About the Topic:
On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The usual focus of the story is on John Wilkes Booth, the prominent actor who shot the president. But Booth was aided by fellow conspirators--nine of them in all--who first planned to kidnap Lincoln and take him to Richmond. That plot ended in failure, though, and when Richmond fell, the conspirators’ goal turned to assassination.
Gail Stephens will discuss the conspirators and their participation in this drama, their trial and its outcome. Her particular focus will be on the roles of Mary Surratt, the only woman involved, and Samuel Mudd, a country doctor whose culpability has always been questioned.
Gail Stephens has a Bachelor’s Degree in International Politics from George Washington University and completed graduate work at Johns Hopkins and Harvard Universities. She worked for the Department of Defense for 26 years, retiring in 1994 as a member of the Department’s Senior Executive Service.
Upon retirement, Gail was able to indulge her lifelong interest in the history of the American Civil War. She volunteered at Monocacy National Battlefield for over fifteen years, lectured on the Civil War and the battle of Monocacy, gave battlefield tours, and wrote articles for numerous publications.
Her book on the Union commander at the battle of Monocacy, Shadow of Shiloh; Major General Lew Wallace in the Civil War, was published in 2010. In 2011, it won the New York City Civil War Forum’s William Henry Seward award for best Civil War biography.
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