Today at the Pritzker Military Library
MANHUNT: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer
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Saturday, March 11th, 2006 |
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The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history - the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry and detectives on a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia, |
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while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness. At the very center of this story is John Wilkes Booth, America's notorious villain. A Confederate sympathizer and a member of a celebrated acting family, Booth threw away his fame and wealth for a chance to avenge the South's defeat. For almost two weeks, he confounded the manhunters, slipping away from their every move and denying them the justice they sought. James L. Swanson , an attorney and Lincoln scholar, has held a number of government and think-tank posts in Washington , D.C. He has written about history, the Constitution, popular culture, and other subjects for a variety of publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and American Heritage . He is the coauthor of Lincolns Assassins: Their Trial and Execution . Swanson is a member of the advisory committee of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. He lives in Washington , D.C. Harper Collins |
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