Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

by Edward Steers Jr.

Winner of the 2001 The Lincoln Group of New York's Award of Achievement A History Book Club Selection The assassination of Abraham Lincoln is usually told as a tale of a lone deranged actor who struck from a twisted lust for revenge. This is not only too simple an explanation; Blood on the Moon reveals that it is completely wrong. John Wilkes Booth was neither mad nor alone in his act of murder. He received the help of many, not the least of whom was Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd, the Charles County physician who has been portrayed as the innocent victim of a vengeful government. Booth was also aided by the Confederate leadership in Richmond. As he made his plans to strike at Lincoln, Booth was in contact with key members of the Confederate underground, and after the assassination these same forces used all of their resources to attempt his escape. Noted Lincoln authority Edward Steers Jr. introduces the cast of characters in this ill-fated drama, he explores why they were so willing to help pull the trigger, and corrects the many misconceptions surrounding this defining moment that changed American history. After completing an acclaimed career as a research scientist at the National Institutes of Health, Edward Steers Jr. has turned his research skills to the Lincoln assassination. He is the author of several books about the president, including The Trial.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Civil War, American History, True Crime, Biography, American Civil War

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been fascinated by the Lincoln assassination since I was a kid in the 60s, when the Centennial of the Civil War was going on. Earlier this year I saw the movie "The Conspirator", about the Lincoln assassination. I understood that the movie was based on this book, so I wanted to find a copy. The movie, which is very good from the storytelling, acting, aesthetic and visual aspects, is clearly slanted so that you believe that some of the conspirators involved, mostly Mary Surratt, were the victims of a government manipulation of the trial.
I am curious to know what people were thinking when they said that this movie was based on this book. The author clearly states from the outset that he would not discuss any aspect of the events surrounding the assassination that did not have first hand, cross-referenced backup, and it presents the decisions for each conspirator's conviction in an intelligent and logical fashion. It does not rely on second hand evidence or hearsay, and it abolishes many of the folkloric legends surrounding this national event, which was the 9-11 of its day. According to the facts presented in this book, the conspirators who were caught received proper and logical trials. I do not believe in capital punishment, so I won't say that some got what they deserved.
Something I didn't fully realize before reading this book was the extent of the hatred that Lincoln incurred, first of all by just being elected, and, among many other things, by issuing his Emancipation Proclamation. Dr. Mudd, the doctor who colluded with Booth, and ultimately set his broken leg and helped him in his escape to Virginia, lost 8 or 9 million dollars through the loss of his slaves and tobacco land. That would be like 800 million dollars in today's money. Also, the author's unvarnished telling of the beyond-ugly treatment of some slaves gives you a better perspective on why the Southern economy based on that system had to go. These are just a couple of examples of the many things that this author makes clear to the present from the perspective of past.
The author does an excellent job of putting this complicated event into a manageable and blessedly logical and believable account. I think it is the best book I have ever read on the subject.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sic semper tyrannis!" were the words John Wilkes Booth shouted at the audience at Ford's Theater after shooting President Lincoln. A man hunt began with Booth eventually being killed and others went to trial for conspiring with the famous actor. I have been to Ford's Theater a few times and the Petersen House, so the Lincoln Assassination has fascinated me for quite some time.

I read American Brutus by Michael Kaufman and the one by James Swanson. I don't remember the latter well. I heard for years this is the best book on the Lincoln Assassination. I finally had the chance to read it, and I still prefer American Brutus, but not by much. One thing I have to give Kaufman over Steers is Kaufman gets into Booth's background, which helped me understand the assassin more.

However, Steers did provide new information that I did not know prior to reading this book. For example, Zachary Taylor's nephew approached Jefferson Davis early on in the war and told him he saw Lincoln walk to the Soldier's House all the time without any guards. He proposed to the Confederate President to kidnap the sixteenth president, but Davis rejected the idea. Steers goes into other plots such as the Yellow Fever Conspiracy. The main thesis of his book is the Confederate States of America had a hand in helping Booth and his conspirators. He definitely makes a good argument that Dr. Samuel Mudd had known Booth before the assassination.

This book is not a heavy read, and Steers succinctly explains the assassination. He dispels some of the myths connected to the assassination. This and Kaufman's book are both worth reading.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes my short list of books about the Lincoln saga actually worth reading. It is said that no one besides Jesus has more books about them than Lincoln. Not sure of the veracity of that, but I do believe it's possible. The author tells the story of the Lincoln assassination with balance and fairness to all involved. Definitely a book that's going on my Lincoln shelf. A worthy effort and well worth the time spent reading it.

[fleegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. It was daunting (to me) because it seemed that on every page there were 1,500 names. After a while it became easier to glean through the names and remember which ones were important and which ones were able to be forgotten without losing what was going on. The great thing about this book (besides the fact that Mr. Steers Jr. has a footnote for everything) is that it really is just about the assassination. We're not forced to relearn all about Lincoln's past, there's not a ton of stuff about the Civil War, it's really JUST about the assassination.

He does touch on some of the conspiracy theories about how Booth wasn't really killed and that Dr. Samuel Mudd was an innocent bystander kinda deal. He basically calls shenanigans on both of them.

I think what amazed me most was how the Union army/governemt was able to catch all the conspirators as quickly as they did. It seemed that most of it was luck, and I can't help but think that God was all, "Psst, check over there." even the one guy (john Surrat Jr.) who got away (for a short while)... he made it as far as Italy. I know! he became a Papal Zouave (um, lookitup), and while doing that, in Italy, he was recognized? really? He was caught, escaped to Egypt, and then caught again. That is remarkable. What, only to me? Fine.

Like I say, this book is great and it covers a very specific moment in history. So if you're interested in this moment and you don't want to have to muck through a bunch of "twice told tales" about Lincoln growing up in a log cabin, or Gettysburg, or the U.S. Civil War (not that those aren't great subjects, mind) then this is the book for you. WARNING: if you read this book on purpose, for entertainment or your own personal edification and NOT because you have to write a report of some kind, just know that your friends will make fun of you, nerd.

Oh! But! The best part of this book was the cover! On it Lincoln looks like a psycho (he's got this Crazy Eye) and Booth looks like My Name is Earl. Every time I got the book out to read I was all, "*sigh* Can SOMEone straighten Crazy Eye's tie? We're taking a portrait over here!"

[Jeffrey Bloomfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Certain tragedies in history pick up a life of their own, and a corresponding number of libraries of books dealing with all aspects of those incidents. A handful of these would be the Titanic and Lusitania disasters, the Lindbergh Kidnapping, the Fall River Murders ("Lizzie Borden Case"), the Whitechapel Murders of 1888 - ? (Jack the Ripper), and the JFK, Malcolm X, King, and RFK assassinations of the 1960s. The last four actually are closer together as they seem to most people to follow a historical pattern from that decade (and truth be told, President Kennedy's death has the bulk of that library's books about it). To these I can, and do add, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (April 14-15, 1865 - ironically the same two days of the "cruelest" month of April that is also the month and days for the sinking of the RMS Titanic some 47 years afterwards). The library for the Lincoln Assassination would start off with the early 20th Century works of Osborne Oldroyd, especially his pioneering (if somewhat biased) "The Judicial Murder of Mary E. Surratt", then Lloyd Lewis's "Myths After Lincoln", Otto Eisenchiml's questionable but still fascinating misreadings, "Why Was Lincoln Murdered?" and "In the Shadow of Lincoln's Death", Jim Bishop's "The Day Lincoln Was Shot", Theodore Roscoe's encyclopedic (for 1959-60) "Web of Conspiracy, and finally the present volume. "Blood on the Moon" takes it's title from an incident that Bishop mentioned in his book in passing - about ten P.M., just as Booth was finished shooting the President in Washington, D.C., many people in the Midwest claimed the surface of the Moon had turned blood red.


Edward Steers is a biochemist, and since retiring from that field concentrates on the history of the American Civil War and President Abraham Lincoln. It is a huge pair of subjects on their own, but they are interconnected as our greatest President was the man who saw us through the entire war (except for about four more weeks of fighting in North Carolina and Texas). He certainly proved himself among the greatest leaders of known history, and the strongest President from 1837 to 1865 (with James Polk being his closest competitor). His murder by a popular actor of the day, in a theater, with the assassin making a getaway that lasted some twenty-two days, made his life end in a tragic but glitzy way (aided by it happening in the same Easter 1865 week that also saw the surrender of General Lee's forces to General Grant's only five days earlier. As a result Lincoln's Murder is an irresistible subject for discussion again and again, and Steers account, trimmed of all fat and just presenting the facts that we know of, is first rate.

