Today the four convicted assassins of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln are hanged: Lewis Powell (also Payne or Paine), David Herold, George Atzerodt and Mary Surratt. General Winfield Scott Hancock, a hero of the war, is the officer in charge of the executions. Hancock is a Baptist. Lewis Powell, one of the most hated men…
Following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, many friends and acquaintances of the late president remembered him with great admiration and fondness. Stories associated with Lincoln were often repeated, tales that in the months and years to come were recorded for posterity in numerous books about the president who had saved the Union. One such story,…
Today from prison at Fort Monroe, Virginia, former Confederate President Jefferson Davis writes General Nelson A. Miles, the prison commandant. He requests permission to write his wife, obtain fresh clothes and reading materials, and receive a visit from the prison chaplain. He also inquires if his guard detail might be downsized. Davis’ treatment is a…