Mosby

[BettyO]

Quote:Are the Potter Papers reputable? Neff-Guttridge?

Have any of Mosby's "men" written/published memoirs about the Lincoln kidnapping plot (how long did they live after they were written/published, if they did)? Are there any official contemporary letters or telegrams issuing those orders, not including the telegram that notes Stanton's "suspicions?"

The Potter Papers i.e. Neff-Guttridge, are suspect. I saw some of the Potter papers years ago when Mr. James O. Hall had copies of them. He showed them to me and let me go over them as well. Mr. Hall pointed out that the verbiage was definitely, in a lot of places, 20th Century NOT Victorian. Words jumped out at one, i.e. in one sentence Powell was described as "dating" Mary Branson. The word "date" is more or less 20th Century. The correct 19th Century word would have been "courting." This in itself was very suspect....

There is the letter which is from General William H. Payne to General Bradley C. Johnson remarking on Mosby's handpicking five men for a "venture into Maryland with Powell being one of the five chosen." Also, Lt. W. Ben Palmer as well as Powell's Captain, Robert Walker, in Company B also discussed Powell's involvement in the plot.

Mosby was also involved in an early silent film project based somewhat loosely on his life which was filmed about 1913 in which he himself appeared.

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Quote:Betty O. Would you look in FOLD 3, to see if they list a Surrender of Troops at King George Court House on May 1 and 2 of 1865? PLEZZ! I know that it happened, and I think they would be the remnants of the "Guards" on the Secret Line. Pretty Plezz!

John -

I can look in Fold3 in the free section - but I don't have a subscription to look further.... I'll check!