It will also disappoint two groups who have sprung up over the years. These are the defenders of Dr. Samuel Mudd and of Mary E. Surratt. I mentioned that Osborne Oldroyd's book on Mary Surratt's trial (published about 1909) was a trifle biased. Oldroyd, writing about forty years after the tragedy of the President and the four hanged conspirators, was writing in a spirit of backlash against the seemingly unfair tactics of Stanton and the War Department in "protecting the rights" of the conspirators from unfair bias, and cruel mistreatment. One can still make a case about cruel mistreatment, but Stanton had prosecuted the North's military efforts side-by-side with Lincoln from 1862 (when he replaced Simon Cameron as Secretary of War), and was aware that Lincoln frequently would disregard basic legal rights (such as habeas corpus) against individuals considered dangerous to Union interests - and frequently clashed with Chief Justice Roger Taney on these acts.

Stanton had little regard for Lincoln (whom he thought was a hick lawyer before 1861), but after watching him at work in the White House, came to greatly respect the President and become a close friend of his. When Lincoln was killed, Stanton only wanted to avenge his friend, and treated anyone who was suspect or who may have helped the conspirators with the same lack of concern about their civil rights that Lincoln held for secessionists. Also, the trial of the conspirators was held in June-July 1865, and it was just after the last Confederate land force (Kirby-Smith's Confederate army in Texas) had surrendered. Technically the war was over, but Stanton insisted on a military tribunal, and as Lincoln (when assassinated) was still Commander-in-Chief of Union forces still in the field, Stanton's insistence was correct. He did make sure that the eight conspirators had their own counsel, but the rules were military court rules, not civilian. Ironically, the decision that might have prevented what happened to the eight conspirators, Ex Parte Milligan, was not made by the Supreme Court until later in 1866. That might have questioned the right of the military to hear the case in an area where civil law was actively in practice in the local courts. But Milligan was not available in July 1865.

Still the physical treatment of the eight was severe, to say the least. Legs shackled with irons and hoods covering their heads, so they could not see each other or anyone else, and held for long periods on a Monitor in the Potomac (though later transferred to a prison) are beyond anything done before or since. Mrs. Surratt was not forced to wear chains, but it was still difficult to speak to her, as her daughter Anna discovered. But of the evidence against her at the trial, although Oldroyd brushed aside much of it, he was not able to fully refute it before a careful study of the reports of the trial by Ben Pitman and Benn Perley Poore. In particular the damning comments of her tenant at the Surrattsville (now Clinton, Maryland) Tavern, John Lloyd, about her dropping off some sealed parcel to be picked up later by unnamed men, that she said were "shootin' irons", and the testimony of her actions as the owner of the boarding house Booth and the Conspirators met at (which is still standing today) in Washington. That testimony was by another boarder, Lewis J. Weichmann. It was quite damning, showing that Mary was apparently quite aware of some plotting by Booth and the cohorts. Steers shows it is still damning today. Whether or not Mary knew of the plot to kill Lincoln, Seward, and Johnson, or only knew of the plot earlier to kidnap Lincoln is another matter. It looks like it might have ben the former. Still it would have been sufficient to entitle the government to imprison Mary as a co-conspirator like Samuel Arnold and Michael O'Laughlin, both of whom were proved to not be involved in the assassination plot. But was it enough to entitle the military tribunal to give Mary the death sentence? That is the crux of the problem today - not blanket statements that she was totally unaware of what her boarders were plotting. Moreover, as Lloyd was a suspect (and a weakling - a drunk) and Weichmann an even bigger suspect (he was a close friend of John Surratt, and whether or not he also attended the meetings with Booth remains conjectural, their total testimony seems tainted. But to be fair (at least to Lewis Weichmann) he always maintained he told the truth, and left a full manuscript on his life and testimony that was not published until the 1970s.

As for Dr. Mudd, Steers is far less charitable. Mudd did lie, and not only in not coming out sooner about the two men who showed up at night for medical aid, and one of whom he treated for an injured leg. He also insisted he did not recognize Booth. The testimony of the trial showed that Mudd met Booth in Southern Maryland the previous fall (and showed him some farms where he could purchase horses) and also met him in Washington, D.C. This shows he was involved in preliminary planning of the kidnap scheme, but it also strongly suggests how impossible his failure to recognize Booth in his home sounds. A slave owner, Dr. Mudd was a southern Maryland sympathizer with the Confederacy, so he was willing to assist in kidnapping the President. At issue is whether he knew of the assassination - just like with Mrs. Surratt. But Steers points out that Mudd by his crucial mistake about lying of ever knowing Booth made any further comments he made about the incidents of April 15th, 1865 highly suspect. He really had himself to blame for his predicament. He actually was luckier than Mrs. Surratt, David Herold, Lewis Paine, and George Atzerodt, in that he only got that prison sentence (although it was life imprisonment) and not the death sentence.

