The Death of John Wilkes Booth

April 26th marks the day that John Wilkes Booth was shot in the neck and killed by a Union Calvary soldier while hiding in a barn on the farm of Richard Garrett near Bowling Green, Virginia.

Photo of the Garrett farm from http://www.nps.gov/archive/foth/escapjwb.htm

Since April 14th, Booth had spent many days feeling south into Virginia. According to many, Booth had broken his leg when he jumped from the balcony onto the stage after shooting the President. Dr. Samuel Mudd had helped Booth on April 15th by setting his injured leg and allowing him to rest on his couch. Booth then continued his flight south, crossed the Potomac River and eventually ended up on the Garrett farm.

As you can see from this poster, Booth, along with his conspirators was a wanted man and was being hunted down for his crime.

Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Division - http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3g05341

The following is a map of Booth's Escape route from the Ford's Theater National Historic Site website:




For more on the Booth Escape Route, I suggest the following:

Civil War Studies Website has some good photos from a tour with noted historian Ed Bearss.

and

Civil War Traveler website has some good information and a brochure that is available for you to download and review with your students.

For more information on the Booth escape and capture I suggest the following:

The Death of John Wilkes Booth from the Eyewitness To History website and

The Life and Plot of John Wilkes Booth website by RJ Norton. This site also has some good information on the final hours of Booth and details of the autopsy of Booth's body.

Using Art to teach about the Civil War pt 1.

So the other day at lunch time, it had warmed up enough to take a walk outside and I found myself heading for the state museum. I walked up to the area for the Civil War and found it under renovation, however they did have some paintings there and I began to think how this could be used in schools.

The paintings I was looking at were done by Peter Rothermel. The largest is called The Battle of Gettysburg is 16 3/4 feet high and 32 feet long. It's HUGE!. According to a sign near the painting it was unveiled on December 20, 1870 and it depicts the event popularly known as Pickett's Charge. There are numerous historical figures located within the painting such as Union General G. Gordon Meade.

Here are some photos I recently took of the painting and display at the state museum here in Harrisburg.


The previous three photos show the drum that served as a model for the one focused on in the painting, a photograph of Rothermel and invitations to the unveiling of the painting.

This is a close up of the center of the painting that is focused on the soldier wielding his musket like a club.


Note the drum in the bottom center of this picture. It is the same as the one in the display case.



Three more close up photographs

This is the sign leading into the exhibit.

Next time we'll look at other artists and paintings and talk more about how you can have students create their own art.

Until then...

On on the Lincoln Assassination

Special thanks to Dennis Lawrence of the Gettysburg Discussion Group for pointing out the following from Speaking about Lincoln and The Lincoln Log for April 14
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Friday, April 14, 1865.

Capt. Robert Lincoln arrives in Washington from scene of Gen. R. E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, Va., in time for 8 A.M. breakfast with President. Helm, Mary, 259; Francis F. Browne, The Everyday Life of Abraham Lincoln (New York: Thompson, 1886), 701-2.

During morning Lincoln confers at length with Cong. Colfax (Ind.), who is preparing to visit West Coast. Willard H. Smith, Schuyler Colfax: The Changing Fortunes of a Political Idol (Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Collections, 1952), 207.

Interviews former Sen. Hale (N.H.), newly appointed minister to Spain, and goes for short drive with Gen. Grant, in town for cabinet meeting. Receives many members of Congress who call to congratulate him on successful conclusion of war. Francis F. Browne, The Everyday Life of Abraham Lincoln (New York: Thompson, 1886), 701-2.

Interviews William A. Howard, Detroit lawyer. James A. Bishop, The Day Lincoln was Shot (New York: Harper, 1955), 115.

Writes Gen. Van Alen: "I thank you for the assurance you give me that I shall be supported by conservative men like yourself, in the efforts I may make to restore the Union, so as to make it, to use your language, a Union of hearts and hands as well as of States."

Visits cipher room of War Dept., tells Gen. Thomas T. Eckert of plans to attend theater, and invites him to come along. 7.

About 10 A.M. Gov. Swann (Md:) and Sen. Creswell (Md.) present memorandum concerning Maryland appointments.

At 11 A.M. cabinet meets.

Grant reports to cabinet on surrender of Confederate forces at Appomattox, and Sec. Stanton presents draft of plan for reestablishing authority in Confederate States.

President tells several cabinet members about his recurring dream of ship "moving with great rapidity toward a dark and indefinite shore," that presages Union victories.

Cabinet meeting lasts from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M. Informal discussion relative to what should be done about President Davis and other leaders of Confederacy.

