The Union Vs. Dr. Mudd

Although scholars and gifted amateurs have conducted 150 years of research, the real reasons why Dr. Samuel A. Mudd set the leg of John Wilkes Booth shortly after the latter assassinated Abraham Lincoln remain largely a mystery. Mudd was known to Booth as a doctor by what may have been the most casual of circumstances, but Mudd was a slaveholder and regarded by some as a Southern sympathizer. Independent scholar Higdon weighs the evidence from eyewitnesses and the courts with an impartial hand, evaluating the fates of the many others considered co-conspirators, and providing very helpful context. The introduction and epilogue, new to this edition, provides interesting updates on new research, but mysteries remain. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)