Tidwell revisited

[Steve]

(03-19-2020 07:28 AM)Gene C Wrote:  Did they ever settle the issue of, since the assassination occurred after Lee surrendered, was it an act of war?
Was the target of assassination the deciding factor, or the timing of the act in regards to "an act of war"?

Gen. Johnston still had not officially surrendered by the time of the assassination. And if my memory serves me right, he actually surrendered a larger amount of soldiers than Lee. Maybe, what, nearly 30,000 more troops than Lee had when the Seige of Peterburg began. So, I don't think the war could've been considered over until after the assassination.

Had the Lincoln assassination happened before the fall of Richmond or the torpedo plot had been successful, I don't think members of the Confederate government would've felt the need to "find a loophole" to justify their actions.