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Extensive archive of Captain Edward P. Doherty, including correspondence, military memorabilia, and a first-hand account of th... (Total: 4 )
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Description
The Man Who Captured John Wilkes Booth
Extensive archive of Captain Edward P. Doherty, including
correspondence, military memorabilia, and a first-hand account of
the capture and killing of John Wilkes Booth. Approximately
150+ letters, including "Buffalo Bill" Autograph Letter Signed
and Letter Signed, a military order signed by General
McClellan, numerous newspaper clippings, medals, original
military appointments, Doherty's Last Will and Testament, and other
family papers and records. Circa 1861-1927.This incredible archive, compiled over the course of decades by Doherty and his descendants, features numerous first-hand accounts of Booth's capture and killing by Doherty and others of the 16th New York Cavalry, written in the 1880s and 1890s at a time when Doherty's involvement in the event was heavily questioned and speculated about in the press. The newspaper clippings found herein attest to Doherty's direct involvement, as do countless letters of support from Doherty's friends, family, and military comrades, all urging him to come forward with his side of the story. This prompted Doherty to do just that: a first-hand account of those harrowing events of April 22-26, 1865, penned by Doherty with extensive holographic manuscript corrections and additions, is also included here.
In his account, Doherty writes, in part: "At about the hour that Booth was dropped at the Garrett House...I was seated on a bench in Lafayette Square, opposite the White House, in company with another officer of the 16th N.Y. Cavalry., when I received the following order [to report to Col. L.C. Baker with twenty-five mounted men]." Doherty proceeds to describe his mustering of the troops and setting out on the trail of Booth. Despite initial difficulties, Doherty and his men soon discovered that Booth and Herold were being harbored in the barn at the Garrett Farm. Doherty describes the encounter: "Sergeant Corbett, who I had stationed at a large crack, seeing Booth raise his carbine, as if to aim at me, fired; meaning to only disable his arm of knock the weapon our of his hand; but his aim erred, however, and the bullet struck Booth in the back of the head, by a strange coincidence, not half an inch below where the assassins ball had entered the head of President Lincoln. Supposing the assassin had shot himself, I threw open the door and we rushed in, and I came in just in time to catch him under the arms as he was falling and brought him out of the burning barn."
Doherty eventually deposited the manuscript, present here in 33 pages with two original ink illustrations, with the Copyright Office at the Library of Congress, for which also is present here a copy of that deposit, printed on Library of Congress letterhead and dated November 4, 1885, for a work titled Panorama of the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States. An edited version of Panorama was eventually published in Century Magazine XXXIX (January 1890) as "Pursuit and Death of John Wilkes Booth."
In addition to Doherty's illuminating narrative, accounts from other members of the party that captured Booth are present as well, along with a mixed typescript and manuscript augmentation to Doherty's original manuscript for Panorama written by his son, Charles, detailing his father's life after the Civil War comprising 17 additional pages.
Despite Doherty's own account, experiences, and the official government record of the event (a copy of which is present here), there was much controversy surrounding the dispersal of the reward and, for the next several decades, who should take the credit for the arrest. Much of the documentation and correspondence contained in this archive are comprised of testimonials from friends and family defending his honor, as well as copies of official government and military records the family had made as they built their case in support of Doherty. Copies of the military order to arrange the capture of Booth, sent to the Head Quarters of the 16th New York Cavalry and appointing 1st Lieutenant Doherty as commanding officer, are present. Included also is a copy of the Congressional Order from the House of Representatives dividing the reward amongst members of the capture party, for which Doherty was awarded $7500 (approved by Secretary of War, Stanton). The actual reward paid out, however, came to $5250.
The archive also features the following: numerous correspondence, mainly from the 16th New York Cavalry, reminiscing about old times in the field, their difficulty adjusting to civilian life, and lamenting the loss of their comrades; an extensive collection of letters written by and to Doherty's then-widow, Catherine, as she endeavored to fight the slander of her husband's name in the press, including one written by William "Buffalo Bill" Cody expressing support of Doherty's character in connection with supposedly "unseemly" deeds which he was believed to have perpetrated while in the field from 1869-1870 (Cody served with Doherty during this time); Carte de Visites of Booth, Surratt, and Stubbs; a large undated photograph of Doherty with the 16th regiment; three large CDVs of Doherty and his family; and another photograph of Doherty, signed by him on the verso attesting to the fact that it was taken the day after he brought the body of Booth and Herold to Washington D.C.
Other highlights include: copies of two special orders signed by General Meade, dated February 27, 1868 and August 13, 1868; a letter written to President Andrew Johnson by Doherty seeking appointment as U.S. Consul to St. Petersburg, Russia, followed by a second letter applying for a Commission in the Cavalry branch of the regular army; a gold pocket watch, described in Doherty's will, which was passed on to his son, Charles; and period handcuffs attested by Charles Doherty to have been used by his father in the capture of Booth and Herold at the Garrett Farm (though their authenticity has since come into question).
Letters present discuss, among other topics: troop movements of 16th New York Cavalry during the Civil War (none, alas, by Doherty, though in some of his correspondence, Doherty does make passing mention of his experiences in the first Battle of Bull Run); Doherty's time in New Orleans in the 1870s and early 1880s; his participation in and organization of the Parade and Review of the Grand Army of the Republic on Memorial Day, 1894 and 1895, as Grand Marshal; his efforts to repair the Washington Aqueduct following the Civil War in 1871; his appointment to carry post from 1871-1875 on the Arkansas Route between White River, AR, and Vicksburg, MS (including the official contract); and the installation of Doherty's grave in the Arlington National Cemetery.
This is truly a one-of-a-kind archive, replete with information about troop movements during the Civil War, the aftermath of the assassination of President Lincoln and the capture of Booth, and the struggles faced by veterans as they attempted to adjust to civilian life and collect their military pension. Through it all, Captain Edward P. Doherty stands as one of the preeminent figures in the Civil War and Reconstruction. This is an archive with incredible research value for any student of the period.
Condition: Pages generally toned with some scattered staining and foxing, some with corners creased, almost all original letters with period folds (some with slits along folds); many pages from the original Panorama manuscript material and duplicate pages repaired and backed; some leaves, particularly the special orders and original vellum appointment documents, with loss along edges, likely from mice. Organized by the consignor and housed in acid-free folders, comprising four archival-grade banker's boxes and one large acid-free folder. Overall, in very good condition.
Provenance: The consignor is a descendent of Doherty. His father fell heir in early 1940 to the Doherty family papers and archive, though some had already been sold at that point; the consignor then bought back the material from various persons to assemble this archive. The archive includes the consignor's purchase receipts, invoices, and his research material related to Doherty and the capture of Booth, including correspondence with other pre-eminent Lincoln and Civil War scholars of the late-20th and early-21st centuries.
Auction Info
2023 July 8 Historical Platinum Signature® Auction #6275 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
July, 2023
8th
Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 2
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
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