Backstage at the Lincoln Assassinatio..., Thomas A. Bogar
Backstage at the Lincoln Assassinatio..., Thomas A. Bogar
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Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination
The Untold Story of the Actors and Stagehands at Ford's Theatre

Author: Thomas A. Bogar

Narrator: R. C. Bray

Unabridged: 9 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/04/2013


Synopsis

April 14, 1865. A famous actor pulls a trigger in the presidential balcony, leaps to the stage, and escapes, as the president lies fatally wounded. In the panic that follows, forty-six terrified people scatter in and around Ford's Theater as soldiers take up stations by the doors and the audience surges into the streets chanting, "Burn the place down!"

This is the untold story of Lincoln's assassination: the forty-six stage hands, actors, and theater workers on hand for the bewildering events in the theater that night, and what each of them witnessed in the chaos-streaked hours before John Wilkes Booth was discovered to be the culprit. In Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination, historian Thomas A. Bogar delves into previously unpublished sources to tell the story of Lincoln's assassination from behind the curtain, and the tale is shocking. Police rounded up and arrested dozens of innocent people, wasting time that allowed the real culprit to get further away. Some closely connected to John Wilkes Booth were not even questioned, while innocent witnesses were relentlessly pursued. Booth was more connected with the production than you might have known—learn how he knew each member of the cast and crew, which was a hotbed of secessionist resentment. Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination also tells the story of what happened to each of these witnesses to history after the investigation was over—how each one lived their lives after seeing one of America's greatest presidents shot dead without warning.

About Thomas A. Bogar

Thomas A. Bogar holds a PhD in theater history/criticism/literature from Louisiana State University. He has taught theater for forty years, most recently at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia and Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. He is the author of John E. Owens, American Presidents Attend the Theatre, and numerous journal articles. He has also served as a judge for Washington, D.C.'s Helen Hayes Theatre Awards. Thomas lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bill on December 05, 2022

From the “just when you think you’ve read everything about…” department comes this unique look at the Lincoln assassination, from the perspective of those on stage and backstage at Ford’s Theatre when it happened.  Many recognize the name of Laura Keene, the headline performer and usually the only ca......more

Goodreads review by Jason on August 29, 2014

I saw this book in a local Barnes and Noble before Christmas. Needless to say, I was quite intrigued by the premise of it. I was a Theater major in college and I tend to view myself as somewhat of a "Presidential Historian" so naturally I found this book to be a great fit for me. Having read volumes......more

Goodreads review by David on October 31, 2016

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln is perhaps one of the most researched events in history. Nevertheless, Thomas A. Bogar has found a unique perspective and thus provides important new insights. A professor of theater history, Bogar combines his specialist's knowledge with undeniably deep research......more

Goodreads review by Dave on January 01, 2023

Well researched book and from an interesting viewpoint on the Assassination of Lincoln. The style is written as a narrative/here's what happened style. The court session sections were difficult for me to read and keep reading because of all the matter of fact style he used. But that is just me. I di......more

Goodreads review by My Book Addiction and More on December 19, 2013

BACKSTAGE AT THE LINCOLN ASSASSINATION: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE ACTORS AND STAGEHANDS AT FORD'S THEATRE by Thomas A. Bogar is an interesting History set during the Civil War era. April 14,1865 was the date the "shot was heard around the theate". This is the date President Abraham Lincoln was fatally......more