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Bloody Crimes: The Chase For Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincon's Corpse Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 292 ratings

In Bloody Crimes, James L. Swanson—the Edgar® Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Manhunt—brings to life two epic events of the Civil War era: the thrilling chase to apprehend Confederate president Jefferson Davis in the wake of the Lincoln assassination and the momentous  20 -day funeral that took Abraham Lincoln’s body home to Springfield. A true tale full of fascinating twists and turns, and lavishly illustrated with dozens of rare historical images—some never before seen—Bloody Crimes is a fascinating companion to Swanson’s Manhunt and  a riveting true-crime thriller that will electrify civil war buffs, general readers, and everyone in between.


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Manhunt
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Bloody Crimes
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The Deerfield Massacre
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best Books of the Month, October 2010: It's April 1865 and General Lee's troops have officially surrendered. Abraham Lincoln, looking forward to rebuilding the nation, celebrates with an evening—his last alive—at the theater. On the other side of the Mason-Dixon Line Jefferson Davis plans to move the Confederate government to North Carolina, away from Union troops that have captured Richmond. Under much different circumstances, both men embark on a dramatic final journey depicted by James. L. Swanson in Bloody Crimes, a gripping account of the weeks following Lincoln’s death and the end of the Civil War. While arguments erupted about where and how Lincoln’s burial should take place, Jefferson Davis—refusing to let the South succumb—attempted to rally his people despite being hunted by Northern troops who suspected his involvement in Lincoln’s assassination. Using relics and key documents of the day, Swanson juxtaposes the travels of Davis and Lincoln, weaving a fast-paced narrative that lures readers in from the get-go. We know that eventually Lincoln makes it to his final resting place and Davis is captured, but along the way it’s hard not to wonder if these two heroic leaders were more similar than perhaps anyone would have guessed. Whether read as a companion to Manhunt—Swanson’s account of the 12-day search for John Wilkes Booth—or on its own, Bloody Crimes is the next great Civil War-era read worthy of the recognition that Lincoln once said we should all strive for. --Jessica Schein


Amazon Exclusive: James L. Swanson on Writing Bloody Crimes

I wrote
Bloody Crimes as a way of answering a question many Manhunt readers asked: “What happened next?” In Manhunt I told just one of the three incredible stories that unfolded at the climax of the Civil War. I could only hint at the strange and amazing things that happened to Lincoln’s body after he died, and I could do no more than allude to Jefferson Davis’s dramatic flight from Richmond and his six week odyssey to save the Confederacy. So it would be correct to say that Bloody Crimes is a sequel to Manhunt.

Since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by the Lincoln funeral train, and I debated whether to write a book about that story alone. It is hard for a modern reader to comprehend how much Lincoln’s death, the White House funeral, the Pennsylvania Avenue procession, and the president’s sojourn home to Illinois influenced America. Imagine the death of President Kennedy and intensify by several degrees the emotions it released. As I researched the Lincoln funeral pageant, I began thinking about another president on his great journey. As I studied Davis, I realized that he is one of the “Lost Men” of American history. Today we know so little about him. To my great surprise, he and Lincoln had much in common. Some of their shared experiences were stunning, even profound. And in April 1865, both presidents left their White Houses, took to the field, and sought to rally their armies at the climax of the war.

Combining the final journeys of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis into one book presented several challenges. I needed to return to the assassination, but I did not want to repeat material from Manhunt. I solved that problem by, like a film director, shifting the camera and pointing it in a different direction. In Manhunt, my camera captured every moment of action inside Ford’s Theatre. In Bloody Crimes, that camera never sets foot inside Ford’s, but instead takes position inside the Petersen House, capturing the assassination through fresh eyes, those of the boarders who lived there and the visitors who descended upon it. In Manhunt, once Lincoln was dead, he ceased to be a principal character in the book. In Bloody Crimes, though Lincoln is dead, he remains a vital character until the end. One of the pleasures of writing the book was meeting the splendid cast of characters who played significant roles in the death pageant, including the larger-than-life Commissioner of Public Buildings in Washington, D.C., Benjamin Brown French, who kept an amazing diary.

Another great pleasure was experiencing the final journey of Jefferson Davis through the firsthand accounts of his inner circle, cabinet members, young female loyalists, and his family, especially Davis’s wife Varina. The love letters they exchanged during his darkest days go unread today, but they are as moving as the correspondence of John and Abigail Adams.