Steers presents the full story of the murder and it's aftermath in a firm and strictly straightforward approach, and makes one realize how close Booth almost made good on his escape. I have no problems in recommending this account as a good corrective to any more sentimental ones about Mrs. Surratt and Dr. Mudd. I only point out that since Steers wrote this book, the works of James Swanson, particularly his account of Booth's desperate escape to his death at Garrett's barn in Bowling Green, Virginia, takes us further up - to - date on the researches into the Conspiracy, and makes us wonder about what other details will appear in the future that have not been taken into consideration.

[Manny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book on Lincoln and the assassination. Although to me, the best book on Booth, the plot and the assassination is by far "American Brutus" by Michael W. Kauffman, this book comes in easily at 2nd with a lot more emphasis on the conspiracy and dispelling the other theories.

The book claims that John Wilkes Booth was a "white supremacist". Although this may be so, Steers infers that this is why Booth hated Lincoln. However when we look at the definition of 'white supremacist', we see the following:

"a person who believes that the white race is inherently superior to other races and that white people should have control over people of other races". - Merriam-Webster dictionary

"I am not now, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in any way the social or political equality of the white and black races. I am not now nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor of intermarriages with white people. There is a physical difference between the white and the black races which will forever forbid the two races living together on social or political equality. There must be a position of superior and inferior, and I am in favor of assigning the superior position to the white man." - Abraham Lincoln.

Based on Lincoln's own words, it is obvious that both Booth and Lincoln were "white supremacists". Even more damning than his own words, was Lincoln's actions. Lincoln is known for his colonization efforts where he wanted to send all freed blacks out of the country. This is known as today as the "Not in my backyard" syndrome.

I know that I am critical about Lincoln and his actions, but I have read quite a bit of books on the subject and find that normally his assassination washed away his tyrannical actions. Although I believe his fate was not right, I do believe that history as well as Hollywood has done a disservice to us by white washing (no pun intended) his actions. Anyone that has done any kind of research on Lincoln knows that he was a a corporatist and believed in cronyism, tariffs and big central governments. His emancipation proclamation freed no one, as it only pertained to the southern states, to the four slave states still controlled by him, not so much.

The book is extremely well researched and was somewhat of a page-turner even for me that has read about the subject time and time again. The greatest part of the book is how the author dispels the the Lincoln Conspiracies even though some of the arguments are a bit weak. I recomment this book to any Lincoln scholar (those who insist on his deification as well as those that see him for his actions and are able to put aside his assassination).

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

***1/2

This title came highly recommended on Amazon.com, and what I really liked about it was it dispelled lots of urban folklore and mythology (including from previous well-known books written on the subject) that surrounds Lincoln's assassination, up to the current day. The author accomplishes this simply by citing the multitude of primary source materials and public documents about the assassination easily accessible by any author or serious historian.

What I didn't like about the book is that, for the most part, it's a dryly written, fact filled book. As a writer and editor, I found the frequent layout typos and missing text irritating.

The coolest revelation in the book is that some Confederate agents attempted to use biological warfare against the North. It was extremely primitive, but a physician took the clothing of yellow fever victims and attempted to have it shipped to population centers in the union with the hope it would somehow alter the outcome of the war.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must admit that although I read a great many books about Abraham Lincoln, I must admit that his assassination has not been the part of his life/death that I have enjoyed reading about the most [1].  That said, if you have to read one book about Lincoln's assassination, you can do a lot worse than read this one, and there are only a few books (one of which the author praises) where one can do better.  About the only people who won't care for this book are those who believe in conspiracy theories or think that Mary Surratt and Dr. Samuel Mudd were innocent victims who got caught up in the machinery of the government--and this book indicates that they both deserved to die and that Samuel Mudd got off too easily by getting prison instead of the noose.  There are whole societies, it should be noted, that seek to defend the innocence of these two people, and this book is harsh and unsparing about both of them, as well as the claims that someone else died instead of Booth in the Garrett farmhouse on April 26, 1865.  These societies probably aren't very fond of this book, for all of its considerable virtues.

