Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

Steve Whitlock · (This post was last modified: 01-19-2021 09:29 PM by Steve Whitlock.)

(01-19-2021 07:17 PM)Steve Wrote:
(01-18-2021 02:02 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote: We discussed this previously in the Genetic Lincoln thread of the Symposium. I still think the "Navy Surgeon" was Army surgeon C. D. Gatch, who was in attendance with his brother at the play. Several sources name C. D. Gatch as being one of the doctors, and he was included in a painting with others in attendance when Lincoln died. The brothers also claimed that C. D. Gatch climbed up into Lincoln's box.

Unfortunately, my notes for the Gatch brothers may be lost, along with all my research, when my computer bit the dust, and nothing was backed up.

I did a thorough search and, contrary to what Oliver Gatch said in his interviews in 1907 and 1909 (and what's on C. D. Gatch's FindAGrave page), no Dr. Charles Davenport Gatch served in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces during the Civil War. As far as I can tell from draft registration, petitions, directories, and other documents of the like, C. D. Gatch remained in Ohio during the war. He did, however, work as a civilian contract surgeon at the hospital in nearby Camp Dennison some time during the war in addition to his private practice.

C.D. Gatch is listed as one of the physicians attending to President Lincoln at Peterson House in contemporary newspapers, including the Washington Evening Star on pg. 2 of its April 15, 1865 issue. So it appears true that C.D. accompanied Oliver to D.C. from Ohio and then treated the President at Peterson House; but Oliver's accounts of the assassination come off as "sketchy" when compared to Dr. Leale and Col. Rathbone's contemporary accounts. And why did Oliver claim that his brother had been an Army surgeon who served under Gen. Rosecrans?

According to Oliver Gatch's later newspaper accounts the brothers were seated in the dress circle not far from the President's box. That and C. D. Gatch not wearing a uniform rules him out as one of the individuals described in Clara's affidavit.

Steve Williams,

I didn't find Charles Davenport Gatch (C.C. Gatch) in the military records at ancestry.com; but his brother, Oliver Cross Gatch was shown. However, a photo seems to show C. D. Gatch in some sort of uniform, as was his brother. Does anyone know whether the uniform C. D. Gatch has on indicates medical service, and what rank?

(01-19-2021 09:01 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:
(01-19-2021 07:17 PM)Steve Wrote:
(01-18-2021 02:02 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote: We discussed this previously in the Genetic Lincoln thread of the Symposium. I still think the "Navy Surgeon" was Army surgeon C. D. Gatch, who was in attendance with his brother at the play. Several sources name C. D. Gatch as being one of the doctors, and he was included in a painting with others in attendance when Lincoln died. The brothers also claimed that C. D. Gatch climbed up into Lincoln's box.

Unfortunately, my notes for the Gatch brothers may be lost, along with all my research, when my computer bit the dust, and nothing was backed up.

I did a thorough search and, contrary to what Oliver Gatch said in his interviews in 1907 and 1909 (and what's on C. D. Gatch's FindAGrave page), no Dr. Charles Davenport Gatch served in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces during the Civil War. As far as I can tell from draft registration, petitions, directories, and other documents of the like, C. D. Gatch remained in Ohio during the war. He did, however, work as a civilian contract surgeon at the hospital in nearby Camp Dennison some time during the war in addition to his private practice.

C.D. Gatch is listed as one of the physicians attending to President Lincoln at Peterson House in contemporary newspapers, including the Washington Evening Star on pg. 2 of its April 15, 1865 issue. So it appears true that C.D. accompanied Oliver to D.C. from Ohio and then treated the President at Peterson House; but Oliver's accounts of the assassination come off as "sketchy" when compared to Dr. Leale and Col. Rathbone's contemporary accounts. And why did Oliver claim that his brother had been an Army surgeon who served under Gen. Rosecrans?

According to Oliver Gatch's later newspaper accounts the brothers were seated in the dress circle not far from the President's box. That and C. D. Gatch not wearing a uniform rules him out as one of the individuals described in Clara's affidavit.

Steve Williams,

I didn't find Charles Davenport Gatch (C.C. Gatch) in the military records at ancestry.com; but his brother, Oliver Cross Gatch was shown. However, a photo seems to show C. D. Gatch in some sort of uniform, as was his brother. Does anyone know whether the uniform C. D. Gatch has on indicates medical service, and what rank?

