The Montreal Link

[L Verge]

For many years, Lincoln assassination researchers have had an interest in Montreal's part in the conspiracy. A new book on the subject is now available, thanks to the research and literary skills of another "amateur historian" (which is what the college professors like to term those without a degree in the field).

The new book is entitled Montreal: City of Secrets and is authored by a businessman (not a conspiracy nut) by the name of Barry Sheehy. Several weeks ago, I received an intriguing article based on the book, and now the book is on sale at Surratt House for $30 plus $4 p/h. I also hope to negotiate a speaking engagement with Mr Sheehy for the 2019 Surratt Conference.

Speaking of the 2019 Conference, it will be held on the weekend of April 5-7 at Colony South Hotel and Conference Center in Clinton, MD. Believe it or not, we have an extensive list of folks who have indicated a desire to speak, as well as ones such as Mr. Sheehy. My being on medical leave for so long is slowing things up, but we will be prepared.

[John Fazio]

(06-14-2018 08:08 PM)L Verge Wrote:  For many years, Lincoln assassination researchers have had an interest in Montreal's part in the conspiracy. A new book on the subject is now available, thanks to the research and literary skills of another "amateur historian" (which is what the college professors like to term those without a degree in the field).

The new book is entitled Montreal: City of Secrets and is authored by a businessman (not a conspiracy nut) by the name of Barry Sheehy. Several weeks ago, I received an intriguing article based on the book, and now the book is on sale at Surratt House for $30 plus $4 p/h. I also hope to negotiate a speaking engagement with Mr Sheehy for the 2019 Surratt Conference.

Speaking of the 2019 Conference, it will be held on the weekend of April 5-7 at Colony South Hotel and Conference Center in Clinton, MD. Believe it or not, we have an extensive list of folks who have indicated a desire to speak, as well as ones such as Mr. Sheehy. My being on medical leave for so long is slowing things up, but we will be prepared.

Laurie:

I haven't read Mr. Sheehy's book, yet, but I am already favorably disposed toward it inasmuch as I have long argued for a Richmond-Montreal axis in connection with the year of Confederate terror against the North (spring of 1864, through spring of 1865) and the assassination and attempted assassinations that occurred in Washington on April 14, 1865. Recall, particularly, the assignment to Montreal by President Davis, in the wake of the Wistar and Dahlgren-Kilpatrick raids on Richmond, of James Holcombe, Clement Clay and Jacob Thompson, carrying drafts for $1 million in gold ($2.2. million in Federal greenbacks at the time) and only verbal instructions to carry out such operations as shall conduce the interests of the Confederate States of America. Recall, further, that according to the testimony of Godfrey Hyams at the trial of the conspirators, he, Hyams, was employed by Dr. Luke Pryor Blackburn, also in Montreal, to spread yellow fever in the North, a scheme that included sending "infected" shirts to the White House, as a gift from an anonymous benefactor, and that in connection with this scheme, Hyams met regularly with Davis's appointees, Holcombe, Clay and Thompson. These men, said Hyams, promised him extraordinary amounts of money as compensation for his services and advised him that the Confederate government had appropriated $200,000 for the scheme. Despite efforts by Confederate agent Kensey Johns Stewart, also in Montreal, to persuade Davis to desist from the scheme, it was at least partially carried out and the shirts were in fact delivered to the White House, according to Hyams. A smoking gun? Yes, and one that has been there, in the trial transcript, for 153 years.

I have expanded on the foregoing facts in an article, which includes Stewart's letter to Davis.

John

[L Verge]

(06-14-2018 10:39 PM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(06-14-2018 08:08 PM)L Verge Wrote:  For many years, Lincoln assassination researchers have had an interest in Montreal's part in the conspiracy. A new book on the subject is now available, thanks to the research and literary skills of another "amateur historian" (which is what the college professors like to term those without a degree in the field).

The new book is entitled Montreal: City of Secrets and is authored by a businessman (not a conspiracy nut) by the name of Barry Sheehy. Several weeks ago, I received an intriguing article based on the book, and now the book is on sale at Surratt House for $30 plus $4 p/h. I also hope to negotiate a speaking engagement with Mr Sheehy for the 2019 Surratt Conference.