The author organizes this book in a somewhat unusual way.  At almost 300 pages long in terms of its core material, the book is remarkably thorough about the issues concerning the context of the assassination and the trial of the (almost certainly guilty) assassins.  The author shows a firm knowledge about the relevant law about criminal conspiracies, and also a somewhat grim sense of humor that suits the material well.  He also shows an encyclopedic knowledge of the relevant trial transcripts, which show that Mary Surratt dug her own grave by deliberately and pointedly acting in ways to help the Confederate secret service, and show that Samuel Mudd's dishonesty was also something that the judges were particularly hostile to.  Fortunately, even if the scoundrels that fill this book regarding "black flag warfare" and the involvement of both administrations in efforts at kidnapping their opposites is something that doesn't leave a good feeling.  The book is definitely a success, though, giving a very close look at the Confederate underground in Maryland as well as Confederate agents in Montreal.  There is a great deal of local color and insight in this book, and anyone writing a book about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln should check this book out.

It is a bit unclear why more professional historians haven't written about this book's topic.  To be sure, death is an unpleasant subject, but there are a lot of books on the Civil War, and there was a lot of death to be found there.  What this book gets remarkably well is the understanding of how differently people view the same event.  This book is full of subtle touches about how Northern ministers airbrushed Lincoln's unconventional religious beliefs to paint him as a martyred savior of the nation who died on Good Friday, coincidentally enough, how the Interior Secretary refused to confirm Lincoln's choice for a small office so he could put someone who would be beholden to him rather than to the dead president, and how Mudd's abortive escape from imprisonment in the Dry Tortugas was prompted by his racism.  These little details, and many others, show the commitment of the author to uncovering the gems of historical insight that come from a close attention to the historical record and show the author's research.  The research may not always come up with pleasant or sentimental results, but this book is a worthwhile one, even an essential one, about an all too neglected part of the history of the American Civil and its unpleasant aftermath.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

[Athan Tolis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago, I read “Killing Lincoln” (a good book, funnily enough) and it piqued my interest enough that I thought I’d actually buy a real book about the Lincoln assassination.

I’ve finally gotten around to reading “Blood on the Moon.”

It starts rather poorly: it took me a good eighty pages to get used to the torrent of names and detail the author hurls at you, on the (far from preposterous) assumption that you already know about the topic and you’ve bought his book to learn more.

But the narrative picks up and this becomes a bit of a thriller. You meet all the conspirators beforehand and you follow John Wilkes Booth all the way from D.C. to his demise at the Garrett Farm. Much as you know what will happen, the story is told well enough that you don’t lose interest.

You also gain a very good understanding about society in that era, the superior position of landed gentlemen and the uphill battle facing black laborers and freemen.

The author takes extra care to support his thesis, which coincides with the findings of the justice system: that the assassination was an act of war and part of a plot to decapitate the North. Equally, he lays out the evidence to refute a number of conspiracy theories.

Overall, I’m happy to have read this, though the last chapter (about Abraham Lincoln’s final train ride from D.C. to Springfield) does not really add much. You can skip it, of course!

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I have to start out that I bought this book on Dry Tortuga after touring Fort Jefferson and visiting Mudd's cell.

This is an excellent book. Well written and detail in all aspects: how the plot developed, Booth's getaway and capture, highlights of the trial and finishing with the sentences. Also included which I found quite interesting was addressing some of the conspiracy theories that Booth was not killed in the barn and once again laid out in great detail the problem with those theories.

The book then finishes up with long trip home for Lincoln to be interred.

Steers is very detailed in his writing. Supporting known facts with evidence but doing the same with areas that theorizes. He does not just throw things out and expect you to take his word for it. He presents what he surmises happened and then lays out what gives it credence.

I highly recommend this book for history buffs and as one of the reviews says, if you read only one book on the assassination of Lincoln you need to read this one.

[Dennis Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much like the Kennedy assassination, the Lincoln assassination has been the subject of more than its share of conspiracy theories. Mr. Steers does an excellent job of debunking most all of these theories by meticulously sifting through the evidence and proving, point by point, that these theories do not hold water. He is able to use the same method to prove most of his own hypothesis concerning Booth and his conspirators. As is mentioned in earlier reviews, Steers does seem to take particular delight in proving the guilt of Mary Surratt and Dr. Mudd. Mudd takes the brunt of Steers' assault, possibly because this is the area of Mr. Steers' greatest knowledge.