Steve Williams,

There may be another possibility, but he was an Army surgeon, named in a Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal.

A Comprehensive Account of President Lincoln's Doctors' Beginning from the Assassin's Gunshot on April 14, 1865 through Abe's Death on April 15th.

..........

The Doctors' Present at Lincoln's Side
PHYSICIANS PRESENT IN THE STATE BOX AT FORD’S THEATRE

"Charles Augustus Leale (Mar 26, 1842 – June 13, 1932); M.D., Bellevue Hospital Medical College, 1865; appointed Assistant Surgeon, U. S. Volunteers, April 8, 1865. The first physician to reach Lincoln and in charge until the arrival of Lincoln's family physician Dr. Stone. Dr. Leale remained with Lincoln until the president’s death. Restored Abraham Lincoln’s airway, breathing, and circulation, to improve Abraham Lincoln’s life chance and assisted in carrying Abraham Lincoln across the street to the Petersen House (held Lincoln’s head).

Charles Sabin Taft (Aug 1835 – Dec 18, 1900); M.D., a surgeon in charge at the Signal Corps Camp of Instruction at Red Hill, Georgetown; Acting Assistant Surgeon, United States Army. The second physician to reach Lincoln (is often placed third because his personal account intimates so). He climbed on the stage and was assisted by members of the audience up to the box, which he entered by climbing over the rail. Taft was active in the artificial respiration measures of Abraham Lincoln. Assisted carrying Abraham Lincoln across the street to the Petersen House (held Lincoln’s right shoulder).

Albert Freeman Africanus King (Jan 18, 1841- Dec 13, 1914); M.D., Columbia Medical College, 1861; University of Pennsylvania, 1865; Acting Assistant Surgeon, United States Army. The third physician to reach Lincoln (is often placed second); was active in the artificial respiration measures of Abraham Lincoln. Observations of the pulse and respiration were noted down by Dr. King at Abraham Lincoln’s bedside. Assisted carrying Abraham Lincoln across the street to the Petersen House (held Lincoln’s left shoulder).

PHYSICIANS PRESENT AT FORD’S THEATRE
(it's doubtful they were in the State Box)

Charles Davenport Gatch (1841- Oct 27, 1870); M.D., served through the war with the armies of General Rosecrans. The fourth physician to reach Lincoln's box (following his own account the third). Was together with his brother Capt. Oliver Cross Gatch (in uniform) in the dress circle of Ford’s. According to Oliver’s own statements, they were asked to the State Box, where Charles came to the conclusion that Abraham Lincoln’s injury was fatal. According to Oliver he helped carry the president to the Petersen House, but this is doubtful because this is not mentioned in any other accounts. The brother's Gatch was almost certainly also not present in the state box since they are mentioned neither by Dr. Leale nor by Taft. Dr. Gatch certainly had no active role in treating president Lincoln. The Gatch brothers’ story (if true) ended when Lincoln was removed from Ford's Theatre."

I don't think either of us mentioned Albert Freeman Africanus King (Jan 18, 1841- Dec 13, 1914), shown above. Also, they aren't keen on C. D. Gatch either. But again, if it was Dr King, he was supposedly an Army surgeon, and I don't know whether he was in uniform.

Steve Whitlock · (This post was last modified: 01-20-2021 05:34 PM by Steve Whitlock.)

(01-19-2021 07:17 PM)Steve Wrote:
(01-18-2021 02:02 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote: We discussed this previously in the Genetic Lincoln thread of the Symposium. I still think the "Navy Surgeon" was Army surgeon C. D. Gatch, who was in attendance with his brother at the play. Several sources name C. D. Gatch as being one of the doctors, and he was included in a painting with others in attendance when Lincoln died. The brothers also claimed that C. D. Gatch climbed up into Lincoln's box.

Unfortunately, my notes for the Gatch brothers may be lost, along with all my research, when my computer bit the dust, and nothing was backed up.

I did a thorough search and, contrary to what Oliver Gatch said in his interviews in 1907 and 1909 (and what's on C. D. Gatch's FindAGrave page), no Dr. Charles Davenport Gatch served in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces during the Civil War. As far as I can tell from draft registration, petitions, directories, and other documents of the like, C. D. Gatch remained in Ohio during the war. He did, however, work as a civilian contract surgeon at the hospital in nearby Camp Dennison some time during the war in addition to his private practice.

