As the Civil War wound to a close, three remarkable journeys took place simultaneously — the death pageant carrying Abraham Lincoln’s corpse; the hunt for Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth; and the pursuit of the fleeing Confederate president, Jefferson Davis.
Writer James Swanson’s 2006 best-selling book “Manhunt” chronicled the 12-day pursuit of Booth. His newest one, “Bloody Crimes,” which Swanson will discuss at 8 p.m. today at the University of Illinois Springfield’s Brookens Auditorium, picks up where “Manhunt” left off, tracing Lincoln’s final path and Davis’ desperate one.
As of this week, “Bloody Crimes” is 15th on The New York Times bestsellers list for hardcover nonfiction.
Swanson will discuss his new book with Michael Burlingame, Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield.
Swanson's appearance at UIS was featured in an October 21, 2010, article in The State Journal-Register.