It is also possible however that the vigor of the author's attacks can be traced to the fact that the Mudd family has done an excellent job convincing most Americans that the good doctor was as much of a victim as was Lincoln. Steers proves that Mudd was indeed involved, and then drives the point home. Make no mistake, he proves it, just as he proves most of his points by doing his research and doing it well.

[Eric Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent work! Takes through the history of the kidnapping plot and then the night of the assassination through Booth's death in Virginia. Pays particular attention to Samuel Mudd and Mary Surratt as coconspirators, dispelling the stories that they were not informed of conspiracy or that they did not know John Wilkes Booth. Perhaps the only bad conviction was Ned Spangler, whose only crime was to hold the reins of the horse of a famous actor.

Steers also dedicates serious time to Finis Bates' claim that Booth escaped and died as John St Helen in Oklahoma much later--something I remember viewing on Unsolved Mysteries and was fooled by. Much like the JFK assassination, there are so many people who seem to want to mislead.

Nevertheless, this is an excellent read with a narrative that moves the story along well. Well worth the time.

[Michael Hinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping and well-written look at the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. As the author mentions, most Lincoln books focus on his Presidency, with his assassination as an afterthought. As a result, many conspiracy theories have made their way into the popular stories of Lincoln's killing. Dr. Steers cuts through the myth and conspiracy to present a well-researched and highly readable look at Booth, Lincoln, and the other players in that historic crime. A must-read for history buffs!

[wanda jeffords · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hauntingly beautiful

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what really happened. It held me captive. I learned more about Lincoln than I had ever been taught and found the story to be more horrific and beautiful than ever before. I found myself tearful and hurting but with a renewed sense of pride in our country and what so many fought died for. Great book.

[Julie Ousley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good review of Lincoln’s assassination. It seems thoroughly researched. So much so that sometimes the author goes over and over the same point beating a dead horse. Reminded me of the divided nation that we are currently. It seems that with this history we could have somehow avoided becoming so polarized. We need another Abraham Lincoln instead of the imposter we have in there now. (2025)

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-researched, comprehensive account of the events surrounding the Lincoln assassination.

[Mel Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abraham Lincoln is my favorite President. I try to read/listen to every book written about him. I found this book to be insightful pertaining to all those thought to be involved.

[David P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I thought it was very well written. It is perhaps the most complete book about the Lincoln assassination, that I have read.

[Bradley Brill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched and the story is well told. It belongs on the list of anyone interesting in this history-changing, fascinating subject.

[stephen laboo · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Thoughts

Very good summary of the events before and after the assassination of our 16th president. It provided very good detail.

[Brock T. George · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Strong Historical Work

Very thorough. A remarkable work trying to separate assassination fact from fiction. I definitely understand the event and its aftermath more throughly.

[Lisa Stillings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful look at the assassination of Lincoln. Well written and well researched.

[Chris Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood on the Moon is an excellent book choice if you are looking to learn about Abe Lincoln’s assassination. It covered all of the important topics, and covered nearly every single detail also. It is very in-depth, and gives all the information you could ever want to know about John Wilkes Booth, and his assassination of Abraham Lincoln. It tells about his past, and the assassination itself, and also goes into detail about every stop and every road Booth traveled on during his escape. It covers his allies, his enemies, and what helped or hindered him in his journey. It discusses some of the things that went into the assassination some may not have noticed, such as that Lincoln often refused to have guards around him, and often went off on his lonesome without telling any of his staff. This provided many opportunities for him to have been assassinated, but was not successfully assassinated until he was in public, with security around him.
The book has no jacket, but the back of the book did spark some interest. It listed a few minor reviews of the book, and told how the book won the 2001 Lincoln Group of New York’s Award of Achievement. The cover art also caught my attention. It features Lincoln, Booth, Ford’s Theatre, and even the balcony Booth jumped from during his escape. The art is drawn with very dark colors, fitting with the emotion of the event. Not only that, but the way that the author went into detail in some of the more emotional parts of the book really made me feel as if I were there. In the book there are also pictures. This adds to the mood of the book by illustrating various places Booth stopped at and some maps of Booth’s path. There are also some old pictures of historic places that had to do with the assassination, such as Ford’s Theatre and the farmhouse of Richard Garret where Booth made his final stand. This really does give the reader an idea of how Booth planned out his escape and his stops.
On another note, the author, Edward Steers Jr is an incredible man. He is a historian who actually specializes in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Before he became a historian however, he was trained as a molecular biologist who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He has authored or edited eight books on Lincoln’s assassination, including Blood on the Moon, the book I am reading. He one of the best people suited to write about this topic. With this book, Edward Steers Jr tries to relay as much information as possible to the reader. He gives so many details, it is almost overwhelming. At times I would find myself stopping, and taking a minute to collect my thoughts because of how in-depth the book actually is. I would strongly suggest this book to anyone looking to read about Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, and to get as much information as they can from one book.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I agree that this is the best modern version ever written of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The author adopts the title from Joel 2:31-32 which is recited at the beginning of the book and concludes..."The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood"... Coincidentally, I found Chapter 50 in my paperback edition of Carl Sandburg's "Abraham Lincoln - The War Years" also entitled "Blood on the Moon."
The author presents the book in a precise and logical manner and relies on the writings and testimonies of primary sources obtained from The National Archives Record Administration in Washington D.C. Anyone interested in the assassination or time period will find this book a valuable and profound achievement. Questions, doubts, phony stories, books, tv programs -- including a recent bad movie -- offering confected history and wild speculation are here easily put to rest.
Abe said it best, "History is not history unless it is the truth."