C.D. Gatch is listed as one of the physicians attending to President Lincoln at Peterson House in contemporary newspapers, including the Washington Evening Star on pg. 2 of its April 15, 1865 issue. So it appears true that C.D. accompanied Oliver to D.C. from Ohio and then treated the President at Peterson House; but Oliver's accounts of the assassination come off as "sketchy" when compared to Dr. Leale and Col. Rathbone's contemporary accounts. And why did Oliver claim that his brother had been an Army surgeon who served under Gen. Rosecrans?

According to Oliver Gatch's later newspaper accounts the brothers were seated in the dress circle not far from the President's box. That and C. D. Gatch not wearing a uniform rules him out as one of the individuals described in Clara's affidavit.

Steve Williams,

I have a newsclip that says Dr C. D. Gatch was in uniform, and another that says he wasn't. Meanwhile, here are a couple more photos of him in uniform. The first is the same photo, but larger, that I already showed, and the 2nd is a full body look of him in uniform, from "Descendants of Godfrey Gatch" by Virginia Gatch Markham. C. D. Gatch is in the OH 1860 census as a physician, and in the 1863 U.S. Civil War Draft Reg. records (as a physician). Another record says he was the Assistant Regimental Surgeon, 89th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Reg't.

Some of the remarks, made 40 years later, by Oliver Gatch, don't ring true, as in his claim that Charles was the first doctor to reach Lincoln, that being Dr. Leale; nevertheless, he does appear to have served as a physician during the Civil War, but I haven't found him in a company roster so far. Most telling, to me, is the newsclip the day after the assassination that names him in attendance at Lincoln's bedside. Why would he have been mentioned if not there?

I also have a city directory that shows Dr. C. D. Gatch, but this is enough evidence to show he was a physician, prior to and during the Civil War. Was he in uniform at Ford's theatre is in question, as regards your initial query for the statement of Clara Harris.

Steve · 01-20-2021, 11:06 PM

Steve W.,
I just found a more indepth article about Oliver Gatch and his story about the night of the assassination from the December 1908 edition of McClure's magazine:

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=m...up&seq=225

Steve Whitlock · 01-21-2021, 05:35 AM

(01-20-2021 11:06 PM)Steve Wrote: Steve W.,
I just found a more indepth article about Oliver Gatch and his story about the night of the assassination from the December 1908 edition of McClure's magazine:

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=m...up&seq=225

Steve Williams,
As usual you find the better sources. Thank you! However, I have a 2 part news story about the brothers which is very similar in portions, but has a significant difference. In the newspaper it says that Charles was dressed in civilian clothing, which would eliminate him as the person Clara Harris mentioned.

I see I also got bad information for Charles being in the 89th OH Reg't. It appears that was Oliver, according to both of our articles.

I can't add the newspaper story myself, since it exceeds the allowance. With no corroboration beyond Dr Gatch being named in the 15 Apr 1865 article it's hard to give credence without reservation to Oliver's account. He may have read other accounts and placed Charles in the position of Dr. Leale, who has more sources. That makes the Oliver Gatch account of events suspect. But I do believe they were there, and Charles would have had to be in the service to be on furlough, if that part of the account is true.

Steve · 01-21-2021, 05:38 AM

(01-20-2021 02:30 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote: I have a newsclip that says Dr C. D. Gatch was in uniform, and another that says he wasn't. Meanwhile, here are a couple more photos of him in uniform. The first is the same photo, but larger, that I already showed, and the 2nd is a full body look of him in uniform, from "Descendants of Godfrey Gatch" by Virginia Gatch Markham. C. D. Gatch is in the OH 1860 census as a physician, and in the 1863 U.S. Civil War Draft Reg. records (as a physician). Another record says he was the Assistant Regimental Surgeon, 89th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Reg't.

Some of the remarks, made 40 years later, by Oliver Gatch, don't ring true, as in his claim that Charles was the first doctor to reach Lincoln, that being Dr. Leale; nevertheless, he does appear to have served as a physician during the Civil War, but I haven't found him in a company roster so far. Most telling, to me, is the newsclip the day after the assassination that names him in attendance at Lincoln's bedside. Why would he have been mentioned if not there?

I also have a city directory that shows Dr. C. D. Gatch, but this is enough evidence to show he was a physician, prior to and during the Civil War. Was he in uniform at Ford's theatre is in question, as regards your initial query for the statement of Clara Harris.

