The Assassin’s Accomplice: Mary Surratt and the Plot To Kill Abraham Lincoln
Mary Surratt’s role in the Lincoln assassination has remained somewhat nebulous since her execution by the United States government in 1865. While other works have attempted to exonerate her as an unwilling participant in John Wilkes Booth’s plot, Kate Clifford Larson has compiled a solid body of evidence against Surratt, placing her at the center of the conspiracy. Mary and husband John Surratt purchased property in southern Maryland on which they built an inn and tavern. The United States government designated the tavern as the local post office and polling place. Although both Surratts were sympathetic to the Confederate cause, they outwardly swore allegiance to the Union. The constant traffic in and out of the tavern allowed the establishment to become a haven for Confederate spies and activities unbecoming of a loyal citizen of the United States. Kate Clifford Larson chronicles Mary’s calculated move into Washington to operate her boardinghouse. Her son John, a courier for the Confederacy, began a friendship with pro-South actor John Wilkes Booth, who became a frequent visitor at the house. It became the “nest that hatched the egg” of conspiracy — first to kidnap President Lincoln and, following Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, a vengeful plot of assassination. Larson’s book chronicles the hysteria of the days following Lincoln’s death and the eventual arrest of Mary Surratt and the other conspirators. Surratt’s trial became a circus, with spectators crowding the courtroom for a glimpse of Mary, as well as the opportunity to berate and denigrate her. The death sentence shocked many, including Mary and her lawyers. The mindset of the time was that a woman was not capable of such heinous activity and, although people hated her, the government’s execution of her caused many to voice sympathy for Mary and outrage at her harsh sentence. The Assassin’s Accomplice is a well-paced, informative and extremely well-researched telling of an often-overlooked aspect of the Lincoln assassination conspiracy. The book is valuable for anyone interested in Mary Surratt’s place in the conspiracy. Reviewer: Janet L. Bucklew Janet L. Bucklew, M.A., American Studies, Pennsylvania State University, has worked for several museums including Gettysburg National Military Park and the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. She wrote Dr. Henry Janes: Country Doctor & Civil War Surgeon and has extensive background in public history, research and interpretation.
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Photographs, maps, endnotes, index, 263 pp., 2008, 2010, Basic Books,