Robert Arnold's Book The Conspiracy Between John Wilkes Booth and the Union Army

[L Verge]

I know nothing about calibers of bullets, but if the claim is that the one that killed Booth was from a rifle, would it not have been of a higher caliber and different shape than a projectile used with a pistol?

Assuming that the 16th NY Cavalry would be equipped with the Spencer carbine that was pretty much standard issue for U.S. mounted troops at this stage of the war (or even a Sharps or Henry), would its bullet not do more damage to the tissue and spine than a slower moving pistol ball? Is the damage to the spine (taking into account notes that some damage has been done over the years) consistent with a cartridge-driven bullet or with one fired from a revolver?

Did I miss this in the confusing round of discussions on how Fake Booth was killed?

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Just found an unrelated tidbit:

Interesting info on Wikipedia: In response [to Finis Bates’s book], the Maryland Historical Society published an account in 1913 by Baltimore mayor William M. Pegram, who had viewed Booth's remains upon the casket's arrival at the Weaver funeral home in Baltimore on February 18, 1869, for burial at Green Mount Cemetery. Pegram had known Booth well as a young man; he submitted a sworn statement that the body which he had seen in 1869 was Booth's.[166] Others positively identified this body as Booth at the funeral home, including Booth's mother, brother, and sister, along with his dentist and other Baltimore acquaintances.[11] Earlier, The New York Times had published an account by their reporter in 1911 detailing the burial of Booth's body at the cemetery and those who were witnesses.[154]

1. Pertinent citations at the end: Freiberger, Edward (February 26, 1911). "Grave of Lincoln's Assassin Disclosed at Last" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
2. "On the 18th of February, 1869, Booth's remains were deposited in Weaver's private vault at Green Mount Cemetery awaiting warmer weather for digging a grave. Burial occurred in Green Mount Cemetery on June 22, 1869. Booth was an Episcopalian, and the ceremony was conducted by the Reverend Minister Fleming, James of Christ Episcopal Church, where Weaver was a sexton." (T. 5/25/95 at p. 117; Ex. 22H). Gorman & Williams Attorneys at Law: Sources on the Wilkes Booth case. The Court of Special Appeals of Maryland (September 1995), No. 1531; Archived January 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
3. Pegram, William M. (December 1913). "The body of John Wilkes Booth". Journal. Maryland Historical Society: 1–4.