In my earlier post I meant since Oliver Gatch says they were admitted to the box by the guard/Maj. Rathbone in his accounts, C. D. Gatch couldn't be the "Naval Surgeon" described in her affidavit climbing up into the box. Contract surgeons did often wore uniforms when at work.

A famous contract surgeon, Mary Walker the only woman to win the Medal of Honor, wore one. Also it escaped my mind before, but Morgan's Raid passed through Ohio in July 1863 and if Dr. Gatch was still under contract he could've been pulled into field duty then. Camp Dennison was targeted but later bypassed during the raid.

Here's the documents which show Dr. Gatch's continuing presence in Ohio:

-An 1862 petition Dr. Gatch signed, as a citizen, concerning a chaplin appointment to Secretary of War Stanton

-An 27 August 1862 newspaper notice published in the Cincinnati Comercial Tribune praising the former boss of the Camp Dennison Hospital Department

-The 1863 draft registration which you already posted above

-This 1864 Ohio business directory. I had to crop it to make it fit as an attachment, but Dr. Gatch is listed under "Druggists"

Also I found a copy of Oliver Gatch's orders returning him to his unit dated April 14, 1865 - proving he's in Washington DC along with his brother

I'll send a few of the Oliver Gatch newspaper accounts, to Roger to post, from 1907-09; they sort of conflict with themselves along with the accounts of the others at the box.

Steve Whitlock · (This post was last modified: 01-21-2021 07:16 PM by Steve Whitlock.)

(01-21-2021 05:38 AM)Steve Wrote:
(01-20-2021 02:30 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote: I have a newsclip that says Dr C. D. Gatch was in uniform, and another that says he wasn't. Meanwhile, here are a couple more photos of him in uniform. The first is the same photo, but larger, that I already showed, and the 2nd is a full body look of him in uniform, from "Descendants of Godfrey Gatch" by Virginia Gatch Markham. C. D. Gatch is in the OH 1860 census as a physician, and in the 1863 U.S. Civil War Draft Reg. records (as a physician). Another record says he was the Assistant Regimental Surgeon, 89th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Reg't.

Some of the remarks, made 40 years later, by Oliver Gatch, don't ring true, as in his claim that Charles was the first doctor to reach Lincoln, that being Dr. Leale; nevertheless, he does appear to have served as a physician during the Civil War, but I haven't found him in a company roster so far. Most telling, to me, is the newsclip the day after the assassination that names him in attendance at Lincoln's bedside. Why would he have been mentioned if not there?

I also have a city directory that shows Dr. C. D. Gatch, but this is enough evidence to show he was a physician, prior to and during the Civil War. Was he in uniform at Ford's theatre is in question, as regards your initial query for the statement of Clara Harris.

In my earlier post I meant since Oliver Gatch says they were admitted to the box by the guard/Maj. Rathbone in his accounts, C. D. Gatch couldn't be the "Naval Surgeon" described in her affidavit climbing up into the box. Contract surgeons did often wore uniforms when at work.

A famous contract surgeon, Mary Walker the only woman to win the Medal of Honor, wore one. Also it escaped my mind before, but Morgan's Raid passed through Ohio in July 1863 and if Dr. Gatch was still under contract he could've been pulled into field duty then. Camp Dennison was targeted but later bypassed during the raid.

Here's the documents which show Dr. Gatch's continuing presence in Ohio:

-An 1862 petition Dr. Gatch signed, as a citizen, concerning a chaplin appointment to Secretary of War Stanton

-An 27 August 1862 newspaper notice published in the Cincinnati Comercial Tribune praising the former boss of the Camp Dennison Hospital Department

-The 1863 draft registration which you already posted above

-This 1864 Ohio business directory. I had to crop it to make it fit as an attachment, but Dr. Gatch is listed under "Druggists"

Also I found a copy of Oliver Gatch's orders returning him to his unit dated April 14, 1865 - proving he's in Washington DC along with his brother

I'll send a few of the Oliver Gatch newspaper accounts, to Roger to post, from 1907-09; they sort of conflict with themselves along with the accounts of the others at the box.

Steve Williams,

Great work, Steve! I'm also adding the pages from the link you sent. They are easier to read, for me anyway.

I'm also adding the obit for Dr. C.D. Gatch. The Oliver Gatch story came out 40 yrs later, but the 1870 obit also mentions him finding the wound for Lincoln, and making a fatal prognosis, which conflicts with Dr. Leale's testimony that he did those things. I wonder whether Oliver told the 1870 newspaper reporter that Charles was the one. Oliver never mentions Dr. Leale, who has the better corroboration.

