What Was The Role of David Herold

[RJNorton]

(09-20-2017 07:10 PM)Susan Higginbotham Wrote:  There is another questionable thing about Kauffman's book and Herold

I have asked this before, and a few folks offered opinions but nothing specific regarding a source. I think I'll try again. Mike Kauffman has a different version of Herold/Powell at Seward's than any other author I've seen. In American Brutus, Mr. Kauffman writes:

Lewis Powell and David Herold had already gone to Lafayette Park. The Park superintendent always called out the time as he locked the gate, and as soon as that happened, Powell would approach the Sewards' house. He would knock on the door, and then tell the servant he had medicine to give the secretary. It seemed an excellent plan, but at the last minute a complication arose: one of Seward's doctors was still in the house. Now Powell had to either come up with a new cover story or delay his attack. Since nothing came to mind, he sent Herold galloping away to tell the others to hold off.

Herold then rides to the Kirkwood House in an attempt to tell Atzerodt not to do anything yet.

Has anyone ever read this prior to American Brutus? This scenario is not in any other book I've read, and there is no endnote for it in AB.

I think the majority of authors have Herold staying outside the Seward home and then fleeing when screams were heard coming from inside. There are other versions, though. Betty O, in her second edition, suggests Powell knew Washington well enough that no escort was needed to find Seward's residence. In his book, John Fazio is of the opinion that Herold did not accompany Powell to Seward's.

Does anyone know the original source for the "conventional wisdom" that Powell was so poor at directions that he needed to be guided to Seward's?