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Book Review: They Have Killed Papa Dead
Feb. 18th, 2018 10:05 amI read some other reader reviews of this book and saw some people were put off by the title, but the title was exactly why it caught my eye on the shelf of Half Price Books. I knew this wasn’t just any other book on Lincoln.
I have read plenty of Lincoln and probably wasn’t really excited about buying another one, but something real stuck out with this.
The truth is it is a pretty unique addition to the Lincoln canon. Pitch lived in Washington DC and spent 7 years going to the Library of Congress and National Archives. He had the unique position of living 20 miles away and was able to do a level of research that no one else could expect to, because of travel and time restrictions.
Because he had access to journals, letters and newspapers of the day, he was able to get as many angles as a modern day biography, but a feat that is rare for an event over 150 years old. I echo what another reader reviewer said, it creates a certain level of ‘worldbuilding’ that is impossible in most historical tomes.
Because of his research, we get observations from actual witnesses to the events. We get contemporary opinion. We get insight from the major players and those that are once or twice removed (friends, neighbors).
The book takes on the whole story of Lincoln’s assassination. There are the precautions of Lincolns inaugural to prevent assassination attempts. There’s the Booth conspiracy which is handled probably as much as in detail as anywhere, which starts as a plan to kidnap Lincoln and evolves. The cast are drifters, cowards, mentally challenged and the charismatic Booth leading them all. There is the escape from Ford Theater and the Manhunt. There are the desperate doctors trying to save the President. The trial and hanging of the conspirators. The escape and eventual capture of John Surratt who makes it all the way to the Vatican.
I consider myself very well versed in this story, but there is so much here to take in. I found so much of it fascinating. For me, it was all interesting, but I learned a lot I did not know- such as Samuel Mudd eventually making his way out of prison and into local politics, and how the Booth family reacted to the assassination. Also, the horrible treatment of the conspirators is pretty shocking. Even if this was a national incident where they were likely guilty, it has to be said they were treated inhumanely.
Each of these topics make for compelling reading. There's Seward and Stanton and Grant and Andrew Johnson. There's plenty of lesser known figures as well that you might be introduced to for the first time.
It is a fascinating book and adds so much to Lincoln’s story. It’s a huge undertaking and it’s a bit of a lot to take in (400 pages). For me, it flowed pretty well. I thought the pre-Booth assassination rumors were an interesting place to start, and sort of transitions weirdly into Booth’s involvement, but still fascinating. The Booth manhunt is bogged down in details. The only part for me that dragged. I suspect that particular event was action-driven and so was better served to be handled that way as in Swanson’s book. Still, Pitch’s angle is one that again is fascinating and little known. The reward offered for the capture of the conspirators probably created more infighting and negative consequences than its intended goal to get everyone working together. Pitch details how the reward eventually gets paid out, and the politics that went into the decision making.
This was a fascinating book as I suspected from the striking cover when I first saw it, but it really was an unique book on Lincoln. It covers a lot of territory that has been well worn but gives it fresh eyes. There is a quote on the book from a USA Today review which makes it sound like it only focuses on the sensationalist details, but that’s the wrong impression. Instead it gives it a level of detail that drops you down in to the 1860s. For all those reasons, I recommend this highly.
I have read plenty of Lincoln and probably wasn’t really excited about buying another one, but something real stuck out with this.
The truth is it is a pretty unique addition to the Lincoln canon. Pitch lived in Washington DC and spent 7 years going to the Library of Congress and National Archives. He had the unique position of living 20 miles away and was able to do a level of research that no one else could expect to, because of travel and time restrictions.
Because he had access to journals, letters and newspapers of the day, he was able to get as many angles as a modern day biography, but a feat that is rare for an event over 150 years old. I echo what another reader reviewer said, it creates a certain level of ‘worldbuilding’ that is impossible in most historical tomes.
Because of his research, we get observations from actual witnesses to the events. We get contemporary opinion. We get insight from the major players and those that are once or twice removed (friends, neighbors).
The book takes on the whole story of Lincoln’s assassination. There are the precautions of Lincolns inaugural to prevent assassination attempts. There’s the Booth conspiracy which is handled probably as much as in detail as anywhere, which starts as a plan to kidnap Lincoln and evolves. The cast are drifters, cowards, mentally challenged and the charismatic Booth leading them all. There is the escape from Ford Theater and the Manhunt. There are the desperate doctors trying to save the President. The trial and hanging of the conspirators. The escape and eventual capture of John Surratt who makes it all the way to the Vatican.
I consider myself very well versed in this story, but there is so much here to take in. I found so much of it fascinating. For me, it was all interesting, but I learned a lot I did not know- such as Samuel Mudd eventually making his way out of prison and into local politics, and how the Booth family reacted to the assassination. Also, the horrible treatment of the conspirators is pretty shocking. Even if this was a national incident where they were likely guilty, it has to be said they were treated inhumanely.
Each of these topics make for compelling reading. There's Seward and Stanton and Grant and Andrew Johnson. There's plenty of lesser known figures as well that you might be introduced to for the first time.
It is a fascinating book and adds so much to Lincoln’s story. It’s a huge undertaking and it’s a bit of a lot to take in (400 pages). For me, it flowed pretty well. I thought the pre-Booth assassination rumors were an interesting place to start, and sort of transitions weirdly into Booth’s involvement, but still fascinating. The Booth manhunt is bogged down in details. The only part for me that dragged. I suspect that particular event was action-driven and so was better served to be handled that way as in Swanson’s book. Still, Pitch’s angle is one that again is fascinating and little known. The reward offered for the capture of the conspirators probably created more infighting and negative consequences than its intended goal to get everyone working together. Pitch details how the reward eventually gets paid out, and the politics that went into the decision making.
This was a fascinating book as I suspected from the striking cover when I first saw it, but it really was an unique book on Lincoln. It covers a lot of territory that has been well worn but gives it fresh eyes. There is a quote on the book from a USA Today review which makes it sound like it only focuses on the sensationalist details, but that’s the wrong impression. Instead it gives it a level of detail that drops you down in to the 1860s. For all those reasons, I recommend this highly.