Steve Whitlock · 01-23-2021, 02:21 PM

(01-18-2021 03:49 AM)Steve Wrote:
(01-17-2021 04:48 PM)wpbinzel Wrote: In April 1865, Dr. Charles A. Leale was a 23 year-old Union Army surgeon. Hoping to get a look at President Abraham Lincoln, he bought a ticket to Our American Cousin playing at Ford's Theater on Good Friday. Leale was the first physician to reach Lincoln after he was shot. He took charge, found the wound, pronounced it fatal, and removed the clot to relieve the pressure on Lincoln's brain. Because of Leale's quick action, Lincoln lived through the night (although he never regained consciousness). Leale remained at Lincoln's bedside until the end. Although outranked by other doctors who were summoned (such as Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes), no senior physician overruled Dr. Leale's diagnosis or prescribed course of action. After the Civil War, Leale returned to New York City and practiced medicine. Upon his death in 1932, at the age of 90, he was thought to be among the last of those who were present at Lincoln's death in the Petersen House 67 years earlier.

Bill, do you have any idea who the "Naval Surgeon", who was described in Clara Harris' affidavit as climbing up into the box, may have been?

The obvious first thought would be Dr. Taft climbing into the box and Clara Harris could've easily been confused about the uniform. But both Dr. Taft's account at the time:

https://books.google.com/books?id=hbesCQ...ft&f=false

and Dr. Leale's contemporaneous accout:

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jala/262986...w=fulltext

say that Dr. Taft got there later after Dr. Leale was already treating the President.

Also Dr. Taft recalls people asking for water, indicating that Leale had already reached Lincoln before he started climbing up to the box.

However, the soldier Clara Harris helped into the box, Capt. Edwin Bedee, said the man climbing ahead of him into the box said he was a doctor. Bedee also said when he got into the box Lincoln was still in his chair and that he helped one of the doctors (presumably Leale) look for the wound by removing Lincoln's coat and vest. Now Bedee's account of what happened is from an 1897 account of his regiment written with let's call it a "very thick hagiographic glaze" :

https://archive.org/details/historyoftwe...6/mode/2up

but it generally matches Dr. Leale's contemporary account of the President's treatment when Dr. Leale first reached the President. So if Bedee climbed into the box before Dr. Taft, who was the doctor who climbed ahead of Bedee?

P.S. This isn't a trivia question, I want to know if you or anybody out there know or have heard about a Naval surgoen's account of climbing into the box.

Steve Williams,

I believe the answer to your question is in the account of Army surgeon Dr. Charles Sabin Taft, as stated in the attached news clipping. He appears to have been sitting in the orchestra just below the Lincoln box, and he states:

"I leaped from the top of the orchestra railing in front of me upon the stage, and announcing myself as an Army surgeon, was immediately lifted up to the President's box by several gentlemen who had collected beneath. I happened to be in uniform..."

His account suggests that Dr King was already with Leale, which conflicts with Leale's account. At any rate I'm fairly certain that he is the "naval surgeon" Clara mistakenly identified.

As an aside I found an obit for Dr. Albert F. A. King, which doesn't even mention his part in the Lincoln assassination.

Steve · 01-24-2021, 07:35 AM

Steve,
I beginning to think you're right about Dr. Taft being the surgeon Clara Harris described. Earlier, I described one point against Taft being the man:

(01-18-2021 03:49 AM)Steve Wrote: Also Dr. Taft recalls people asking for water, indicating that Leale had already reached Lincoln before he started climbing up to the box.

It turns out I was wrong on that point. I just looked over a letter Dr. Leale wrote to a Dr. Dwight Dudley of Maine on May 28, 1865 about the assassination, the trial of the conspirators, and the Grand Review of the Armies:

https://www.shapell.org/manuscript/earli...ssination/

There's a minor detail that was omitted in his official report of a month earlier. When he first came into the box, Leale heard people call for water before he asked for brandy and water.

So with two apparent inconsistencies explained -Clara Harris being mistaken about the uniform and the cries for water being pushed just a tad forward in time enough so Taft can be the doctor climbing into the box before Capt. Bedee; Occam's Razor would indicate the simplest solution is that the doctor was Taft rather than some naval surgeon who mysteriously vanishes from the record as the President begins to be treated.

