John Surratt

John Harrison Surratt, Jr., was a courier for the Confederate Secret Service and the only one of John Wilkes Booth’s co-conspirators in the Lincoln assassination plot to escape hanging by the U.S. government. Fleeing vengeful authorities in the wake of the assassination, Surratt traveled through three continents and served in the Papal Zouaves before being arrested in Egypt. His 1867 trial was a sensation, ending in a hung jury. Upon his release, he sought a quiet life away from the spotlight but privately suffered the consequences of his acts. The most complete study of Surratt’s life to date, this book addresses many unanswered questions and considers theories that have received little attention.

Frederick Hatch is the editor and publisher of The Journal of the Lincoln Assassination and has written for American History, Lincoln Herald, Sea Classics, and Surratt Courier. He lives in Maryland.

Frederick Hatch

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 220
Bibliographic Info: 47 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6513-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2546-1
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
Introduction 3
1. Beginnings 5
2. Rebel Courier 14
3. Confederates in Canada 27
4. Conspiracy 38
5. Assassination 63
6. Hiding 85
7. Flight 98
8. Capture and Escape 113
9. In Custody 130
10. A Jury of His Peers 150
11. A Long Twilight 168
Chapter Notes 193
Bibliography 201
Index 207

“Hatch’s extensive research is clearly manifest throughout the book…a fine book that will appeal to all”—Civil War News.