A Shadow of Hope: The Story of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd

by Pamela Bauer Mueller

Dr. Samuel Mudd, a simple country doctor, found himself caught up in the vagaries of history, loss, betrayal and unimaginable deprivation. He paid the consequences for treating the broken leg of President Lincoln’s assassin—an unjust conviction based on political expedience—and imprisonment in Fort Jefferson on a remote island in the Gulf of Mexico. Deprived of liberty, bound in chains and banished from home and family, he spent four years living under appalling conditions. Then the yellow fever epidemic swept through the island prison. Dr. Mudd battled the disease ceaselessly to save those who imprisoned him, before falling victim himself. After the epidemic had run its course, 300 surviving soldiers signed a petition to President Johnson to free Dr. Mudd. Yet he continued to fight relentlessly to gain his release through the federal judicial system. Through it all, he maintained his strong principles, humanity and most importantly, his hope.

Genres: Historical Fiction

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 21, 2017

About the author

Pamela Bauer Mueller was raised in Oregon. She has worked as a flight attendant, commercial model and actress, English and Spanish teacher and a U.S. Customs Inspector. She now lives on Jekyll Island Georgia with her husband Michael and their cat Morgan Maurice.

Pamela's children and young adult books have awarded her numerous awards, including the 2006/2008 and the 2009 Georgia Author of the Year titles, three Mom's Choice and Children’s Choice gold medals, the Independent Publisher Gold Book awards and other national awards with Writer's Digest and ForeWord magazines. In her seventh historical novel, she recounts the life story of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, an unintended and inadvertent participant in the Lincoln assassination story.

Reviews

[Madelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Dr. Samuel Mudd, the physician who unknowingly treated John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated President Lincoln is heartbreaking and soul warming. He was unjustly imprisoned for his innocent part in this entire story. Prison conditions were horrible, his family suffered greatly, but he endured and never failed to speak of his innocense. His faith in God remained strong. His family worked tirelessly for many years to have his record cleared, but were unsuccessful. There are many characters in the story and a list at the front would have been most helpful.