I cannot write a book without holding in my hand the original sources—Civil War newspapers, documents, photos, and artifacts—and I must visit the sites where history happened. Through these objects and places, I travel back in time and, I hope, take my readers with me. Many of the places I visited while writing Bloody Crimes still haunt me: The Confederate White House, where toys still lie upon the floor, as if the Davis children will return momentarily to continue their play; the East Room of Lincoln’s White House, site of his majestic funeral; the cemetery vault in Georgetown, where Abraham Lincoln’s dead son Willie waited for his father to claim him and bring him home to Illinois; and the graves of Jefferson Davis and his family at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. Indeed, shortly before the publication of Bloody Crimes, I visited the grave of Jefferson Davis. A powerful storm had twisted and torn from the ground a mighty oak tree that had, for the past century, offered shade to Davis’s grave and bronze statue. Had the massive tree fallen in a slightly different direction, it would have smashed the gravestone and toppled Jefferson Davis from his pedestal.

The final journeys of Lincoln and Davis, each a martyr to his cause, tell the stories of two men, two peoples, and two nations during the most thrilling days in American history. Their dual stories form an American epic, a kind of American Iliad, that made our history, and that continues to influence it to this day.



From Publishers Weekly

The disparate fates of contending presidents make an odd juxtaposition in this ungainly history of the Civil War's last gasps. Swanson recounts the April 1865 odyssey of Abraham Lincoln's funeral train as it wound through the North, intercutting it with Jefferson Davis's flight south from Richmond through a disintegrating Confederacy. The intertwined narratives lack the drama of the John Wilkes Booth saga Swanson told in his bestselling Manhunt. Lincoln's progress is a vividly described but lugubrious study in Victorian pomp, with giant hearses, trackside bonfires, choruses of white-robed young women, and huge crowds filing past the slow-moldering corpse. Davis's journey is a deluded, lackadaisical picaresque as he tries and fails to rally demoralized Southerners--his own cavalry escort pillaged the accompanying treasury wagons--until his anticlimactic capture by Union forces. Swanson works hard to make Davis a noble (no, he was not captured wearing his wife's dress, just her shawl) worthy of the Dixie-wide memorial procession with which the book closes. But Davis's story is incomparably less resonant than the martyred Lincoln's; in Swanson's best sections, outpourings of grief--Lincoln's own and those of his mourners--make for a moving evocation of wartime loss. B&w photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003V1WRYM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins e-books; Reprint edition (September 28, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 28, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.4 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 484 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0061233781
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 292 ratings

About the author

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James L. Swanson
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James L. Swanson is the author of the New York Times bestseller Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. He is an attorney who has written about history, the Constitution, popular culture, and other subjects for a variety of publications, including the Wall Street Journal, American Heritage, Smithsonian, and the Los Angeles Times. Mr. Swanson serves on the advisory council of the Ford's Theatre Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Campaign and is a member of the advisory committee of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

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Customers say

Customers find the book an interesting and enjoyable read that provides new insights into history. They appreciate the well-researched information and interesting details about the era. The author is described as outstanding and a master storyteller. Readers mention the book offers great value for money and works well.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

56 customers mention "Readability"50 positive6 negative

Customers find the book engaging and thorough. They describe it as a page-turner that gets better after a third of the way through. The author's previous work on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln is well-received. Overall, readers praise the book for its balanced presentation of events in both the North and South.

"...It is an exquisite book of hope, and reverence. Enjoy it, and thank you for reading this review. Richard C. Stoyeck" Read more

"...A good easy read suitable for the general reader." Read more

"...The author, who wrote the excellent book "Manhunt" about the assassination of Lincoln and the fascinating pursuit of Booth, writes an incredulous..." Read more

"...It was fast-paced, filled with interesting detail and fun facts, and just a great overall read...." Read more

31 customers mention "History"31 positive0 negative

Customers enjoyed the book's history. They found it interesting and informative, providing fresh insights into stories they already knew. The book provided an engaging retelling of the ending of the war and the life stories of two key figures. It was also moving for them, describing in detail the end of the war and Lincoln's death.

"...Compelling history, our history, wars, battles, assassination, chases, ceremony, euphoria, sadness, and depression, it is all here, and told as well..." Read more

"...the basics about the assassination, this book really describes in detail the end of the war; Lincoln's death..." Read more

"...Swanson attempts to portray this man as a very loving and respectable man who survived the odds of four years of leading a cause against superior..." Read more

"...It was fast-paced, filled with interesting detail and fun facts, and just a great overall read...." Read more

16 customers mention "Information quality"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides excellent information about the Civil War era. They find it insightful and well-researched, providing interesting details about Lincoln's death and funeral. The book is an excellent source for day-to-day happenings during one of the final chapters of the war.

