Conspirator

[hornadylnl]

I just finished watching the movie Conspirator. It's about the trial of Mary Surratt. She was hanged for the conspiracy to assasinate President Lincoln. Anybody else seen this and studied the history? I don't know much about the history and wonder how accurate the movie is. It appears that those in power in the 1860's were no more controlled by the Consitution than our current government.

 

[dleeharrison]

The movie is fairly accurate as to the events that ocurred after the assassination. The government and public demanded that the conspirators be found and brought to trial. The demand for justice bordered on revenge. A number of people in the North believed that the conspiracy was supported and encouraged by the Confideracy. Any feelings for compassion towards the South since the war was all but won, vanished with Lincoln's death.

A good book that is worht reading is "Manhunt" by James Swanson. The book centers on the pursuit of Booth but it also contains portions on the pursuit and capture of the other Lincoln conspirators.

The assissination of Lincoln was so unfortunate for the South. He would have made the reconstruction of the South much easier. Instead, we had an alcoholic President, Johnson, take charge of a mean spirited reconstruction of the South. The "waving of the bloddy shirt" period had begun.