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Winner of the 2001 The Lincoln Group of New York's Award of Achievement

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln is usually told as a tale of a lone deranged actor who struck from a twisted lust for revenge. This is not only too simple an explanation; Blood on the Moon reveals that it is completely wrong. John Wilkes Booth was neither mad nor alone in his act of murder. He received the help of many, not the least of whom was Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd, the Charles County physician who has been portrayed as the innocent victim of a vengeful government. Booth was also aided by the Confederate leadership in Richmond. As he made his plans to strike at Lincoln, Booth was in contact with key members of the Confederate underground, and after the assassination these same forces used all of their resources to attempt his escape. Noted Lincoln authority Edward Steers Jr. introduces the cast of characters in this ill-fated drama, he explores why they were so willing to help pull the trigger, and corrects the many misconceptions surrounding this defining moment that changed American history. After completing an acclaimed career as a research scientist at the National Institutes of Health,

Edward Steers Jr. has turned his research skills to the Lincoln assassination. He is the author of several books about the president, including The Trial. He lives in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.

Few attempts at telling a comprehensive story of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln succeed so well in that comprehensiveness as Blood on the Moon . -- Allan C. Guelzo

An essential part of a Lincoln library. Besides being the definitive work on the depressing events of April 1865, it is a unique source for refuting the misinformation, myths and lies that have grown up around them. -- America's Civil War

What Steers has done is go back to trial testimony and eyewitness memoirs, not only to reconstruct events but to lay motives bare. -- Baltimore Sun

Immediately takes its place as the standard by which all other books dealing with Lincoln’s assassination will be judged: it is must reading for anyone interested in the Civil War or American history. -- Blue & Gray Magazine

Fascinating. . . . The best account we have of the fateful event that did so much to change the course of American history. -- Bowling Green Daily News

Offers a highly useful narrative of the Lincoln murder conspiracy, complete with provocative opinions and extensive documentation. -- Civil War Book Review

Ought to find a place on most scholar' shelves. -- Columbia (SC) State

With research and deductive reasoning that is persuasive, Steers proves that Mrs. Surratt's tavern in Maryland and boarding house in D.C. were both safe houses for Confederate agents. -- Easton (MD) Star-Democrat

An exceptionally well-written and thorough book on the assassination. For anyone who is sincerely interested in the assassination, this book is a 'must read.' -- Historian

If you are going to read only one book on the Lincoln assassination, this is the one! -- James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom

Respected Lincoln scholar Dr. Edward Steers has here brought his research talents to bear on the assassination. It is refreshing to read that John Wilkes Booth was not a madman and that Dr. Samuel A. Mudd was not an innocent country physician as depicted in current Mudd family propaganda. -- James O. Hall

Engagingly written, lively in style, and balanced in analysis, this book will take its place upon the short list of the finest studies of the Lincoln assassination. -- Journal of Illinois History

Presents a tale that needs to be told: the real story behind the assassination of the 16th president. -- Kentucky Monthly

The quality of research and the skillful presentation of the story of Lincoln’s assassination will lead you well beyond the superficial facts that we've all been taught and into the depths of the conspiracy and the aftermath of John Wilkes Booth's world-shattering deed at Ford’s Theater. -- Lexington Herald-Leader

This should be the end-all of Lincoln assassination books. -- Louisville Courier-Journal

What separates Blood on the Moon . . . is the depth and breadth of Steers' research. -- Morgantown Messenger

Steers has written a careful synthesis of what is known about Lincoln's murder. -- New York Review of Books

Reveals the extensive organization element of the Confederate secret service in southern Maryland, and its involvement with Booth from the earliest stages of the plot right up to his death. -- North & South

Punctures the myths and misrepresentations that have so long been part of the history. -- Political Bandwagon

Steers has a sharp ear for historical discordance and a novelist’s eye for illuminating detail. . . . . Provocative reading. -- Publishers Weekly

Colorful, well written, and marches along smartly, despite all the twists of the trail leading to and from Ford’s Theatre. -- Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

Steers has written a detailed, scholarly account based on original sources as well as newly discovered evidence concerning the assassination. -- Virginia Quarterly Review

A worthy book. -- Washington Post Book World

Steers has studied the Lincoln assassination intensively and had accumulated a formidable database. -- Washington Times

This is the book to which all Lincoln and Civil War aficionados -- William Hanchett

Puts many of the myths and misconceptions to rest. -- WTBF Radio

An excellent overall view of the deed [Lincoln’s assassination]. -- Choice

Immerse yourself in this required book for anyone interested in Lincoln, presidential assassinations or the American Civil War. -- Cmdr. Youssef Abou-Enein -- The Waterline

Anyone interested in the fateful events of April 14, 1865, and the possible role in the conspiracy involving members of the Confederate government which has not been given the exposure it deserves, must read this book. -- Back Channels

Ought to find a place on most scholars’ shelves. -- Columbia (SC) State

With research and deductive reasoning that is persuasive, Steers proves that Mrs. Surratt’s tavern in Maryland and boarding house in D.C. were both safe houses for Confederate agents. -- Easton (MD) Star-Democrat

The most complete summary to date of the facts surrounding Lincoln’s demise. -- Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star

An exceptionally well-written and thorough book on the assassination. For anyone who is sincerely interested in the assassination, this book is a ‘must read.’ -- Historian

Steers manages to make an often-told tale come alive and seem fresh in the re-telling. . . . There is a very small shelf of books that are absolutely essential to the understanding of Lincoln’s murder and this is one of them. -- H-Net Reviews

Presents a tale that needs to be told—the real story behind the assassination of the 16th president. -- Kentucky Monthly

The quality of research and the skillful presentation of the story of Lincoln’s assassination will lead you well beyond the superficial facts that we’ve all been taught and into the depths of the conspiracy and the aftermath of John Wilkes Booth’s world-shattering deed at Ford’s Theater. -- Lexington Herald-Leader

A book that will entertain and educate readers interested in this integral part of American history. -- Louisville Voice-Tribune

In his readable, exceedingly well-researched account of the assassination, Edward Steers shreds the myths that have encrusted the story of Booth’s plot and that reveal more about what some Americans want to believe that what actually happened. -- Maryland Historical Magazine

What separates Blood on the Moon . . . is the depth and breadth of Steers’ research. -- Morgantown Messenger

Steers has written a careful synthesis of what is known about Lincoln’s murder. -- New York Review of Books

A carefully documented account of the conspiracy and those who took part in it. -- The Lancet

May become the definitive volume detailing the events surrounding the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. -- Union County (KY) Advocate

This is the book to which all Lincoln and Civil War aficionados—indeed, all Americans interested in their history—should turn for a lucid and up-to-date explanation of the assassination. -- William Hanchett

Named the best Lincoln book fo 2001 by the Lincoln Group of New York.

Awarded an honorable mention for the 2002 Seaborg Civil War Prize competition.

Publication Date

11-1-2001

Publisher

The University Press of Kentucky

Place of Publication

Lexington, KY

ISBN

9780813191515

eISBN

9780813170824

Keywords

Abraham Lincoln, Assassination, John Wilkes Booth

Disciplines

United States History

Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
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