The Trial Today: June 2

Here’s a sample of what occurred on this day in the Lincoln conspiracy trial:

  • Edman Spangler’s defense called witnesses to explain how the locks to the Presidential box were broken before April 14th
  • The allegation that Spangler slapped one of his coworkers after the assassination was brought into question
  • Testimony about one of Booth’s fellow actors was heard to poke holes in Louis Weichmann’s claims against Mrs. Surratt
  • Samuel Arnold’s coworkers verified he was in Virginia for about two weeks prior to the assassination
  • Some light was shed on Lewis Powell’s recent past before he met John Wilkes Booth
  • William Doster explained that he would seek an insanity defense for Powell
  • A fabricated letter was entered into evidence
  • Anna Surratt spent part of her time as a visitor in the courtroom giving the stink eye to Louis Weichmann

The June 2, 1865 entry for the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators is now released and has more information. Please click here to access it. You can also access it through The Trial homepage.


Throughout May and June of 2020, I am publishing a day by day chronology of the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. This includes almost daily posts announcing the release of what happened at the conspiracy trial 155 years ago. For more information about the creation of this project please click here.

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The Trial Today: June 1

Here’s a sample of what occurred on this day in the Lincoln conspiracy trial:

  • The court did not meet today, it having been set aside as a National Day of Mourning and Prayer
  • Lewis Powell was visited by a woman who may have been formerly enslaved by the Powell family

The June 1, 1865 entry for the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators is now released and has more information. Please click here to access it. You can also access it through The Trial homepage.


Throughout May and June of 2020, I am publishing a day by day chronology of the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. This includes almost daily posts announcing the release of what happened at the conspiracy trial 155 years ago. For more information about the creation of this project please click here.

Categories: History | Tags: | Leave a comment

The Trial Today: May 31

Here’s a sample of what occurred on this day in the Lincoln conspiracy trial:

  • It was a day of brothers in the court
  • Two of Samuel Arnold’s brothers testified about him staying in a Baltimore suburb during the latter half of March before getting a job in Virginia
  • John T. Ford and two of his brothers testified about Edman Spangler’s duties at Ford’s Theatre and the day leading up to Lincoln’s assassination
  • Dr. Mudd’s brother clarified that while their father owned the lease to the Mudd farm, Dr. Mudd only needed to ask for it in order to sell it to John Wilkes Booth
  • Edwin Booth, the brother of John Wilkes Booth, appeared in court as a visitor

The May 31, 1865 entry for the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators is now released and has more information. Please click here to access it. You can also access it through The Trial homepage.


Throughout May and June of 2020, I am publishing a day by day chronology of the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. This includes almost daily posts announcing the release of what happened at the conspiracy trial 155 years ago. For more information about the creation of this project please click here.

Categories: History | Tags: | Leave a comment

The Trial Today: May 30

Here’s a sample of what occurred on this day in the Lincoln conspiracy trial:

  • Testimony about Jefferson Davis’ reaction to Lincoln’s death was presented
  • Several defense witnesses for Dr. Mudd took the stand
  • Edman Spangler’s actions behind the scenes at Ford’s Theatre were called into question by prosecution witness Jake Rittersbach
  • David Herold’s defense attempted to portray him as a “light and trifling boy”
  • Controversy broke out with a member of the commission objecting to the testimony of Confederate General Edward Johnson
  • Anna Surratt, Mrs. Surratt’s daughter, took the stand and was overwhelmed with emotion
  • An attempt was made by George Atzerodt’s defense to get his confession put onto the record

The May 30, 1865 entry for the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators is now released and has more information. Please click here to access it. You can also access it through The Trial homepage.


Throughout May and June of 2020, I am publishing a day by day chronology of the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. This includes almost daily posts announcing the release of what happened at the conspiracy trial 155 years ago. For more information about the creation of this project please click here.

Categories: History | Tags: | Leave a comment

The Trial Today: May 29

Here’s a sample of what occurred on this day in the Lincoln conspiracy trial:

  • Dr. Mudd’s cousin testified about when Dr. Mudd told him about Booth and Herold’s visit
  • Confederate plots to burn New York City and spread Yellow Fever throughout the Union were described
  • More defense witnesses for Dr. Mudd took the stand explaining his whereabouts in the months prior to the assassination
  • The newspaper reporters describe the physical toll relic hunters are having on the courtroom
  • Booth’s mistress, Ella Starr, made an appearance in the court room but did not testify

The May 29, 1865 entry for the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators is now released and has more information. Please click here to access it. You can also access it through The Trial homepage.


