The Assassination of President Lincoln and the Trial of the Conspirators

Pitman, Benn, Recorder and Editor. The Assassination of President Lincoln and the Trial of the Conspirators. Cincinnati: Moore, Wilstach & Baldwin, 1865. xvi, [17]-421, 203-210 pp. Frontispiece, Illustrations, three maps and Appendix. Reprinted 2006 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN-13: 978-1-58477-600-0. ISBN-10: 1-58477-600-5. Cloth. New. $95.* This is the text of the trial transcript with narrative commentary by the recorder of the military tribunal that tried the conspirators. One of the most traumatic events in U.S. History, the assassination of President Lincoln has several aspects that remain a subject of debate. One is the legality of the tribunal. For example, it is unclear whether the assassins were guerrilla soldiers or civilians, which raises questions about the choice of tribunal. In order to consider issues such as these it is useful to have access to the original source records. Pitman's annotated transcript is one of the most important. The appendix contains the verdict of the Military Commission together with President Johnson's approval and his Official Order for the execution of David E. Harold, George A. Atzeroth, Lewis Payne and Mary E. Surratt; an account of the their executions; and Mrs. Surratt's petition for a writ of Habeas Corpus with the President's indorsement suspending the writ in the case (From The Trial of the Assassins and Conspirators at Washington City, D.C., May and June, 1865, for the Murder of President Abraham Lincoln. Philadelphia: Peterson & Brothers, 1865.)