Fannie's Favorites : April 2016

Fannie's Favorites

Fannie has been very excited to post her first favorite book for www.AncestorStuff.com, LLC

This month she has chosen :

J. Wilkes Booth: An Account of His Sojourn in Southern Maryland after the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, His Passage Across the Potomac, and His Death in Virginia,  (1893, 1990), 2016, 5½x8½, paper, 130 pp.  By Thomas A Jones.   ISBN: 1556133022

As a fan of Civil War and historical documents, this book captured Fannie's interest.  How cool that someone who was intimately involved with John Wilkes Booth and his covert plans to make history, actually penned the scenario. Practically a first person account! And, what's more, Thomas Jones was never arrested for his involvement with John Wilkes Booth.  Did you know that there were plans to kidnap President Lincoln?  Fannie was quite surprised to read this. If Robert E. Lee did not surrender his troops, this story could have taken a turn for the worse.  President Lincoln just might have been taken by rebels and used in a way to thwart the victory for the Union.  Fannie awards this book a "Two Paws UP"  and a "Triple Woof" rating (that means she really like it!),

"Southern Maryland was strongly sympathetic towards the Confederacy during the Civil War, which was very convenient for the government in Richmond. The Confederate Secret Service established a corps of agents there who facilitated the movement of mail, supplies, and personnel between Washington City and elsewhere in the North, and Richmond. The author of this volume, Thomas A. Jones, was one of those agents. John Wilkes Booth was also involved in secret transactions for the Confederacy, as evidenced by his associations and actions, although no document has ever been found showing his “appointment” as an agent. In 1865 a plot to capture President Lincoln and carry him to Richmond as a bargaining chip in negotiations for a peace on terms acceptable to the South was orchestrated by Booth, who assembled a colorful band of co-conspirators. The plan called for transporting the captive Lincoln down the Southern Maryland “mail route” across the Potomac and on to Richmond. At least one attempt to capture Lincoln was made, but failed. After Lee surrendered, Booth changed the plan from a simple capture of Lincoln to the simultaneous assassination of Lincoln and key cabinet members which, if it had succeeded, would have paralyzed the government in the North. The outcome of Booth’s effort is well known--Lincoln was assassinated, Secretary Seward was gravely injured, and Booth fled down the Southern Maryland “mail route,” leaving the balance of the plan unfulfilled. Enter Thomas A. Jones and his account of what followed. A most engaging bit of history. Ironically, Jones, who was clearly involved in Booth’s escape in a very significant way, was never charged or tried." excerpt taken from the posting at HeritageBooks.com.

AncestorStuff.com, LLC has added this selection to it's New Item category this month.

The publication is currently at the printer.  If you are interested in getting a copy of this book for yourself, or some Civil War history buff, like Fannie, make a point to order it through www.ancestorstuff.com.  The List Price is posted at $18.50, but you can purchase it from our site for just $16.65 (plus shipping and handling charges).  

Don't miss the next posting of Fannie's Favorites next month.  Fannie is currently reviewing the AncestorStuff publication catalog for her next favorite read.

For future reference...Fannie's Rating System is as follows :

Engaging/Educational Factor......No Paws UP, One Paw UP, Two Paws UP

Entertainment Value.....No Woofs, One Woof, Two Woofs, Three Woofs