Throughout May and June of 2020, I am publishing a day by day chronology of the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. This includes almost daily posts announcing the release of what happened at the conspiracy trial 155 years ago. For more information about the creation of this project please click here.

Categories: History | Tags: | 2 Comments

Looking at General Grant

Tonight marks the end of the History Channel’s three part miniseries about the life of Civil War lieutenant major general turned President, Ulysses S. Grant. Being without cable, I have yet to see to the miniseries myself, but I am looking forward to viewing it in the near future. However, thanks to the power of promos and Twitter, I have already been made aware of one part of the miniseries that airs tonight and deals with Grant’s connection to Lincoln’s assassination. The miniseries describes how General and Mrs. Grant declined the Lincolns’ invitation to join them at Ford’s Theatre on the night of April 14, 1865. Instead, the Grants decided to travel by train to New Jersey in order to visit with their children. The miniseries shows the following scene of the Grants riding in a carriage on their way to the train depot when a mysterious stranger stops them.

After this promo was posted on Twitter, one of my followers there, Ilka, asked me if this story of an unfriednly glance between John Wilkes Booth and Gen. Grant on April 14th was true. While I had heard of it before, I always took it to be an apocryphal account with no evidence to support it other than Mrs. Grant’s lively imagination. However, as I researched it this morning, I found that the story has more evidence going for it than I thought. What follows is a Twitter thread I wrote this morning highlighting my research into this story.

Here’s the text from Col. Porter’s reminiscences as included in the above tweet:

Here is Julia Grant’s memory of the event as included in the above tweet:

In response to my thread, fellow tweeter Darin Weeks shared his skepticism regarding the story which I fully understand.

I’m not ready to 100% declare that it happened either, but I responded to Darin that at least this story (unlike a lot of others) has evidence to back it up.

After responding to Darin, I realized that, if the story was true, it might help to explain why Booth wasn’t better armed when he assassinated the President at Ford’s later that night.

In the end, we’ll never truly be sure that John Wilkes Booth was the man who gave Gen. and Mrs. Grant such an unfriendly glance on the afternoon of April 14th, but evidence shows that it could have been!

Categories: History, News | Tags: , , | 5 Comments

The Trial Today: May 27

Here’s a sample of what occurred on this day in the Lincoln conspiracy trial:

  • The prosecution reneged on their earlier agreement to only bring general witnesses to the stand and presented an additional witness against one of the conspirators
  • Many defense witnesses for Dr. Mudd testified regarding the allegation he housed Confederate sympathizers on his property
  • A known Confederate agent took the stand as a defense witness

The May 27, 1865 entry for the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators is now released and has more information. Please click here to access it. You can also access it through The Trial homepage.


Throughout May and June of 2020, I am publishing a day by day chronology of the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. This includes almost daily posts announcing the release of what happened at the conspiracy trial 155 years ago. For more information about the creation of this project please click here.

Categories: History | Tags: | 1 Comment

The Trial Today: May 26

Here’s a sample of what occurred on this day in the Lincoln conspiracy trial:

  • Mary Surratt’s defense presented additional character witnesses and worked to explain why she traveled to her tavern on April 14th
  • Michael O’Laughlen’s brother-in-law showed that he surrendered himself to detectives
  • Further prosecution witnesses testified regarding the Confederacy’s prisoner of war camps and Confederate plots against the Union
  • Dr. Mudd’s defense brought witnesses to testify about his visits to Washington, D.C.
  • Passes to the trial were made out to known individuals including photographer Alexander Gardner on this date

The May 26, 1865 entry for the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators is now released and has more information. Please click here to access it. You can also access it through The Trial homepage.


Throughout May and June of 2020, I am publishing a day by day chronology of the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. This includes almost daily posts announcing the release of what happened at the conspiracy trial 155 years ago. For more information about the creation of this project please click here.

Categories: History | Tags: | Leave a comment

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