The Surratt Courier

[jbarry]

Bill,
I enjoyed your piece on how Booth broke his leg. I think the strongest evidence is the injuries to the horse, combined with the fact Booth and Herold switched horses prior to arriving at the Surratt Tavern. I do want to add a couple of thoughts to this debate to put some more pieces out there: First, in James Hall's "Peanuts" research folder, he includes Peanuts's Apr 15th deposition to Justice Olin, where he makes the statement: "When he [Booth] hoped (sic) out he left the door open." Hopped is an interesting verb and this text is highlighted, presumably by Hall. I've studied the comments related to whether Booth left the backdoor open or shut, and Peanuts himself makes contradictory statements in this regard. So, I don't think this is conclusive of an injury at Ford's, but it is an interesting description of Booth's movements.

Secondly, because Booth made conflicting statements, and there's reasons for him to embellish or minimize his actions depending on his particular situation while on the run, it's difficult to pick one statement over the other in terms of his leg. I do want to comment on one detail: his claim of killing Lincoln with a "colonel by his side.” Even if Booth saw the newspapers describing Major Rathbone, colonel was a reasonably common rank in the capital, and especially in proximity to the president. Also, although we’re not sure if Rathbone was wearing his uniform at Ford's, if he was, his major rank (gold oak leaf) would have been difficult to distinguish from lieutenant colonel (silver oak leaf) in the dark. Remember that Booth did not have military experience. Colonel is also an honorific, and I’m wondering if Booth used it in the generic sense (similar to “lieutenant” being both a rank and a description). I bring this up only to say it appears to be less of an exaggeration on Booth’s part—not to deny he was a braggart. I still lean the direction of his horse breaking his leg.

Speaking of military ranks and uniforms, happy Veteran’s Day, and for the veterans on this forum, thank you for your service!