Between 2 and 3 P.M. President lunches with Mrs. Lincoln in private parlor. Francis F. Browne,

Edward D. Neill, White House employee, sees President about signed commission.

Lincoln interviews Vice President Johnson at 3 P.M. Mrs. Nancy Bushrod, Negro woman, pushes by guards and sees President regarding husband's pay.

Cong. Samuel Shellabarger (Ohio) calls on President at approximately 4 P.M. to discuss appointments. J

Asst. Sec. Dana reports to President at 4:30 P.M. that Jacob Thompson, Confederate agent in Canada, is now in U.S. making ready to sail for Europe. Should he be allowed to leave country? President is willing for him to leave.

Sec. Hugh McCulloch makes friendly call on President.

Around 5 P.M. Cong. Edward H. Rollins (N.H.) calls on President to get petition endorsed.

In late afternoon President and Mrs. Lincoln go for drive. They stop at Navy Yard to view three monitors, damaged in Fort Fisher, N.C., engagement. President talks of time when they can return to Illinois and live quietly.

Between 6 and 7 P.M. President and Mrs. Lincoln return from drive and find Gov. Richard J. Oglesby (Ill.) with other Illinois friends at White House. Reads four chapters of Petroleum V. Nasby's book [

After supper President interviews Cong. Colfax (Ind.) relative to special session of Congress and order of Gen. Weitzel. Former Cong. Cornelius Cole (Calif.) accompanies Colfax. .

At 8 P.M. former Cong. Ashmun (Mass.) sees President regarding cotton claim against government. President gives him appointment as follows: "Allow Mr. Ashmun &friend to come in at 9 A.M. to-morrow." [Ashmun considered this Lincoln's last autograph.]

President exchanges few words with former Cong. Arnold (Ill.) while getting in carriage to go to theater.

At approximately 8:30 P.M. President and Mrs. Lincoln, accompanied by Clara Harris and Maj. Henry R. Rathbone, enter Ford's Theatre for performance of "Our American Cousin" featuring Laura Keene.

[Exact time of assassination is not agreed upon. After extensive research Otto Eisenschiml wrote:] "It is therefore safe to say that Booth fired his shot at or close to 13 minutes past 10 P.M."

Shortly afterward President, completely insensible, is moved across street to house of William Petersen, 453 10th St. NW., and placed upon bed in small room at rear of hall on ground floor. Mrs. Lincoln stays near her husband. Robert Lincoln and John Hay come from White House. Dr. Stone tells Robert there is no hope. Family and others whose official or private relations to President give them right to be present begin their long night wait for death to overtake him.

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"That a man so gentle, so kind, so free from every particle of malice or unkindness, every act of whose life has been so marked by benevolence and good will, should become the victim of a cold-blooded assassination, shocked the public heart beyond expression."
--New York Times, April 16, 1865

"Everything which made Abraham Lincoln the loved and honored man he was, it is in the power of the humblest American boy to imitate."
--New York Times, April 19, 1865

"None of us knew then -- how could we have known? -- how deeply God's wisdom had touched and inspired that devout and patient soul. At the moment few people praised or trusted him."
--Julia Ward Howe in "Reminiscences 1819-1899"

"Never did a President enter upon office with less means at his command, outside his own strength of heart and steadiness of understanding, for inspiring confidence in the people, and so winning it for himself, than Mr. Lincoln."
--James Russell Lowell in the January 1864 North American Review

"... to those of us who came in contact with the man himself there was vouchsafed a revelation of personal power transcending any similiar experience which we might know."
--John Eaton in "Grant, Lincoln and the Freedmen"

After a moment's inspection, Mr. Lincoln left with you a sort of impression of vague and deep sadness. It is not too much to say that it was rare to converse with him a while without feeling something poignant."
-- Marquis de Chambrun in "Personal Recollections of Mr. Lincoln"


"Of all the men I ever met, he seemed to possess more of the elements of greatness, combined with goodness, than any other."
--William Sherman in "Memoirs of General William T. Sherman"

"He no longer stands for what is best in American life and genius, but for what is best in humanity. He belongs to the world, not alone to us."
--Noah Brooks in New York Times, Feb. 12, 1898


"At the only interview I had with him, he shook my hand paternally at parting, and said, 'Don't be troubled. I guess we shall get through.' We have got through it, at least the fighting, and still I cannot believe it."
--Letter from Curtis in "George William Curtis"

"I left for home with a strong conviction, which never left me, that he was the right man in the right place, and the longer he lived the stronger that conviction grew."
--S.J. Kirkwood in the January 1891 Iowa Historical Record

"If ever there was a diamond in the rough, or good fruit enclosed in shabby husk, it was Abraham Lincoln."
--Erasmus D. Keyes in "Fifty Years' Observations of Men and Events"

The Assassination of President Lincoln

On April 14, 1863, President and Mrs. Lincoln were attending a performance of "Our American Cousin" at Washington's Ford's Theater. As the Lincolns and their guests, Major Rathbone and his fiancee Clara Harris, watched the play John Wilkes Booth entered the presidential box and shot the president in the head.

