"They Have Killed Papa Dead"

The Road to Ford's Theatre, Abraham Lincoln's Murder, and the Rage for Vengeance

“Delves into the fevered world of John Wilkes Booth. . . . Races along through the manhunt, the trials, the executions. A treat for the Lincoln fanatic” (USA Today).

Anthony S. Pitch’s thrilling account of the Lincoln conspiracy and its aftermath transcends the mere facts of that awful night during which dashing actor John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln in the head and would-be assassin Lewis Payne butchered Secretary of State William H. Seward in the bed of his own home.

Virtually every word of Pitch’s account is based on primary source material: quotes from previously unpublished documents, diaries, letters, and journals. With an unwavering fidelity to historical accuracy, Pitch provides confirmation of threats against the president-elect’s life as he traveled to Washington by train for his first inauguration, and a vivid personal account of John Wilkes Booth being physically restrained from approaching Lincoln at his second inauguration.

Perhaps most chillingly, details come to light about conditions in the special prison where the civilian conspirators accused of participating in the Lincoln assassination endured tortuous conditions in extreme isolation and deprivation, hooded and shackled, before and even during their military trial. Pitch masterfully synthesizes the findings of his prodigious research into a tight, gripping narrative that adds important insights to our national story.

“Meticulously researched . . . Pitch turns the tragedy into a great American true-crime story.” —Entertainment Weekly

“A worthy contribution to the vast literature on Lincoln . . . Reminds us that the president’s murder was a personal tragedy as well as a public catastrophe.” —The Washington Post