Capt. Bedee's account written decades later, recalls Lincoln still being in his chair as he climbed into the box while the man who climbed ahead of him, Taft's contemporaneous account has Lincoln already on the ground. Was Taft distracted after he initially climbed into the box and missed seeing Lincoln moved to the floor? Or did Bedee see Lincoln in the chair when he stopped climbing halfway up to the box in order to help Taft into the box and just jumbled his memory over time?

Steve Whitlock · (This post was last modified: 01-24-2021 03:11 PM by Steve Whitlock.)

(01-24-2021 07:35 AM)Steve Wrote: Steve,
I beginning to think you're right about Dr. Taft being the surgeon Clara Harris described. Earlier, I described one point against Taft being the man:

(01-18-2021 03:49 AM)Steve Wrote: Also Dr. Taft recalls people asking for water, indicating that Leale had already reached Lincoln before he started climbing up to the box.

It turns out I was wrong on that point. I just looked over a letter Dr. Leale wrote to a Dr. Dwight Dudley of Maine on May 28, 1865 about the assassination, the trial of the conspirators, and the Grand Review of the Armies:

https://www.shapell.org/manuscript/earli...ssination/

There's a minor detail that was omitted in his official report of a month earlier. When he first came into the box, Leale heard people call for water before he asked for brandy and water.

So with two apparent inconsistencies explained -Clara Harris being mistaken about the uniform and the cries for water being pushed just a tad forward in time enough so Taft can be the doctor climbing into the box before Capt. Bedee; Occam's Razor would indicate the simplest solution is that the doctor was Taft rather than some naval surgeon who mysteriously vanishes from the record as the President begins to be treated.

Capt. Bedee's account written decades later, recalls Lincoln still being in his chair as he climbed into the box while the man who climbed ahead of him, Taft's contemporaneous account has Lincoln already on the ground. Was Taft distracted after he initially climbed into the box and missed seeing Lincoln moved to the floor? Or did Bedee see Lincoln in the chair when he stopped climbing halfway up to the box in order to help Taft into the box and just jumbled his memory over time?

Steve Williams,

After reading reading about Capt Bedee of the 12th NH Reg't in the link you provided I must conclude that the Captain's account is quite unreliable. I am one of your biggest fans, so please don't take offense.

There are some serious errors in that statement. He comments on a remarkably composed Mary Lincoln, when we know she was justifiably shattered and not composed at all.

He mentions Mr. Lincoln in his chair with his head back, and with no mention of Dr. Leale, when we know that Lincoln's head was forward on his chest after he was shot, and he couldn't be on the floor, unless Dr. Leale was present to do it.

There are too many fingers in the pie, or in this case poor Mr. Lincoln's head, as now Capt. Bedee claims to have his finger in the hole where Lincoln was shot.

Even the author of the book notes some discrepancies in the Bedee account. However, somehow the Captain had papers of Mr Lincoln's which is provable by the arrest and release of the Captain, as described in the book, with statements of those involved.

So, Captain Beede was there in some capacity, maybe at the Peterson house, but his account is too flawed, other than I want it to be true for the part where he assisted Dr. Taft to climb up to the Lincoln box.

For me, all the accounts were negatively impacted by time, and the accounts I will cling to are the 1865 statement of Dr. Leale and the account by Dr. Taft, as stated in the newspaper, and in "We Saw Lincoln Shot: One Hundred Eyewitness Accounts" By Timothy Sean Good (which you again so graciously provided with a link).

Both Capt. Gatch and Capt. Bedee have flawed accounts, so I stand by my previous statement that the surgeon who climbed up to the Lincoln box from the stage was Dr. Taft, who was in uniform.

Elsewhere in the book is mention that Capt. Bedee was injured in the head by shrapnel, and in a later battle he was shot in the head and rendered "temporarily insane", but later recovered to further serve. Did being shot in the head affect his memory in later years? I don't know, but there are too many problems with his account.

Steve Whitlock · 01-24-2021, 08:35 PM

(01-24-2021 02:43 PM)Steve Whitlock Wrote:
(01-24-2021 07:35 AM)Steve Wrote: Steve,
I beginning to think you're right about Dr. Taft being the surgeon Clara Harris described. Earlier, I described one point against Taft being the man:

(01-18-2021 03:49 AM)Steve Wrote: Also Dr. Taft recalls people asking for water, indicating that Leale had already reached Lincoln before he started climbing up to the box.

