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About the Book:
The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history - the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth.
From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry and detectives on a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia, while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness.
At the very center of this story is John Wilkes Booth, America's notorious villain. A Confederate sympathizer and a member of a celebrated acting family, Booth threw away his fame and wealth for a chance to avenge the South's defeat. For almost two weeks, he confounded the manhunters, slipping away from their every move and denying them the justice they sought.
Based on rare archival materials, obscure trial transcripts, and Lincoln's own blood relics, Manhunt is a fully documented work, but it is also a fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, this is history as you've never read it before.
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Related Web sites:
James Swanson's official site
NYT Review/Interview [March 9, 2006]
Publisher's website for Manhunt
Wikipedia entry on John Wilkes Booth
A history of John Wilkes Booth from the National Parks Service
Images and brief biographical sketch of John Wilkes Booth
Official Cavalry report on the capture of John Wilkes Booth
Official web site of the Surratt House Museum
FindaGrave's information about John Wilkes Booth's gravesite
If You Like Manhut: The Twelve Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, Try:
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
By: Doris Kearns Goodwin. 2005.
Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly: The Remarkable Story of the Friendship Between a First Lady and a Former Slave
By: Jennifer Fleischner. 2003.
Killer Angels [fiction]
By: Michael Shaara. 1974.
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