Reviews for Lincoln's Avengers: Justice, Revenge, and Reunion after the Civil War

The average rating for Lincoln's Avengers: Justice, Revenge, and Reunion after the Civil War based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2021-01-26 00:00:00 John Henrikson Parts of this book were exceptional and others made me put the book down out of boredom. The parts I found riveting were the chapters dealing with the capture of the accused in the Lincoln assassination, their trials, and the issues between the Radical Republicans and Johnson. If you are looking for an excellent assessment of the political issues in the beginning of Reconstruction, the research and conveyance in this book is solid. Where it begins to falter is when the writer gets bogged down in detailing the fights in the newspapers about the reputations of politicians and Joseph Holt (the main avenger in this book) and the legal strategies of the defense and prosecutors. Those chapters read so slowly and are so detail oriented as to cause the reader to space out. Overall, it is a solid read and an excellent work of research, but it does not qualify as a casual read.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-04-05 00:00:00 Roger Ash This is a meticulously researched and important history of the career of Joseph Holt, head of the Bureau of Military Justice during the Civil War. It fell to Judge Advocate General Holt to prosecute the conspirators charged in the Lincoln assassination, and also to pursue charges against others, such as Jefferson Davis (never successfully prosecuted). The book is very readable and we learn a great deal about the tragedy of Reconstruction, largely thwarted by Andrew Johnson and unrepentant Confederates throughout the South. Highly recommended.