First post - I might as well make it a controversial one spelling out (very) speculative conspiracies behind Lincoln's assassination and the Civil War in general!
1) Elements still loyal to the Crown - such as the Tories, have always been involved to varying degrees in U.S. politics since the Revolutionary War. The rapid rise of the U.S. frightened Old World powers/financial interests - who were still eyeing the (South) American sphere for influence/colonization. It was thought that this growing U.S. threat could be averted/slowed by inciting a sectional war using two major themes - slavery and tariff/taxes which would irreconciably divide North and South in a very costly civil war. Tory elements above and below the Mason Dixon line assisted in fomenting furvor for/against these issues until Civil War was inevitable.
2) Lincoln (who I do not support in general as I feel he could have used his great linguistic/reasoning skills to attempt to de-fuse the conflict - and his record on unconstitutional measures is not modest) was behoden to Northern industrial interests who were also stoked on these tariff issues also and were ready to promote war. Both North and South were used by these financial interests in a "divide and conquer" way - both fell deterministically for the plan envisaged (by these Crown/European interests backing the likes of the Tories).
3) Lincoln and the Northern elite went a bit too far (in their being stoked to conflict) and one of the biggest transgressions was Lincoln's efforts at controlling money/banking, and ultimately printing "greenbacks". This spelled doom (for Lincoln)and was a much graver threat (than a united, growing more powerful U.S. but naive to the "magic" of money creation/control) to these Crown/financial control interests, thus sealing his fate in their eyes. No one messes with their monopoly on money creation/control. Some speculate JFK was killed for the exact same reason (anyone ever hear of Kennedy silver certificates - which depicted "U.S. Treasury Note" instead of "Federal Reserve Note")
Anyway, there is some scant evidence for some of this but admittedly there is much speculation (reading between the lines) also. I figured I'd make my first post a memorable one! Call me "lunatic fringe" or "conspiracy nut" if you like, I'm just open to all angles at historical events - I seek to be honest/truthful/reasonable in that quest.
OK,
I won't call you "lunatic fringe" or "conspiracy nut", but may I call you "lunatic nut"?
with all respect, Sam
__________________
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"It was a very peculiar time." - Franklin D. Cossitt
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tdory- Well, that was certainly jumping in with both feet!!
I think you made Goldstein proud!
regards, ed
__________________ 'It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag'
This is not my opinion, as I voted for the option where Booth and his group acted alone in Lincolns assassination. But I was listening to an audio-book a while back while driving, written by an author whose name I can't remember, about a hare-brained scheme cooked up in late '64 I believe. Please keep in mind that I was in heavy traffic at the time this part was being narrated, while driving a placarded haz-mat vehicle, so, in other words, I wasn't totally focused on the narrator. I don't have the paper version of the book to help me here either. This episode was a small part of a book written mainly about the generalship of the AOP. I had to return the audio book to the lye-berry. If you have read it please feel free to post the name. I apologize if this story is already posted somewhere on this thread. I didn't see it when I looked, but I could've missed it.
This plan was a large Union cavalry raid, deep into Virginia, led by a General Kilpatrick (Kirkpatrick?), who was supposed to lead a raid into Richmond to free the Union prisoners at Libby. The cavalry were then to try to kidnap Pres. Davis and some other important high officials in the Confederate government IIRC. I'm sure you all have read about this. A young captain, maybe an aide to the general, whose name was Swedish, something like "Ulrich", maybe, took it upon himself to compose a plan whereby he would actually kill Pres. Davis, as well as other officials, while also liberating Libby, and encouraging the freed prisoners to burn the city. His superiors had no knowledge of this plan, nor would they have approved it most likely. He thought of it all by himself, and managed to write it all down and take it with him on this raid.
Anyway, as I'm sure you're aware, the raid went south,(literally and metaphorically),quite quickly. To make it short, as I'm really foggy on the details, on the way down to Richmond, everybody got really, really lost - in the dark - in Virginia. Captain Ulrich wound up shot dead, but before that happened, realizing he was lost, and I suppose feeling frustrated that the glory and fame which he thought would be showered on him, would not be, the Captain did find time to hang the freed slave who had agreed to be his guide throughout the mission, blaming him for the whole mess I suppose. As I already mentioned, the thorough and literate Captain Ulrich wrote all the details of this warped, demented plan on some paper, which was found on his body, by Confederate soldiers. In a short time the scheme to kill Pres. Davis, and free the prisoners, and burn Richmond, appeared in the Richmond newspaper, and other papers, until just about everybody knew about it.