Speaking of the 2019 Conference, it will be held on the weekend of April 5-7 at Colony South Hotel and Conference Center in Clinton, MD. Believe it or not, we have an extensive list of folks who have indicated a desire to speak, as well as ones such as Mr. Sheehy. My being on medical leave for so long is slowing things up, but we will be prepared.

Laurie:

I haven't read Mr. Sheehy's book, yet, but I am already favorably disposed toward it inasmuch as I have long argued for a Richmond-Montreal axis in connection with the year of Confederate terror against the North (spring of 1864, through spring of 1865) and the assassination and attempted assassinations that occurred in Washington on April 14, 1865. Recall, particularly, the assignment to Montreal by President Davis, in the wake of the Wistar and Dahlgren-Kilpatrick raids on Richmond, of James Holcombe, Clement Clay and Jacob Thompson, carrying drafts for $1 million in gold ($2.2. million in Federal greenbacks at the time) and only verbal instructions to carry out such operations as shall conduce the interests of the Confederate States of America. Recall, further, that according to the testimony of Godfrey Hyams at the trial of the conspirators, he, Hyams, was employed by Dr. Luke Pryor Blackburn, also in Montreal, to spread yellow fever in the North, a scheme that included sending "infected" shirts to the White House, as a gift from an anonymous benefactor, and that in connection with this scheme, Hyams met regularly with Davis's appointees, Holcombe, Clay and Thompson. These men, said Hyams, promised him extraordinary amounts of money as compensation for his services and advised him that the Confederate government had appropriated $200,000 for the scheme. Despite efforts by Confederate agent Kensey Johns Stewart, also in Montreal, to persuade Davis to desist from the scheme, it was at least partially carried out and the shirts were in fact delivered to the White House, according to Hyams. A smoking gun? Yes, and one that has been there, in the trial transcript, for 153 years.

I have expanded on the foregoing facts in an article, which includes Stewart's letter to Davis.

John

There have been a few historians over the years who have doggedly followed any trail to link Montreal to the conspiracy. Since the 1970s and 80s, many of them have utilized the research of James O Hall and William Tidwell, who were really the trail blazers in this field. Jane Singer and Ed Steers are two that assisted also.

In the Sheehy article that I was sent (courtesy of Ed), the author acknowledges that several collections that are pertinent to the study have now been placed in public institutions and are more accessible to interested parties. Let's hope that accessibility is the key to finding the missing clues.

[Gene C]

Sounds interesting. I looked at the sample pages on an un-named online shopping site, it looks very involved.

I would love to here from SSlater and hear his opinion.

[RJNorton]

Barry Sheehy is a member here, and I shall write him and see if he would like to add to this thread.

[AussieMick]

Ok, I hope this doesnt drift into too much of a tangent from the Montreal Link....

In D.H Donald's "Lincoln" (which I think is a great book) Pages 677-678 there is detail on a proposal to kidnap Lincoln. Quoting from the Southern Historical Collection, it says Davis discussed the proposal with his "young adjutant" Colonel Walter H. Taylor. Davis reported the conversation to his wife and said Taylor was a 'brave man' but the proposal was dropped because it would have meant Lincoln being killed.

Now, it does seem to me that this reference to Walter H Taylor is wrong. I think it was Major General Joseph Walker Taylor. As detailed here. Page 2.
MAJOR WALKER TAYLOR, C.S.A

Note the reference to Davis aide de camp, Colonel Johnston. And the fact that this Joseph Walker Taylor was somehow connected to Davis first wife, Sarah Knox Taylor, a daughter of Zachary Taylor (so may have well discussed the conversation later with his second wife, Varina).

It does seem strange that Donald would have made such an error. But it should be noted that Lt Colonel Walter H. Taylor was , after the war, very involved in detailing all he knew about events and controversies. And yet (as far as I know) makes no mention of he himself discussing a kidnapping with Davis.

