Assassin's Accomplice: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln

Hardcover
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Author: Kate Clifford Larson

ISBN-10: 0465038158

ISBN-13: 9780465038152

Category: Spies - Biography

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The true story of Mary Surratt, a shadowy figure behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln-and the first woman executed by the federal government Publishers Weekly Mary Surratt was a Washington, D.C. tavern operator who was hanged for her role in the Abraham Lincoln assassination conspiracy. At the time of her speedy military tribunal and swift execution, Surratt's predicament generated considerable public debate about Southern resistance, Northern vengeance, and gender. History buffs will be enlightened by Larson's findings about the scope and scale of Confederate covert activity in the waning days of the Civil Wars. Laural Merlington does not get the opportunity to sink her teeth into the complicated human drama until rather late in the proceedings. Her portrayal of the emotionally-charged interactions between Surratt and her fragile young-adult daughter demonstrates her range as a performer, but such interludes prove rather fleeting. Larson's narrative remains tied to documentation and court transcripts, so listeners hoping for a full-blown 19th Century soap opera will need to turn elsewhere. A Basic Books hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 7). Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ch. 1 "Devoted Body and Soul to the Cause" 1Ch. 2 Creating a Life, Building the Nest 11Ch. 3 Rebels, Spies, and Couriers 27Ch. 4 Keeper of the Nest 43Ch. 5 The Assassin's Accomplice 69Ch. 6 A Shrewd Witness 97Ch. 7 The "Materfamilias" of the Criminals 117Ch. 8 The Case for the Defense 149Ch. 9 The Verdict: Swift and Deadly 169Ch. 10 Scenes at the Scaffold 195Epilogue American Tragedy or American Justice? 223Acknowledgments 231Notes 235Index 255