"...it took Lincoln to die, the events, the chase, the mourning, it's all here in detail, and very well written. *..." Read more

"...Very well researched and opens a window into a time when some leaders actually valued honesty over wealth...." Read more

"...It reveals the amazing details of Lincoln's death and funeral....and coincides it with the escape of Jefferson Davis to his beloved South...." Read more

"...It details the carnival funeral procession of Lincoln's body and the capture and maltreatment of Jefferson Davis...." Read more

6 customers mention "Author quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers praise the author's writing style. They find it engaging and say the book is well-written about two Civil War icons. Readers describe the author as a master storyteller and able statesman.

"...He was an able and elegant statesman. His library numbered books in the thousands, and Davis had studied every one of them. *..." Read more

"Great delivery. Author is outstanding and the book looks to be the same. Good quality, price and delivery ahead of expectation." Read more

"...a master at giving the reader great historical facts with an intriguing writing flair. Great information about a vital time in US history." Read more

"...Bought it as a gift and read it myself before wrapping! Talented author." Read more

6 customers mention "Bloody crime"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's historical content, including assassinations, wars, battles, chases, ceremonies, and euphoria.

"...Compelling history, our history, wars, battles, assassination, chases, ceremony, euphoria, sadness, and depression, it is all here, and told as well..." Read more

"Bloody crimes is bloody good!..." Read more

"Bloody Crimes..." Read more

"Bloody Crimes..." Read more

4 customers mention "Value for money"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's value for money. They mention a great price, fast shipping, and the seller is perfect.

"...Author is outstanding and the book looks to be the same. Good quality, price and delivery ahead of expectation." Read more

"...I immediately returned home and found the book on Amazon.com at an attractive price. This is a great read if you are a Civil War buff...." Read more

"My husband wanted this book, so I bought it, great price, fast shipping as always through Amazon, and he loves the book. I plan to read it next." Read more

"Perfect Seller!..." Read more

3 customers mention "Functionality"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book functional and enjoyable to read. They mention it works well and improves after a slow start.

"...This creates a series of contrasts. It works well and Swanson is to be commended. By and large, this technique has not been widely used...." Read more

"...After a very slow start this book got much better and more enjoyable to read about a third of the way through...." Read more

"...But if you love detail, this did it superbly. Most interesting to me was what happened to Jefferson Davis." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2010
    I think you will love this book. If history is what you want and Lincoln and the Civil War are your passions, then James Swanson has brought to life a period that is central to the American story. I have always found it amazing that some authors can take extraordinary historical events and make them as boring as watching wet paint dry, while others can put you right into the event. You feel you are there, and you can't put the book down until you are finished. This is what Bloody Crimes does for you.

    When Swanson is done, you will understand the Civil War, and you will understand not just Lincoln but his counterpart, Jefferson Davis the President of the Confederacy. Davis was a man who many felt was destined to be President of the United States, West Point educated, an innovator who changed the army with his concepts of command and control before leaving for his position in the South.

    In the early days of April 1865 word came to Lincoln that the North was ready to invade Richmond, Virginia, it had never happened before in four long years of fighting. President Davis was informed that you have to get out of Richmond, and get out now. Davis knew there were still things he had to do would take another 24 hours, but he instructed his wife to get ready to leave within hours.

    As she was leaving she embraced him. He told her, if I live, you can comfort me when the struggle is ended, and then realizing how dire the situation was, he told her, I do not expect to survive the destruction of the constitutional liberty. The poignancy of the departure is striking. Even though most readers are dedicated to Lincoln and the sacredness of his mission, the author is able to get you into both corners sympathizing with both sides.

    If one reads serious history, then you realize that true history may not be as it is portrayed in the history books. History is written by the victors, and so the losers are relegated to being bad guys no matter what the real story is. In this book some of the amazing things you will learn include:

    * On April 4th, 1865 a week before his death, Lincoln is getting ready to enter Richmond himself and he thinks to himself, that thank God, he has lived to see the end to this horrid dream for four years, and now the nightmare is gone.

    * In the midst of this horror show Lincoln talks about a man who came to visit him, and asked for an ambassadorship. Lincoln told him he could not accommodate him. He then asked to become a minister somewhere; Lincoln could not help him out. Well what about a civil service job - can't do it.
    The man left after Lincoln gave him a pair of trousers. Even amongst the pain and horror of the war, Lincoln kept his sense of humor.