It turns out I was wrong on that point. I just looked over a letter Dr. Leale wrote to a Dr. Dwight Dudley of Maine on May 28, 1865 about the assassination, the trial of the conspirators, and the Grand Review of the Armies:

https://www.shapell.org/manuscript/earli...ssination/

There's a minor detail that was omitted in his official report of a month earlier. When he first came into the box, Leale heard people call for water before he asked for brandy and water.

So with two apparent inconsistencies explained -Clara Harris being mistaken about the uniform and the cries for water being pushed just a tad forward in time enough so Taft can be the doctor climbing into the box before Capt. Bedee; Occam's Razor would indicate the simplest solution is that the doctor was Taft rather than some naval surgeon who mysteriously vanishes from the record as the President begins to be treated.

Capt. Bedee's account written decades later, recalls Lincoln still being in his chair as he climbed into the box while the man who climbed ahead of him, Taft's contemporaneous account has Lincoln already on the ground. Was Taft distracted after he initially climbed into the box and missed seeing Lincoln moved to the floor? Or did Bedee see Lincoln in the chair when he stopped climbing halfway up to the box in order to help Taft into the box and just jumbled his memory over time?

Steve Williams,

After reading reading about Capt Bedee of the 12th NH Reg't in the link you provided I must conclude that the Captain's account is quite unreliable. I am one of your biggest fans, so please don't take offense.

There are some serious errors in that statement. He comments on a remarkably composed Mary Lincoln, when we know she was justifiably shattered and not composed at all.

He mentions Mr. Lincoln in his chair with his head back, and with no mention of Dr. Leale, when we know that Lincoln's head was forward on his chest after he was shot, and he couldn't be on the floor, unless Dr. Leale was present to do it.

There are too many fingers in the pie, or in this case poor Mr. Lincoln's head, as now Capt. Bedee claims to have his finger in the hole where Lincoln was shot.

Even the author of the book notes some discrepancies in the Bedee account. However, somehow the Captain had papers of Mr Lincoln's which is provable by the arrest and release of the Captain, as described in the book, with statements of those involved.

So, Captain Beede was there in some capacity, maybe at the Peterson house, but his account is too flawed, other than I want it to be true for the part where he assisted Dr. Taft to climb up to the Lincoln box.

For me, all the accounts were negatively impacted by time, and the accounts I will cling to are the 1865 statement of Dr. Leale and the account by Dr. Taft, as stated in the newspaper, and in "We Saw Lincoln Shot: One Hundred Eyewitness Accounts" By Timothy Sean Good (which you again so graciously provided with a link).

Both Capt. Gatch and Capt. Bedee have flawed accounts, so I stand by my previous statement that the surgeon who climbed up to the Lincoln box from the stage was Dr. Taft, who was in uniform.

Elsewhere in the book is mention that Capt. Bedee was injured in the head by shrapnel, and in a later battle he was shot in the head and rendered "temporarily insane", but later recovered to further serve. Did being shot in the head affect his memory in later years? I don't know, but there are too many problems with his account.

I may be in error on one point for Capt. Bedee in that Leale also says that Lincoln was in the chair with his head thrown back, and Mrs. Lincoln holding his head.

My information for his head going to his chest may be from a TV reenactment of the assassination, or a newsclip. I don't recall, but if Mrs Lincoln was holding his head she may have straightened it.

RJNorton · 01-25-2021, 05:39 AM

(01-24-2021 07:35 AM)Steve Wrote: Even the author of the book notes some discrepancies in the Bedee account.

Is it possible to post a link to the actual Bedee account? What I am reading here in the source posted is different from what is in Good's book.

In his book, Reck says the papers fell out of Lincoln's pockets on 10th St. as the President was being carried to the Petersen House; Reck doesn't mention Mary Lincoln having anything to do with them.

What source did Asa W. Bartlett use to write this inaccurate report of Capt. Bedee's role at Ford's? I honestly do not know whether to blame Bedee or Bartlett. That is why I'd like to read the actual Bedee account to see if Bedee really made these claims.

Steve · 01-25-2021, 11:54 AM

(01-25-2021 05:39 AM)RJNorton Wrote: Is it possible to post a link to the actual Bedee account? What I am reading here in the source posted is different from what is in Good's book.

