ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book would not have been possible without the research completed by many historians and part-time assassination buffs over the past several decades, who have doggedly pursued every lead in the hopes of uncovering new historical evidence. One of my biggest debts is to James O. Hall, an assassination scholar who perhaps did more than anyone to advance scholarship and research into the conspiracy to kidnap and then assassinate President Lincoln. Though I never met him, I share in the fruits of his labor. Housed at the James O. Hall Research Center at the Surratt House Museum in Clinton, Maryland, Hall’s voluminous research files remain the core of any historian’s investigation into the complex web of John Wilkes Booth’s fatal scheme.

I am also indebted to the many assassination scholars who have recently published excellent books on the conspiracy, assassination, and trial, and who have also made available trial transcripts and long-lost interviews with conspirators and trial participants alike, and who have generously shared their own weighty and important finds. The Surratt Society in particular is a wonderful example of a small museum’s ability to provide the public and scholars with the most up-to-date research, promoting an amicable and nonjudgmental forum for debating the many conspiracy and assassination theories, and providing a venue for open discussion of historical research and resources. The Surratt Museum’s director, Laurie Vergie, and her staff of professionals and volunteers have not only preserved Mary Surratt’s tavern home, but also encouraged ongoing scholarship and debate on Mary’s specific role in Booth’s plans.

I have also profited from the tremendous historical resources now digitized and available online. The Library of Congress and the National Archives have made available many assassination documents and photographs through their websites. Google Books, Making of America, Documenting the American South, the Gutenberg Project, and numerous universities, libraries, archives, and museums have also digitized assassination- and trial-related materials and books, making them accessible to everyone. Digitized newspapers from the time period have proved most useful. The Early American Newspapers and Imprints project sponsored by the American Antiquarian Society and Newsbank provides instant online access to fully searchable period newspapers. What would have taken months of painstaking page by page research is now done with the stroke of a few keywords targeting specific people, places, and events. NewspaperARCHIVE, Ancestry.com, Accessible Archives, and Proquest are just a few of the online databases offering historical and contemporary news sources, invaluable for any historical research and analysis. I am grateful for the vast collections related to the Civil War and Lincoln at the Boston Athenaeum and the Winchester Public Library, and the important historical sources at the Maryland State Archives.

Thanks to my friends and colleagues far and near who have encouraged this project and offered their valuable insight. Kieran McAuliffe’s John Wilkes Booth Escape Route Map, proved invaluable as I tried to follow the details of Booth’s escape, and his early encouragement helped inspire me to dig deeply into the mystery of Mary Surratt’s involvement with Booth. Special thanks go to my agent, Doe Coover, and Basic Books Vice President and Editorial Director, Lara Heimert, who both recognized the importance of Mary Surratt’s story and my ability to tell it. I am deeply indebted to my editor Ruth Greenstein, whose sharp eye and inquisitive mind pushed me to write more clearly and thoughtfully, making this a far better book than I could have imagined. And to Wayne Weber, whose keen attention to detail helped tie up those pesky loose ends and clarify some of the more complicated minutiae of this historical drama.

And lastly, thank you to Spencer, Rebecca, and Trevor for your patience and forbearance as I became absorbed with telling the story of a woman long dead but still tantalizing and mysterious. I am truly blessed and I love you all.