The author states that the story goes that this failed, highly publicized assassination attempt, which outraged the entire south, prompted some in the Rebel government to launch their own plan to assassinate Pres. Lincoln, in retaliation for the mission of murder and mayhem that had just been thwarted. According to the author, this conspiracy theory included John Wilkes Booth, and his cohorts. This plan, with Lincolns assassination accomplished, was successful, so the story goes. The author states that he personally does not think that Lincolns murder was the result of this particular scheme, but is fairly certain that Booth and his people were involved, but that they acted alone, without sponsorship by the Confederate government. He presents this scenario as just one of the many conspiracy theories that was popular then, and I guess still is.
I wish I had the book, and/or my memory so I could be more accurate. Please feel free to elaborate and/or correct anything that is erroneous. The gist of it is there I think. Thanks. Terry
Last edited by william42 : 01-12-2006 at 09:20 PM.
Terry: The officer was Ulrich Dahlgren, son of the famous Swedish designer. Sorry, but don't know the name of the book. Sounds like you got the basic gist of the story, though. Someone will know it. Ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
Thanks Ole. Yeah there's probably more than a few errors in there... I remember that now. I think the narrator said his dad refused to believe that his son was responsible for concocting that plan, even up until his death.
Terry
Last edited by william42 : 01-12-2006 at 09:47 PM.
I view Booth as a murderer but I feel pity for the guy.I truly think he thought he would be heralded as a hero for killing this tyrant who trampled all over the Constitution like Brutus.I disdain Lincoln but I regret that he was murdered and thus became this great American martyr.
His martyrdom was one thing (rued by some whose sympathies rested with the Confederate cause), but far worse for the South was the fact that his death reinforced the hand of the radicals who wanted to utterly destroy those who had come near (at one point) to winning independence from the Union. Had Lincoln lived, I sincerely believe that Southerners (of all races) would have suffered less, and some of the wounds that still cause pain and resentment today would have been far less severe.
__________________ Chaplain Rob Stroud, USAF Son of SgtMaj Chuck Stroud, USMC Grandson of Private Charles Stroud, USA Great-Grandson of Corporal Chauncey Stroud, Fifth Iowa Volunteer Cavalry
It should go without saying that although I am a proud member of the military, my posts in no way reflect the official policies of the USAF or the United States government.
I was at a Civil War show in Charleston in '98 at a convention center, and of course, there were lots of tables set up, and more relics and other items, books, etc. than I've ever seen in one place. It's the only Civil War show I've been to, now that I think about it, solely dealing with Civil War and other era related items. I, being from Indiana originally, and at the time of the convention, living in Minnesota, had been up to that point primarily exposed to only Yankee influences most of my entire life, even when living in Colorado. Where I grew up, and now live again, is about 15 miles from where Lincoln spent his boyhood days in Spencer County Indiana. I was taught from an early age, and brought up to believe that Abe Lincoln was the saviour of the Union, and the greatest president ever to hold that office. I've always thought that way, and still do, especially since beginning my reading on the war in 1994, when I was recovering from back surgery.
So, I was quite shocked to find more than one set of tables dedicated to photos/paintings, articles, and heirlooms of John Wilkes Booth, and his family, whom I have always considered to be the supreme villain in the history of the country - the man who shot Lincoln. Then I remembered where I was, which was pretty literally, if not the birthplace of Secession, then probably at least the very cradle of the Civil War - Charleston, South Carolina. So, it took a bit of time to adjust my thinking to the mindset that evidently many folks have, at least in that area of the South. I was then able to take into account the fact that many of the folks there, probably had the same feelings I have towards Lincoln, only theirs are for Booth, and my feelings towards Booth probably mirrored their feelings toward Lincoln. It was a big wake-up call and quite a learning experience walking around that place, and after I had taken it all in (it was quite a large venue), it really hit home with me how still very polarized many folks are, in the North and South, in their feelings toward Lincoln and Booth.
Terry
Last edited by william42 : 01-13-2006 at 04:13 AM.
BTW, Gentlemen and Ladies, Book TV, CSPAN2, will be spending almost the entire weekend discussing the assassination. Get your chores done up tonight. Ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
I think the responsibliity falls direictley on John Wilkes Booth and his conspirary ring. And in my opinion if I could change the future, I would had killed John Wilkes Booth before he could lay a finger on him. That way reconstruction would had not been as harsh on the CSA as history tells.
BTW, Gentlemen and Ladies, Book TV, CSPAN2, will be spending almost the entire weekend discussing the assassination. Get your chores done up tonight. Ole
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I remember that now. I think the narrator said his dad refused to believe that his son was responsible for concocting that plan, even up until his death.
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