The Surratt Courier

[Dennis Urban]

(09-17-2023 08:32 PM)wpbinzel Wrote:  Los Angeles Civil War Round table
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Mary Surratt — Innocent or Guilty?
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
19:00 21:00
Online via Zoom
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Mary Surratt — Innocent or Guilty?
In 1865, Mary Surratt was tried, and convicted by a military tribunal, as a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and was hanged—thus becoming the first woman ever to be executed by the federal government. Those events remain controversial to this day. Who was Mrs. Surratt? What was her role? Why was she charged as a conspirator, and tried by a military tribunal? Was she innocent, or guilty? Attend our meeting, and Bill Binzel will answer these questions, and more.


William P. Binzel
William P. Binzel is a native of southcentral Ohio, who has resided in the Washington, DC area for more than forty years. A retired attorney, he spent twelve years on the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives, eleven years in the financial services sector with MasterCard International, and ten years as general counsel, and executive vice president, of an educational nonprofit foundation focused on financial literacy. Mr. Binzel’s undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin is in U.S. History. A life-long student of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, and the Lincoln assassination, Bill is President of the Civil War Round Table of the District of Columbia, and Vice President of the Surratt Society (an organization that supports research into Lincoln’s death and related topics). He is an editor and contributor of articles to The Surratt Courier. He served as historic editor of The North Star – Canada and the Civil War Plots Against Lincoln, published earlier this year by Random House. He is a docent at the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House Museum near Bryantown, MD; has served as a docent at the Surratt House Museum in Clinton, MD; and is a narrator of the Surratt Society’s extensive tour of the twelve-day escape route of John Wilkes Booth from Ford’s Theatre to the Garrett’s farm in Caroline County, VA.

Bill: Congratulations on a very professionally done presentation. The slides were excellent and informative. The presentation serves as a fine primer for those who are just learning the players in perhaps the most horrendous crime in American history.

A few years ago I was asked to put together a presentation about those participating in the conspiracy with an emphasis on who they were and how they came into the conspiracy. The title of the 50 slide presentation is "Meet the Lincoln Assassination Participants and Players." I chose to concentrate on eight participants and five players. I had to stop somewhere. I've presented this twice, the latest being in February to the Knoxville Civil War Round Table to an audience of about 80. I think my presentation is unique and presents little known facts about the background of the folks and why they were important to the plot and its execution. It would be a fine complimentary presentation to your excellent work.

I hope the Surratt house and museum continues to be a significant stop in the history of the Civil War of Washington City and southern Maryland.