[Barry Sheehy]

Hi Everyone. Roger, thanks for inviting me to join, and Ed, thanks for help and guidance. Let me tell you about the evolution of the book Montreal: City of Secrets. It began in Savannah when I was working on a book series “Civil War Savannah.” (See civilwarsavanah.org)
I discovered several beautiful and haunting statues in the city at important Civil War sites and cemeteries. I was so taken with them that I used pictures of two of them for the covers of Immortal City and Brokers, Bankers and Bay Lane. I asked about the origins of these statues and to my surprise they were sculpted at the Montreal Marble Works by artist Robert Reid. These statues were commissioned during the lean years of Reconstruction and sourcing them from far away Montreal made as much sense as sourcing them from the moon. I knew there had to be a story behind this and what a story it turned out to be.
Over the course of five years, I discovered deep links between Montreal. Savannah and the larger Confederacy. I soon became familiar with the Confederate Secret Service (CSS) apparatus in Canada, much of it centered in Montreal, which was British North America’s business and banking capital. It took time, but I was eventually able to piece together and sketch the CSS organization in Canada in some detail, including names, roles, reporting relationships, and finances. I then stumbled upon an incredible find, the Notman Collection of contemporary Montreal photographs held by McCord Museum. What I found is arguably the largest repository of CSS photographs anywhere in one place. Confederate operatives felt so comfortable in Montreal that most of them went to Notman’s Studio on Bleury Street in Old Montreal to have photographs taken, using their own names, something they often obfuscated when registering at hotels. Even the Museum did not know the treasure trove they were sitting on.
So, this became the first construct of my book: a history of the CSS in Montreal accompanied by a cornucopia of lush contemporary photographs. Then the story took an unexpected twist which turned a simple project into a complicated one. Involving far greater reputational risk I began looking up the names of CSS operatives in St. Lawrence Hall’s (SLH) registers at the Canadian National Archives and the newly available guest books for Barnett’s Museum in Niagara Falls. SLH was Montreal’s foremost hotel and Barnett’s Museum was visited by just about anyone who came to Niagara. I focused on a time period from June 1864 to April 1865 when CSS activities in Canada were at their peak. I soon discovered that the CSS were frequent guests at SLH and also turn up frequently at Barnett’s Museum. This confirmed my research regarding the CSS in Canada. So Far so good. The Confederates used SLH as an unofficial headquarters and meeting place and also dominated the nearby Donegana Hotel. The charming, big-spending southerners were soon welcome in the upper crust of Montreal—which was a very pro secesh town. They also effectively controlled several Canadian banks by virtue of their significant deposits.
Things got complicated when John Wilkes Booth enters the picture. I don’t think, based on ample evidence, that there is much doubt that the Lincoln assassination, which began as a kidnapping plot, had its genesis in Montreal. My first concern was keeping Booth from running off with my book. In retrospect, this concern may have resulted in underplaying this side of the story, something I hope to rectify in a new paper. The other twist in the story was the number of American bankers, business tycoons, and arms dealers who turn up in Montreal at SLH, rubbing elbows with key members of the CSS. And it doesn’t end there. Also in Montreal was a small army of senior War and Treasury Department officials, many of whom reported directly to Stanton and Chase. Much of Chase’s presidential committee was present in Montreal. Senior Democrats and Republicans were also in Canada, including a number of Lincoln’s bitterest enemies. This was arguably the largest concentration of American power and influence outside of the United States in the 19th century.
Barry
PS. There is a CSS officer in Montreal named Taylor. He was very active. Never could figure out who he was.

[L Verge]

(06-15-2018 05:15 PM)AussieMick Wrote:  Ok, I hope this doesnt drift into too much of a tangent from the Montreal Link....

In D.H Donald's "Lincoln" (which I think is a great book) Pages 677-678 there is detail on a proposal to kidnap Lincoln. Quoting from the Southern Historical Collection, it says Davis discussed the proposal with his "young adjutant" Colonel Walter H. Taylor. Davis reported the conversation to his wife and said Taylor was a 'brave man' but the proposal was dropped because it would have meant Lincoln being killed.

Now, it does seem to me that this reference to Walter H Taylor is wrong. I think it was Major General Joseph Walker Taylor. As detailed here. Page 2.
MAJOR WALKER TAYLOR, C.S.A

Note the reference to Davis aide de camp, Colonel Johnston. And the fact that this Joseph Walker Taylor was somehow connected to Davis first wife, Sarah Knox Taylor, a daughter of Zachary Taylor (so may have well discussed the conversation later with his second wife, Varina).

