On the evening of April 14; 1865; when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in Ford’s Theatre; an entire audience was witness to the tragedy. From diaries; letters; depositions; affidavits; and periodicals; here is a collection of accounts from a variety of theatergoers―who by chance saw one of the truly pivotal events in U.S. history. Providing minute first-hand details recorded over a span of ninety years; We Saw Lincoln Shot explores an event that will forever be the subject of debate and controversy.“I was present at the theater and saw it all;†said Samuel Koontz. “In fact; I was only about fifteen feet from the President when he was shot; although he was in a private box in the theater.â€In a letter to his parent; Jason S. Knox wrote; “Dear Father; it is with sad feeling that I take up my pen and address you. Last Friday night at ten o’clock; I witnessed the saddest tragedy ever enacted in this country. Notwithstanding my promise to you not to visit the theater; I could not resist the temptation to see General Grant and the President; and when the curtain at Ford’s rose on the play of Our American Cousin; my roommate and I were seated on the second row of orchestra seats; just beneath the President’s box.â€Although there have been many studies of the Lincoln assassination; few have been devoted to the actual event. Overwhelmingly; historians have been attracted to the conspiracy that preceded Lincoln’s death or to the aftermath. Too few have relied sufficiently upon eyewitness accounts; and some; without considering how the human mind fails to preserve minute details in long-term memory; have trusted recollections transcribed many years after Lincoln died. With a sharp focus upon the circumstances reported by one hundred actual witnesses; We Saw Lincoln Shot provides vivid documentation of a momentous evening and exposes errors that have been perpetuated as the assassination has been rendered into written histories.
#2459113 in Books University of Utah Press 2002-03-14Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .85 x 6.26 x 9.30l; #File Name: 087480714X235 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Amazing true storyBy Brian GoettlichAmazing true story! I have read it twice and given it as a gift to several people. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of black history and pioneering history.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. good readBy TaoThis book is well written.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Many Forces Culminate in Powerful "Feather"By R OMearaAs a resident of Los Angeles; I purchased THE FORCE OF A FEATHER anticipating a biography of Biddy Mason; one of this city's early important religious/cultural figures. Before finishing the introduction; entitled "Coming to the Wall;" I sensed that this book would be something else; itself quite apart from a standard biography.A meticulously researched work (along with vibrant illustrations); author Demaratus has managed to unearth the stories of some little known (and a few famous) Americans -- including Biddy Mason -- whose lives; by the mere forces of chance and fate; were to intersect during one of the most dramatic and fascinating periods of U.S. history (the years of Westward expansion leading up to the Civil War). Lives of free people and slaves; white and black; all of whom stood on the threshold of a defining historical moment; confronting hardship; brutality; adventure; loss and the fierce inevitability of change.Biddy Mason was an astonishing woman by any measurement and the force of her life would resonate farther than she could have ever imagined. And this is exactly where this unique book makes a precarious; yet carefully and perfectly pitched; departure. For it is the author's own story -- her own inspiration to write and her arduous process to complete this work -- that is woven into the narrative; breathing both immediacy and an extraordinary sense of intimacy into "a search for a lost story of slavery and freedom." It's a daring literary choice; and one that I found to be both moving and gratifying.It occurred to me more than once; while reading this book; that the progressive; embracing; non-judgmental style of the author might be a source of complaint for some. But Demaratus seems too respectful of her subjects to draw conclusions without fact; and is content on occasion -- and asks the reader as well -- to ponder what "might have been." As for the risks she took to tell this story; as well as her willingness to question her own conflicted personal beliefs; it only deepened my impression of this book as well as my sense for the author's integrity.As for the other posted review; I can only surmise that the critic wanted Demaratus to write a different book that she did. But I don't think it is the critic's job to tell the artist what to create - only to assess and analyze what has been created. If the reviewer simply wants a biography of Mason; then I suggest the critic turn writer and get busy constructing it.