In his book, Reck says the papers fell out of Lincoln's pockets on 10th St. as the President was being carried to the Petersen House; Reck doesn't mention Mary Lincoln having anything to do with them.

What source did Asa W. Bartlett use to write this inaccurate report of Capt. Bedee's role at Ford's? I honestly do not know whether to blame Bedee or Bartlett. That is why I'd like to read the actual Bedee account to see if Bedee really made these claims.

Roger I had the same thought about reading Bedee's first hand account. According to an Army History article published 5 years ago about one of the battles of the New Hampshire 12th, Bartlett got Bedee's account of the battles from written correspondence between the men in 1892. I assume Bartlett got Bedee's account of the assassination around the same time. According to the article their correspondence is saved among the Asa Bartlett papers at the New Hampshire Historical Society, so Bedee's account is probably located there:

https://www.nhhistory.org/Object?id=747e...19d3bc35ed

The Bedee account from Good appears to be from an Old Farmer's Almanac story about Bedee published following his death in 1908. This site has the full copy of the article:

http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~nvjack/be..._bedee.htm

It appears that the author based it off of the account in Bartlett's book.

Roger, check page 165 of Reck's book (well the paperback version; its from the Appendix #3 Light on the Missing Dispatch and not viewable from Google Books) for more information on Bedee and the issue of the missing papers which isn't included in the Bartlett book. Apparently Bedee didn't or couldn't deliver the papers from Lincoln's pocket and then negotiated through his Congressman their return without getting in trouble and then he mistakenly got arrested anyway. Or maybe he was arrested and then negotiated with his Congressman and the apology from Gen. Hardie was a way to save face?

RJNorton · 01-25-2021, 02:12 PM

I am not sure. I had always felt Bedee did everything right with the papers, yet still got in trouble. I sure agree with what the Fremont Town Historian said at the end of Greenwood's article on Bedee. I still wonder if an actual account written by Bedee himself exists, or whether others are simply embellishing his role at Ford's Theatre. It is perhaps revealing that Tim Good could not find anything better than what he used. I would think that Good (or some reliable author) would have found it in the Asa Bartlett papers at the New Hampshire Historical Society. I do not believe I own any quality assassination books that accept Bedee's apparent account. If anyone can find it in the Bartlett papers...please post!

AussieMick · 01-25-2021, 05:01 PM

I like to think that there would have been one or two doctors that advanced to the box and perhaps went into it, who thought "No, there are plenty of competent doctors here ... another one would simply confuse things. I'll back off."

Steve · (This post was last modified: 01-26-2021 04:18 AM by Steve.)

I accepted the account of Bedee climbing into the box because as far as I knew he was the only soldier who claimed to have climbed into the box.

(There were 3 other people who claimed to have climbed into the box

2 Navy - Lt. William Flood and Capt. Silas Owen - their accounts didn't match Dr. Leale's

1 Civilian - War Department clerk Augustus Clark who claimed he climbed up just as they were about to move Lincoln)

But alas it turns out another soldier, Lt. John T. Bolton, also claimed to have climbed up to the box and he was in the Veteran Reserve Corp, just like in Clara Harris' affidavit:

https://archive.org/details/rarelincolni...7/mode/2up

One thing that concerns me about Bolton's account is he said that he led Mary to the "adjoining box". The divider between the boxes was removed, I'm not sure if that's poor wording or an inconsistency. Bolton's account of seeing Booth go back and forth into the theater several times is matched by what John Buckingham - the doorman at Ford's Theater - testified at the trial, though Booth would've had to have entered the theater earlier than Buckinham's estimate of when Booth entered the theater:

https://archive.org/details/conspiracytr...6/mode/2up

If Bolton's account is true, why wasn't his statement taken at the time taken about Booth's movements or made to testify at the trial?

Reck has Bedee joining the men carrying Lincoln as their leaving the theater based on Jacob Soles account. But based on what we discussed about Soles in this previous thread:

https://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussi...l#pid70179

I feel pretty confident Soles was lying about carrying Lincoln's body.

We have contemporary records that Bedee carried the papers from Lincoln's coat from the theater - though no contemporary records/mentions that he was actually in the box. I tried looking for any newspaper accounts given by Bedee but couldn't find anything besides Bartlett's book which was published when he was still alive.

It seems logical he was either in the box or given the papers near the entrance of the box. But until we get evidence to the contrary, I have to think it's more likely Bolton was the soldier who climbed into the box following Dr. Taft.