It does seem strange that Donald would have made such an error. But it should be noted that Lt Colonel Walter H. Taylor was , after the war, very involved in detailing all he knew about events and controversies. And yet (as far as I know) makes no mention of he himself discussing a kidnapping with Davis.

I believe you are absolutely correct; and I'm not surprised that Donald would make such an error. My apologies to all, but many Lincoln scholars are not well-versed in the Lincoln conspiracy.

As for Joseph Walker Taylor, many of us believe that he was the first to suggest any action (this time abduction) against Lincoln. As you said, Davis rejected his idea based on an outcome worse than abduction. It was still early enough in the war that "gentleman warfare" was still practiced - not black flag warfare.

I hope that Ed Steers will join in this thread because I believe he covered Walker in Blood on the Moon.

[Gene C]

I'm adding this one to my wish list.

Barry, I know when writing a book there are certain items you have to leave out, there just isn't room for everything.
Can you share with us one or two items you wanted to add, but couldn't?

[SSlater]

(06-15-2018 01:59 PM)Gene C Wrote:  Sounds interesting. I looked at the sample pages on an un-named online shopping site, it looks very involved.

I would love to here from SSlater and hear his opinion.

What a coincidence. I have been up to my ears in the research of all the ideas that contributed to the Assassination. I have concentrated on that trial (in Washington), that was labeled "Testimony before the Judicial Committee related to the Complicity of Jefferson Davis, C. C. Clay, and others, with the assassination of Abram Lincoln."
277 legal size pages - 1200 questions and answers. That is the trial where all the witnesses testified under false names, and thenLIED. The Record copy (from the U.S. Archives) is all "hand written" and in some cases UNREADABLE, so I typed that "bugger" and finished just this week. That means - I read every word of that trial.
I have concluded, from this research, that Davis did not approve the shooting of Lincoln.
After Booth messed up the Capture of Lincoln, Davis approved the "Blowing up of the White House". That was handled in Richmond.
(There also the story from the guy in Florida that said he carried orders to Booth that ORDERED him not to shoot Lincoln.
After Harney was captured, Booth concluded on his own,that Richmond wanted Lincoln dead, and he would do it - quickly.
Thus, Booth shoot Lincoln completely on his own volition.

[Ed Steers]

(06-15-2018 07:37 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(06-15-2018 05:15 PM)AussieMick Wrote:  Ok, I hope this doesnt drift into too much of a tangent from the Montreal Link....

In D.H Donald's "Lincoln" (which I think is a great book) Pages 677-678 there is detail on a proposal to kidnap Lincoln. Quoting from the Southern Historical Collection, it says Davis discussed the proposal with his "young adjutant" Colonel Walter H. Taylor. Davis reported the conversation to his wife and said Taylor was a 'brave man' but the proposal was dropped because it would have meant Lincoln being killed.

Now, it does seem to me that this reference to Walter H Taylor is wrong. I think it was Major General Joseph Walker Taylor. As detailed here. Page 2.
MAJOR WALKER TAYLOR, C.S.A

Note the reference to Davis aide de camp, Colonel Johnston. And the fact that this Joseph Walker Taylor was somehow connected to Davis first wife, Sarah Knox Taylor, a daughter of Zachary Taylor (so may have well discussed the conversation later with his second wife, Varina).

It does seem strange that Donald would have made such an error. But it should be noted that Lt Colonel Walter H. Taylor was , after the war, very involved in detailing all he knew about events and controversies. And yet (as far as I know) makes no mention of he himself discussing a kidnapping with Davis.

I believe you are absolutely correct; and I'm not surprised that Donald would make such an error. My apologies to all, but many Lincoln scholars are not well-versed in the Lincoln conspiracy.

As for Joseph Walker Taylor, many of us believe that he was the first to suggest any action (this time abduction) against Lincoln. As you said, Davis rejected his idea based on an outcome worse than abduction. It was still early enough in the war that "gentleman warfare" was still practiced - not black flag warfare.

I hope that Ed Steers will join in this thread because I believe he covered Walker in Blood on the Moon.

Thanks for asking. It was Joseph Walker Taylor. He met with Davis shortly after recovering from wounds received at Fort Donelson. He recovered while staying at his uncle's house in washington - his uncle was a general inthe Union army. Barry Sheehy's book and soon to be published article are significant additions to the assassination story. It is about time we pay full attention to Montreal and Booth's time there. It is the key to his recruitment vis a vis Dr. Mudd.

