Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln by Edward Steers Jr.

Category: 50 Books

9. Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln by Edward Steers Jr.

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!”

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