    * Richmond has been taken, the city severely damaged, burned and looted. Lincoln accompanied by just a dozen soldiers takes a small boat to Richmond. Getting off the boat he quickly is seen by a handful of former slaves. The group enlarges within seconds, and they kneel down to him, grabbing his pants leg. Lincoln looks at them and tells them, not to kneel down to him, that is not right. Kneel only to God. He Lincoln, is only God's instrument, but they may rest assured that as long as he lives, no one shall put a shackle on their limbs, and they shall have the rights that God has given to every other free man, and citizen of the Republic.

    * Jefferson Davis was a former Secretary of War in the American government. Learned, educated, the possessor of a vast library, he revered George Washington and the founding fathers. He was an able and elegant statesman. His library numbered books in the thousands, and Davis had studied every one of them.

    * Lincoln meanwhile couldn't afford books, so he read the same books narrowly, and deeply. He had read Shakespeare, the Bible, politics and history, until he had thoroughly absorbed their contents and could quote from them verbatim.

    * Lincoln knew he was not a perfect man, but thought that George Washington and Henry Clay were. He also felt that if Washington was not perfect, it was better if we thought of him that way. This allowed Lincoln to staff his government with super stars who were not perfect but thought of themselves as such. Lincoln found he could understand and deal with such men.

    * Davis however could not deal with men who were not perfect. He could not abide men who failed to live up to the standards he set for himself. This would be his downfall.

    * Lincoln dies, and it is a 1600 mile trip to Springfield. The detailed and sad events of the circumstances surrounding the hours it took Lincoln to die, the events, the chase, the mourning, it's all here in detail, and very well written.

    * One million Americans viewed the open casket, and another 3 million Americans stood at the railroad sidings to see a man who would become immortal in history. Davis on the other hand travels throughout the South with a $100,000 bounty on his head.

    This book and this author have it all. The event is a game changer. The Civil War changes everything. It addresses the one issue that the founding fathers knew they could not address. The founding of the Republic had to include slavery or the Southern states would not join the United States.

    It was left to Lincoln to end slavery and begin the second founding of the United States with his election, and his actions. This will ultimately make him the second greatest President in American history after the founder George Washington.
    Doris Kearns Goodwin a masterful historian in her own right returns the favor and calls Swanson a "master storyteller". Prominent historian Douglas Brinkley says that Swanson now "emerges as one of America's greatest historians."

    I couldn't put the book down, and neither will you. Compelling history, our history, wars, battles, assassination, chases, ceremony, euphoria, sadness, and depression, it is all here, and told as well as it can be told. Give yourself a chance to relish a history told in a way that has never been told before. It is an exquisite book of hope, and reverence. Enjoy it, and thank you for reading this review.

    Richard C. Stoyeck
    43 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2013
    Where the author's previous book followed the path of John Wilkes Booth following the assassination of President Lincoln, this book stays with Lincoln from the time of his shooting through his interment in Springfield. The author also focuses on Jefferson Davis and his flight from Richmond.

    This was an interesting and easy read. Though many a general reader might know the basics about the assassination, this book really describes in detail the end of the war; Lincoln's death (though not assassination in detail---see his previous book "Manhunt"); the aftermath and attitudes of the public and Lincoln's inner circle and family; and the details pertaining to the return of Lincoln to his final resting place. The book is a little depressing at times especially when the subject of death and its commonality in that era is the theme of the book.

    The pursuit of Davis, the coinciding subject of the book, is not quite as interesting because it's not as dramatic as the hunt for Booth, but the author paints a picture of Jefferson that puts him in a better light than what is commonly believed. He was a real American patriot who believed in Constitutional liberty and law and order, except for his support of slavery and general white supremacy...which was a common attitude of the era anyway.

    I liked learning how each city and stop on Lincoln funeral train paid tribute to Lincoln and the mixed feelings of the tragedy as they unfolded in the days following the assassination. I finished the book impressed at how revered Lincoln really was in the eyes of the public in death and how unjustly demonized Jefferson Davis was been treated as an accomplice or conspirator in the murder and solely responsible for the Civil War, both untrue. A good easy read suitable for the general reader.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Duncan Sowry-House
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 26, 2019
    For anyone interested in the Civil War. I thought it was a kind of duel biography, but it wasn’t. It was a very detailed description if the end of the war till the time of their deaths. Very interesting.

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