[Barry Sheehy]

(06-15-2018 08:13 PM)Gene C Wrote:  I'm adding this one to my wish list.

Barry, I know when writing a book there are certain items you have to leave out, there just isn't room for everything.
Can you share with us one or two items you wanted to add, but couldn't?

---

Gene C.
My original focus in the Montreal book was to dissect and document the inner workings of the CSS in Canada and particularly in Montreal. Few people realize how large and well funded an organization it was. Certainly few Canadians realize how influential this clandestine organization was in Canada and how much quiet support was provided by British and Canadian authorities, who saw a permanently divided United States as preferable to a unified, militarized and hostile neighbor. A unified US represented an existential threat to the survival of British North America.Thus they quietly indulged the CSS until the St Albans Raid woke everybody up to the reality that the charming, ever polite, free spending southerners were down-right dangerous.

The arrival of John W. Booth's in Montreal, with his his clear links to the CSS, threw my original construct for the book into a cocked hat. Just look at how many players in or near the Lincoln assassination turn up in Montreal. The list is long. But not wanting this to become an "assassination book" I underplayed this story to some degree. I hope to correct this in a new paper I'm working on. The other aspect of the story I approached cautiously was the powerful northern politicians, War Department, Treasury Department, National Detective Police and (often politicized) newspaper editors who were in Montreal. For example, what was Lafayette Baker, Walter Pollack, Thomas Eckert doing in Montreal in a hotel full of Confederates? Why was most of Chase's presidential committee on hand? The answers may be benign but surely the questions needs to be asked. Consider also an ordinate number of players involved in Johnson's impeachment are in Canada; so many as to make their presence a coincidence a statistical impossibility. I highlighted some of this in the book but avoided drawing any conclusions. I felt like I was walking on eggshells. These are some of the dilemmas I faced in writing Montreal-City of Secrets.
Barry

[RJNorton]

When was John Wilkes Booth initially recruited by the Confederate Secret Service? Some sources say it was at the Parker House in Boston in late July 1864. Barry, I do not have your book yet, but (in his book) John F. suggests the possibility it may have been earlier than the Parker House meeting. John cites meetings that Booth had with George Miller and Hiram Martin in New Orleans in March/April of 1864. Any thoughts, folks?

[SSlater]

Would you believe that the North knew all about the various plots proposed by the South, long before they were attempted?
I base that question on events that occurred long before the act, and could have been prevented.
As early as "The Trial of the Conspirators", a man named Richard Reynolds Montgomery, came forward to brag that he had been a Spy for the North and the South.
Richard had been born in New York City about 1830, to a wealthy Stock Broker, so he enjoyed a plush life. When the war broke out, Papa Montgomery tried to get his son a Commission, but it seems to have failed. Richard volunteered as an enlisted man and was accepted. However, after about 3 months , he was allowed to resign to accept an assignment a position that was described only by a "letter and a number", such as "DD407". (That is a fictitious symbol, used only as an example). This is where I believe he became a Spy.
He arrived in Washington for assignment and his name appears in the "City Directory" for the next few years, but there is no mention of his job.
Skip forward to 1865 and the "Trial of the Conspirators", and "Major Richard Reynolds Montgomery" is called to be the North's prime witness. He continued his bragging by revealing that he "stopped in Washington on every trip to Montreal, to allow the North to read all the secret matter he was carrying".
This being so, the North knew all about any attempt that was to be perpetrated against Lincoln. I am going to quit here. There is more. This belongs in the "Montreal File".

[Barry Sheehy]

Not sure but the Meeting at the Parker House involved several persons using Canadian departure points including H.V. Clinton who later turns up at St Lawrence Hall in Montreal. Clinton is probably an alias but he it's pretty clear he was associated with the CSS. The Parker House meeting was where Booth was introduced to the Lincoln kidnapping project, which then required a follow-up meeting in Montreal to arrange
logistics, financing and letters of introduction to the courier lines through southern Maryland. We know Booth was involved in smuggling medicine (quinine) into the Confederacy and this activity would have almost certainly predated the Parker House meeting. Not familiar withe Miller and Martin meeting in New Orleans.
B