List $34.95

Written by James L. Swanson - Abridged Nonfiction - 7 COMPACT DISCS

Publisher, Harper Audio (February 2006)

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Praise for the hardcover printed edition:

"Taking the reader into the action, the story is shot through with breathless, vivid, even gory detail. With a deft, probing style and no small amount of swagger, Swanson, a member of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, has crafted pure narrative pleasure, sure to satisfy the casual reader and Civil War aficionado alike." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"James Swanson has written a terrific narrative of the hunt for Lincoln's killers that will mesmerize the reader from start to finish just as the actual manhunt mesmerized the entire nation. It is a triumphant book." --Doris Kearns Goodwin

"This riveting hour-by-hour account of Lincoln's assassination, Booth's escape, and the pursuit that finally ran down and killed him is a truly remarkable narrative. Even those familiar with the story will find fascinating new details here." --James McPherson

The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history -- the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry troops on a wild, twelve-day chase from the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia.

At the very center of this story is John Wilkes Booth, Americas notorious villain. A confederate sympathizer and member of a celebrated acting family, Booth threw away his fame, wealth, and promise for a chance to avenge the South's defeat. For almost two weeks, he confounded the man hunters, slipping away from their every move and denying the justice they sought.

Manhunt is a fully documented work, but it is also a fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, this is history as you've never read it before.

THE CHASE: TIMELINE

March 4, 1865. Abraham Lincoln delivers 2nd inaugural address. John Wilkes Booth, standing nearby, says he had an "excellent chance" to kill him.
April 14, 1865. Around noon Booth learns that Lincoln is coming to Ford's Theatre that night. He has 8 hours to prepare his plan.
April 14, 1865. 10:15 pm. Booth shoots the president, leaps to the stage, and escapes on a waiting horse.
April 14, 1865. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton orders the manhunt to begin.
April 15, 1865. About 4:00 am. Booth seeks treatment for a broken leg at Dr. Samuel Mudd's. Cavalry patrol heads south toward Mudd farm.
April 15, 1865. President Lincoln dies at 7:22am. Booth leaves Dr. Mudd's that evening. Stanton summons more troops and detectives to join the hunt.
April 16, 1865. Confederate operative Thomas Jones hides Booth in a remote pine thicket for five days, frustrating the man hunters.
April 17, 1865. Booth's coconspirator Lewis Powell and other associates are arrested.
April 19, 1865. Tens of thousands watch procession to U.S. Capitol, where President Lincoln lies in state. Wild rumors and stories of false sightings of Booth spread.
April 20, 1865. Stanton offers $100,000 reward for the assassins, and threatens with death any citizen who helps them.
April 20, 1865. After hiding Booth in Maryland for 5 days, Jones puts him in a rowboat on the Potomac River, bound for Virginia. More than a thousand man hunters are still searching in Maryland. In the dark, Booth rows the wrong way and ends up in Maryland.
April 20 - 24. Booth lands in the northern neck of Virginia, and Confederate agents and sympathizers guide him to Port Conway, Virginia.
April 24. Booth befriends 3 Confederate soldiers who help him cross to Port Royal, and then guide him to the Garrett farm.
April 24, 1865. Union troops in Washington receive a report of a Booth sighting. They board a U.S. Navy tug and steam south , right past Booth's hideout at the Garrett farm.
April 25. The 16th New York Cavalry, realizing their error, turns around and surrounds the Garrett farm after midnight that night.
April 26. When Booth refuses to surrender, troops set the barn on fire, and Boston Corbett shoots the assassin. Booth dies a few hours later, at sunrise.
April 26-27. Booth's body is brought back to Washington, where it is autopsied, photographed, and buried in a secret grave.

About the Author: James L. Swanson, an attorney and Lincoln scholar, has held a number of government and think-tank posts in Washington, D.C. He has written about history, the Constitution, popular culture, and other subjects for a variety of publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and American Heritage. He is the coauthor of Lincolns Assassins: Their Trial and Execution. Swanson is a member of the advisory committee of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. He lives in Washington, D.C.