I thought I would share some resources on the assassination to help you cover this important topic in our history.

The Library of Congress:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/alrintr.html

The Ford's Theater National Historic Site
http://www.nps.gov/archive/foth/index2.htm

Photos related to the assassination:
http://www.civilwarphotos.net/files/lincoln_assassination.htm

Read about the trail of the conspirators at:
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/lincolnconspiracy/lincolnconspiracy.html

On of my favorite books on this is:
American Brutus by Michael Kaufman

Antietam. . .An Outdoor Classroom for Students of All Ages

The following was originally posted by Antietam National Park Ranger Hoptak on his 48th Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry Blog and is reproduced here with permission from Ranger Hoptak. This post provides some insight into the educational programs available to school students at the park. Also, be sure to check out the link at the end of the post for additional information.

The Mumma Farm: The Education Center at the Antietam National Battlefield

Antietam Battlefield is more than just a National Park. It is also an outdoor classroom. Every year at the park, we get scores of military groups who come by to learn about strategy, tactics, leadership, and a host of other military topics using the terrain of the battlefield as their guide. In addition, each year we get thousands--many thousands--of school kids that come through the park to learn about the battle and to learn about the soldiers who comprised the ranks of the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia.

Park Rangers Christie Stanczak and Gordie Thorpe head up the Education Department at the Antietam National Battlefield and they do an incredible job in developing and presenting educational programs to school groups, whether they be 5th graders or 12th graders. Christie and Gordie have developed a wide range of Civil War programs for these students, each one being a "hands-on" learning experience. There is, for example, the Civil War Soldier program, during which students learn what it was like to be a soldier in the ranks. Also, Cannoneers to Your Posts! explains the operation of a Civil War cannon crew and the many steps involved in loading and firing a cannon. Angels of the Battlefield is another program; this one helps students learn about Civil War medicine and the methods of battlefield care for the wounded and dying. And there is also Flags that Talk, an excellent program that discusses the use of Signal Flag technology during the war. There are other programs as well, and teachers, seeking a greater learning experience for their students, can request any combination of them when arranging to tour the battlefield.

Well, last week, fellow Seasonal (and fellow Blogger), Mannie Gentile and myself were "signed off," so to speak, on presenting these programs to school groups. Mannie and I both hold instructional certificates (I am certified in Citizenship Education, 7-12, and Social Studies, 9-12), and we both have several years' experience in public schools as substitute teachers. I thoroughly enjoy teaching and get great satisfaction at seeing the metaphorical lightbulb turn on when a student learns something new. So when I was asked if would be interested in learning the education programs at the Park, I jumped at the opportunity. Today, for the first, I participated in presenting the Cannoneers to Your Posts! program to a group of 11th and 12th graders from Cincinatti, Ohio, and, simply put, I had a great time.

I always recognized the tremendous value of having such programming available to students when they travel to the battlefield, but today I got a chance to realize firsthand how absolutely integral and essential it is. The students who participate in such programs, I am convinced, walk away from their trip to the battlefield with a better understanding of the battle and of the war than if they simply seen the park from their seats in the bus. With the school group season upon us, I look forward to helping out Christie, Gordie, and Mannie, a lot more in presenting education programs at the Antietam National Battlefield.

Teachers, if you are interested in scheduling a trip to Antietam, click on this link:

http://www.nps.gov/anti/forteachers/

Another Good Movie

While searching for some content for a project, I came across this nice video. The 2001 video features Rea Redd from Waynesburg College (where I'm an adjunct professor) and was filmed on location at the Soldiers and Sailors Hall in Pittsburgh. Corporal Redd mentions that he is a member of the 9th Pennsylvania Reserves, a Civil War Reenactment group.

Check out the video, I think you will enjoy it: http://www.nyt.ulib.org/nyt320.mpg

4/6/07 -- Update
Someone shared the following video with me about the Pennsylvania Reserves. It was produced by a member of the 9th Pa Reserves so I thought I would add it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6q7MdqlIbI