AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS EXECUTION PHOTOS: A STUDY IN DETAIL.
June 1, 2009
I wanted to let everyone who has been following my blog for the past year know that it has been a very successful venture. One of the most successful postings I produced was the 15-chapter series called The Lincoln Conspirators Execution Photos: A Study in Detail.
I have been working on formatting this study into a book version for several months and am glad to report that I have reached the point where I must regrettably remove the content from this blog and begin finalizing the document for print. The final version of this will grow from 15 chapters to about 20-25 chapters as I have lots of other tidbits that I want to add.
But to not cut people off entirely from the study, you still have access to Chapters 1 to 5 on line here so you can get a feel for how the overall project was produced. I’m sorry if it is like reading a story and then having to stop right when it’s getting good but regrettably, it is a necessary step I’ve had to take.
When appropriate I will report on how you can obtain a copy of this book if you wish. If you want to write to me and get on my mailing list, I’ll be happy to give you updates as I have them available. outreach@awesometalks.com
Best Barry
CHAPTER 2: THE PHOTOGRAPHER, ALEXANDER GARDNER
Alexander Gardner
Alexander Gardner was a well-known Civil War and studio photographer who originally worked for Matthew Brady (another prominent photographer) until 1862 when he set up his own studio in Washington DC.
Gardner's Gallery in Washington DC
The assassination of President Lincoln and it’s aftermath was no exception. For instance, to ensure that he was prepared to photograph the conspirator executions, he was informed of their fates a day before the prisoners were even told. On July 5, President Andrew Johnson signed the execution orders and the prisoners subsequently learned of their fates around noon the next day (July 6). But on July 5, Gardner was already busy at the Old Arsenal Penitentiary, scouting out the best vantage points for his camera to record the hangings which would occur on July 7.
Woodcut from Harper's Weekly, May 13, 1865 depicting John Wilkes Booth's autopsy aboard the U.S.S. Montauk
Another example of Gardner’s clout with the military came earlier on April 27, less than two weeks after the President’s assassination. Gardner and one of his assistants, Timothy O’Sullivan, were invited to the Washington Navy Yard with their equipment to photograph the autopsy of John Wilkes Booth. On the day before, John Wilkes Booth had been cornered and killed in Virginia and his body transported to the Washington Navy Yard overnight. On the afternoon of the 27th, Gardner photographed the autopsy. And then, by order of the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, the glass plates were taken and sent directly to Stanton’s office. It was the position of Stanton that no publicity be given to John Wilkes Booth in any way, and therefore, no prints were to be made from the autopsy pictures to later distribute or sell. These plates have never been seen since. Researchers hope that if they still exist, that they will one day resurface.
But even if the autopsy photographs are lost forever, other photographs were taken at the Navy Yard by Gardner on that day and are preserved. Some of these will be presented in Chapter 3: The Conspirators.
End of Chapter 2.
Next Installment: Chapter 3 – The Conspirators
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If you are interested in reading the comments of some Lincoln experts, here are some interviews I did with several of them recently.
“An Awesometalk With” DR. THOMAS SCHWARTZ, Illinois State Historian (posted on December 08, 2008)
“An Awesometalk With”HAROLD HOLZER, Lincoln Scholar (posted on November 10, 2008)
Best
Barry
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