"Most brilliant exploit of the war."

[gocav76]

McNeill's Rangers pulled off one of the more famous deeds of the Civil War in Cumberland, Maryland; the capture or kidnapping of two Federal generals. These men were General Kelly and also General George Crook.

Not only was General Crook,and Kelly captured but two future Presidents of the United States could have also been captured or kidnapped that night. Brigadier General Rutherford B. Hayes was asleep in one of the hotels that night and Major William McKinley, of General Crook's staff was in another. General Crook referred to the escapade as the "most brilliant exploit of the war." John S. Mosby, referring to the raid, wrote that he would have to enter Washington, D.C. and come back with Lincoln to better it. www.rootsweb.com/~mdallegh/towns/mcneills.htm

[elisabeth]

Hey, do you think Mosby's remark put the idea into Booth's head? According to American Brutus, he originally led his co-conspirators to believe the plot was to kidnap Lincoln rather than to assassinate him ...

[gocav76]

Elisabeth, Booth started planning the capture of Lincoln in the late summer of 1864. www.nps.gov/archive/foth/backup/new_site/booth.htm

[Scout]

Mudd...guilty or innocent?

[gocav76]

Mudd--guilty of course. A few years ago I visited the site of the Garrett farm, where Booth was killed. Of all the Civil War sites I've visited this was the most eerie! Its located in the middle of a four lane highway. Would love to take the Booth escape tour.

[alfuso]

myself - I've always held that the most brilliant exploit of CW was ending it.

alfuso

[Diane Merkel]

gocav76 said:

Mudd--guilty of course. A few years ago I visited the site of the Garrett farm, where Booth was killed. Of all the Civil War sites I've visited this was the most eerie! Its located in the middle of a four lane highway. Would love to take the Booth escape tour.

Larry, I lived in the DC area for most of my life, and not taking that tour is my one regret and probably the reason I would go back to visit. I've been to Ford's, the death house across the street, the other locations in [now] Chinatown, by the Surratt House, and to the execution location on Fort McNair (?) but I never went out to the barn. I'd love to do the whole route.

I would like to give Dr. Mudd the benefit of the doubt, but it's hard to do. I like to think he made up for it with his good works later.