For anyone interested, Lincoln's deathbed from the Petersen House is on permanent display in Chicago at the Chicago History Museum.

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another insight too late to act upon

Sometimes on purpose at others, it takes time to extrapolate from scarce documents, but whatever the excuse it is too late to act upon the information. This could have been a great conspiracy book but it is a little late to point fingers.

However, this would have put the fascination back into history if it were told at school in place of the fabricated simplicity that is so dry and boring. This book makes a lot more sense and also helps to know that the complicated plots of today are nothing new.

The major revelations are that the plot was to knock off the head of the government (not just Abraham Lincoln) and the subplots to spread Yellow fever and fires are also part of a whole attitude and campaign. Today we are perfectly willing to assign this behavior to foreign terrorists, yet it is not palatable to assume these actions would be executed by the Confederate Secret Service.

It is not too late to make this book part of the curriculum before another generation assumes Mudd is innocent.

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the most comprehensive book on Lincoln's assassination. If you think you know about Lincoln's murder, I promise this book will tell you things you never knew. It is written with a legal precision- which is good for accuracy and context, but does not always make for the easiest read.

Many people know about the plot to kill Johnson and Seward, but Steers chronicles Booths' involvement in earlier plots, including one to kidnap Lincoln on his rides near DC (This was an unsettlingly feasible plot, actually). The plot shifted to assassination after an attempt on Jefferson Davis' life. It talks at length about the logistics of the shooting at the theater itself (this led to one reader I know asking a number of questions on the Ford's theater tour that the Park Rangers couldn't answer). Again, really interesting work and a must-read for serious students of the Civil War/Lincoln.

Owen Gardner Finnegan

[Ron Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read, the ultimate Book on the Lincoln Assassination. The Author has gifted the reader with much researched information that gives a step by step method of several misguided tales that have been believed by amateur historians, self proclaimed eyewitness and poor souls just looking for fame. If I was just thinking about writing a historical book this would be the book I would study to show how to document each fact. Even though this book might be better suited to the History Geek or the Lincoln scholar it is a must read for anyone that has an interest in President Lincoln. There are several points where you feel you are listening to a friend telling you about the Conspiracy to kidnap then kill the President.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was excellent! Many books about this topic lose their focus in telling the events of April 14, 1865. This book did an excellent job in describing the events leading up to that date as well as the planning and relationships between all of the co-conspiritors. It was a little heavy on the names, but it did a great job setting the scene, describing the assassination and then detailing the manhunt afterward. If you love this time period, you won't be dissapointed by reading this. Well researched, and well put together. One of the best works about this topic that I have read.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and extremely detailed account of this sad chapter in American history. This has got to rank as the definitive exploration of the events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Though never a sympathetic character, the reader does come away with a better understanding of why John Wilkes Booth felt he needed to avenge the South in this way. It helps the reader understand the intense emotions felt by both side following the Civil War, and tries to explain whey some would resort to such extreme actions.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very quick and enjoyable read. The text covers the days/months before and after Lincoln's assassination. Edward Steers Jr. gives the reader an understanding of Booths motivation, Booths connection to the various conspirators, and argues against various points that some historians claim as truth. Having recently visited Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C., I was very interested in reading a well-written perspective on the events that have placed the landmark on the list of national parks; I was not disappointed.