LINCOLN - The Lost Cause
Book 1 in the Lincoln Assassination Series
President Abraham Lincoln once said, "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt!"
President Jefferson Davis once said, "I worked night and day for twelve years to prevent the war, but I could not. The North was mad and blind, would not let us govern ourselves, and so the war came."
More than 150 years later, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln remains one of the most significant events in United States history. It continues until this very day, attracting the interest of scholars, writers like myself, and armchair historians.
This series is very special to my heart. It begins with the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln on March 4, 1861, and passes by the four war years and continues with his assassination by David Edgar Herold, a 23-year old pharmacist who was living in Washington City.
Wait! Did you just say who? If you did, then follow this book from start to finish and you will find out that not only did John Wilkes Booth die for his involvement in the assassination, but so did four others. Many novels define John Wilkes Booth as a lone deranged actor and a madman who struck from a twisted lust for vengeance. This is not true. He was neither alone nor was he mad. According to the U. S. federal government, over 250 people were taken into custody and interrogated.
Later books in the series will take you through the actual military trial of the other's conspirators, including the first woman ever executed by the United States Government.
This novel will also cover that fateful night of Lincoln's assassination. It will follow the 12-day chase for John Wilkes Booth and David Herold. Then, it will follow the burial route and final resting place for Lincoln. The trial will not be covered in this novel, but the day of execution of the conspirators is included along with the burial of the other assassins.
Then, the chase and capture of Jefferson Davis is told, along with his two year imprisonment by the federal government.
Are you aware that it wasn't until 1977 during Jimmy Carter's term in office that Davis was posthumously forgiven for his role in the civil war and made a U. S. Citizen?
The novel includes the inauguration, the assassination, the funeral, capture of John Wilkes Booth, the execution, the arrest and imprisonment of Jefferson Davis and later his funeral held in Metairie, Louisiana. Below are a few words his wife said while traveling down Poydras in downtown New Orleans. The funeral procession was over three miles long as mourners paid their respect to the South's President, Jefferson Davis.
"Dear, I was thinking out loud how sad a day this has been. The United States War Department did not recognize your father. The United States flag did not fly at half-mast. It flew at half-mast throughout the south." Varina began to cry again. She raised her handkerchief up to blot the tears running down her cheek. "He is the only former Secretary of War not given the respect and honor due him by the United States Government." She sighed, clasping her slender hands together in her lap, and stared at them, lost with her emotions.
"Mother, don't fret about it. Father's funeral service was, I am sure, attended by far more people than those who attended Abraham Lincoln's. The South loves him. We love the South."
