Emergency Answer Needed

[L Verge]

Help! Ford's Theatre is planning a special program on the night of April 14, 2017, and they just hit us with a question that we don't know the answer to:

WAS DR. CHARLES LEALE IN MILITARY UNIFORM OR CIVILIAN DRESS THAT NIGHT WHILE VIEWING THE PLAY AND THEN ATTENDING TO THE PRESIDENT?

Personally, I have always assumed military uniform -- but I also thought the same about Rathbone until more has come to light about him.

CAN ANY OF OUR READERS COME UP WITH THE DOCUMENTED ANSWER? TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.

[RJNorton]

He was in civilian clothes according to what he said in his 1909 address to the New York commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States:

"As a very large number from the Army stationed near Washington frequently visited the city, a general order was in force that none should be there without a special pass and all wearing uniform and out at night were subject to frequent challenge. To avoid this inconvenience officers stationed in Washington generally removed all signs of their calling when off duty. I changed to civilian's dress and hurried to Ford's Theatre, where I had been told President Lincoln, General Grant, and members of the Cabinet were to be present to see the play, "Our American Cousin."

Ed Steers agrees that Leale was in civilian clothes (p. 119 of Blood on the Moon). James Swanson includes Leale's statement on civilian dress (p. 32 of Manhunt).

[L Verge]

He was in civilian clothes according to what he said in his 1909 address to the New York commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States:

"As a very large number from the Army stationed near Washington frequently visited the city, a general order was in force that none should be there without a special pass and all wearing uniform and out at night were subject to frequent challenge. To avoid this inconvenience officers stationed in Washington generally removed all signs of their calling when off duty. I changed to civilian's dress and hurried to Ford s Theatre, where I had been told President Lincoln, General Grant, and members of the Cabinet were to be present to see the play, "Our American Cousin."

Ed Steers agrees that Leale was in civilian clothes (p. 119 of Blood on the Moon). James Swanson includes Leale's statement on civilian dress (p. 32 of Manhunt).

Bless you, m'child!

[John Fazio]

Roger:

Nice work, but then, we should all have been shocked if you had pleaded ignorance. One does not expect Caesar to lose a battle, nor Cicero to give a boring speech, nor Marcus Aurelius to say something stupid.

John

[RJNorton]

Thanks, John. I do love to research questions, and I probably would have considered being a research librarian had I not entered the teaching profession. I could never write a book like you did; I am in awe of the authors on our forum.

[JMadonna]

"As a very large number from the Army stationed near Washington frequently visited the city, a general order was in force that none should be there without a special pass and all wearing uniform and out at night were subject to frequent challenge. To avoid this inconvenience officers stationed in Washington generally removed all signs of their calling when off duty. I changed to civilian's dress and hurried to Ford's Theatre, where I had been told President Lincoln, General Grant, and members of the Cabinet were to be present to see the play, "Our American Cousin."

Sounds like security was pretty tight that night. It also sounds like they may have suspected someone to be impersonating an officer.

[L Verge]

"As a very large number from the Army stationed near Washington frequently visited the city, a general order was in force that none should be there without a special pass and all wearing uniform and out at night were subject to frequent challenge. To avoid this inconvenience officers stationed in Washington generally removed all signs of their calling when off duty. I changed to civilian's dress and hurried to Ford's Theatre, where I had been told President Lincoln, General Grant, and members of the Cabinet were to be present to see the play, "Our American Cousin."

Sounds like security was pretty tight that night. It also sounds like they may have suspected someone to be impersonating an officer.

I think this regulation applied all the time (at least near the end of the war) and not just the night of April 14, 1865. I suspect that it might have been an effort to cut down on AWOLs who just wandered off post?

[ReignetteC]

Does anyone have information about the program on April 14th? I could not find anything on the Ford's Theatre site.

[L Verge]

Does anyone have information about the program on April 14th? I could not find anything on the Ford's Theatre site.

I do, and I sent it to Roger to post here because I am very busy at work. If it doesn't appear by this evening, I will post again tomorrow. It is basically a Death Watch tour at Petersen's from 6-7:30 pm that night.

[RJNorton]

Does anyone have information about the program on April 14th? I could not find anything on the Ford's Theatre site.

Reignette, the following was sent by Laurie. It was written by Eric Martin, Ford's Theatre Site Education Coordinator/Historian-Interpretation:

The staff of the NPS along with our best volunteers plan to conduct guided interpretive program tours in front of the Petersen House about every 15 minutes from 6 pm to around 7:15 pm on the evening of the 14th.

We plan on having visitors, in groups of no more than 15 at a time, where a ranger will initially meet the group just outside in front of the House. From there, visitors will be introduced to a historical figure within each of the 3 historical rooms for approximately 2 to 3 minutes in an attempt to provide them with a feel for what the mood was like within each room.

After passing through the Death Bedroom of Willie Clark, the visitor group(s) will then be greeted by a ranger and directed on to the 4th floor of the "Center for Education and Leadership Museum" where from there, the story continues.

Please be advised, however, that tickets will be required and given out at the Box Office on a first come/first serve basis on that day; but we (the National Park Service staff) have not yet worked out the "logistical" details regarding acquiring the tickets from the "Ford's Theatre Society" in advance." Also, please feel free to contact NPS Site Manager here at Ford's, Jeffrey Jones for updates concerning this. We plan on formulating the final logistics in conjunction with our partners at the "Society" over the next several days. His email address is the following: jeffrey_m_jones@nps.gov

[ReignetteC]

Does anyone have information about the program on April 14th? I could not find anything on the Ford's Theatre site.

Reignette, the following was sent by Laurie. It was written by Eric Martin, Ford's Theatre Site Education Coordinator/Historian-Interpretation:

The staff of the NPS along with our best volunteers plan to conduct guided interpretive program tours in front of the Petersen House about every 15 minutes from 6 pm to around 7:15 pm on the evening of the 14th.

We plan on having visitors, in groups of no more than 15 at a time, where a ranger will initially meet the group just outside in front of the House. From there, visitors will be introduced to a historical figure within each of the 3 historical rooms for approximately 2 to 3 minutes in an attempt to provide them with a feel for what the mood was like within each room.

After passing through the Death Bedroom of Willie Clark, the visitor group(s) will then be greeted by a ranger and directed on to the 4th floor of the "Center for Education and Leadership Museum" where from there, the story continues.

Please be advised, however, that tickets will be required and given out at the Box Office on a first come/first serve basis on that day; but we (the National Park Service staff) have not yet worked out the "logistical" details regarding acquiring the tickets from the "Ford's Theatre Society" in advance." Also, please feel free to contact NPS Site Manager here at Ford's, Jeffrey Jones for updates concerning this. We plan on formulating the final logistics in conjunction with our partners at the "Society" over the next several days. His email address is the following: jeffrey_m_jones@nps.gov

Thank you!

[JMadonna]

Hey, does any know how big a slice of the reward money was given to John Fletcher the stable master?

[RJNorton]

Jerry, I do not know, but did he even receive some of the reward money?

[JMadonna]

That's what I'm trying to determine. I know he put in a claim.

[Linda Anderson]

According to The Lincoln Assassination: The Reward Files by William C. Edwards, which is available through Google Books, Fletcher was not given a reward.

"Claimants adjudged to be not entitled to rewards under the terms of the published offers...

"John Fletcher and Oswell Swann, citizens, for information of Booth and Herold."

pp. xlii-xliii.