** spoiler alert ** This book recalls the tale of the days prior to Lincoln’s assassination, all the way up until the twelfth day in which he was captured, giving the perspective and concerns of both the Union members, John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices.
James L. Swanson’s ‘Manhunt The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer’ truly does cast John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of the long-late 16th president of America, in a different light than what is usually displayed in common discussions. When one hears the name John Wilkes Booth, an image of a thoughtless, savage, and bloodthirsty assassin typically comes to mind. However, John Wilkes Booth was anything but this in his mannerisms. Instead, he was more of a devoted theatrical performer who desired the victory of his seceded confederacy. He fancied himself as a gentleman and a confederate, and his actions clearly display these fancies.
As James L. Swanson displays John Wilkes Booth as anything but thoughtless, he provides clear evidence for this. Lincoln’s assassination was not a ‘spur of the moment opportunity’ that this confederate managed to take advantage of. No, it was merely a modification to a plan that had already been made. Originally, John Wilkes Booth and his associates, including Dr. Samuel Mudd, had planned to kidnap the unfortunate Union president. However, their goal went unachieved as the Union took a final victory against their rebellious counterparts. John Wilkes Booth had planned on an escape route once they had taken the president captive, a route that would lead into the Southern territories. The thespian had planned on using the very same route to serve as his way out of Virginia after he had assassinated the President, the vice-president, and the secretary. Unfortunately for Booth, although he had made his plans well, the other present accomplices failed to accomplish their tasks, leaving Booth and David Herold, another accomplice, alone to the trail that lied before them.
John Wilkes Booth is not a savage, although his crimes would say otherwise, but is, instead, a gentleman. He is a gentleman due to the fact that he compensated all that he came across for their services, despite his act of murder and prone to a defensive violent stance near the end of his travel. Although he had committed this act of murder, he desired no blood to be shed unless it was absolutely necessary, which he saw fit when he plotted to take the life of Abraham Lincoln. This wish also re-iterates the point that John Wilkes Booth was not bloodthirsty; and proves this point, as well.