "a man full of fun, country humor, and quaint stories."