Little Sure Shot

Annie Oakley: “Aim at a high mark, and you’ll hit it. No, not the first time, nor the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally, you’ll hit the bull’s eye of success” (232). 


The Book  

One of my childhood heroes was Annie Oakley, the famous sharpshooter who traveled with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. However, I never got around to reading an adult biography of Annie Oakley, just the kid versions. Annie Oakley by Shirl Kasper reveals more to the reader than simply the legend of Annie Oakley. It is true that Annie met Sitting Bull, the famous Native American from Custer’s Last Stand, and he adopted her. She traveled seventeen years with the Wild West Show and only missed five performances. Annie traveled the world showing off her skills, but her fame didn’t really take off until performances in London for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in 1887.

Annie Oakley was more than a skilled shooter; she was also a talented horse rider and sportswoman. Kasper takes the time to introduce the reader to a quiet and proper woman. Small of stature and a conservative manner, Annie wanted to be seen as a lady. The reader also gets a glimpse into the love story between Annie and Frank Butler. Butler was a talented shooter in his own right, but recognized that Annie had more potential. He became her manager and assistant-holding playing cards and throwing glass balls in the air for Annie to shoot. 

The Place   

Annie Oakley was born in Darke County, OH and lived in Greenville, OH. One of my good friends from college was from Greenville and she invited me to spend a weekend with her exploring Annie’s hometown.

The Garst Museum is run by the Darke County Historical Society and home to The National Annie Oakley Center. In the museum are memorabilia from Annie’s life: her guns, glass balls she shot, playing cards Frank held, and posters from her time traveling with Buffalo Bill. The legend of Annie Oakley is preserved well here. The museum also provides exhibits from the history of Darke County: a visit from Teddy Roosevelt, the time as a territory, and the broadcaster Lowell Thomas.

Outside of Greenville, visitors can drive to Annie Oakley’s birthplace. The cabin is no longer in existence, but a historical marker points out the exact spot. The one disappointing aspect of this historical marker is that it is not actually on the spot, it points a visitor 1,028 feet east of the marker. The birthplace can be hard to find. It is on Spencer Rd. in Yorkshire, OH 45388; in between N. Star Fort Loramie Rd. and Houschilt Rd.

A Tale of Two Presidents

“[Secretary of War] Stanton did not expect the [funeral] train itself to take on a life of its own and to become a venerated symbol in its own right” (212).


The Book   

As a follow-up to Manhunt, James L. Swanson wrote Bloody Crimes: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Chase for Jefferson Davis. Just like his first book, Swanson produces a history book that is as enjoyable as a novel. He simultaneously tells the stories of Abraham Lincoln’s funeral and funeral train with the Union Army’s pursuit of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy.

Lincoln’s funeral was unlike anything Washington, DC had seen. A public viewing in the White House was followed by a funeral, a procession to the Capitol, and a public viewing in the Capitol Rotunda. Almost 3,000 people an hour walked through the Rotunda. A thirteen day, 1,645 mile train ride followed. The funeral train stopped in eleven cities. Swanson writes so the reader feels as if they are experiencing the sights and sounds of the train and cities.

As Lincoln’s train traveled northwest in May 1865, Jefferson Davis fled southwest. The collapse of the Confederacy followed him until he was captured in Georgia. Unlike Lincoln, Davis’s journey was far from over: he spent several years in prison and was released to live out his life a free man.

The Place 


Springfield, Illinois is three and a half hours southwest of Chicago. Besides being the state capitol, the only other distinction is Abraham Lincoln’s home and final resting place. The Old State Capitol and the row of shops facing it are preserved as if Lincoln still walked the streets to his law office. The building is a reconstruction of the original, but it is hard to tell. Visitors can walk into the Hall of Representatives, Senate Chamber, and Supreme Court. The Hall of Representatives is where Lincoln delivered his “House Divided” speech and where his body lay in state. Springfield was the smallest and last town on the funeral train’s route, but the people made sure to welcome their Lincoln back. Seventy-five thousand people walked past the open casket in the only twenty-four hour viewing. 



Cemeteries and tombs aren’t typically on my list of places to see; but of the few I have visited, Lincoln’s Tomb is the most impressive. It is 117 ft. tall and the obelisk towers over you. More like a building than a tomb, you can walk into the structure and file past where the Lincolns are buried. Because of a plot to kidnap his remains, Lincoln is actually ten feet underground.  

Accomplice or Bystander?

“By the summer of 1865, practically every American knew who Mary Surratt was. To them she was either a hard-hearted, manipulative co-conspirator who aided in the plan to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln, or an innocent woman trapped in Booth’s murderous web and subjected to a vengeful and bloodthirsty military tribunal” (xi). 


The Book  

Most people know the name of Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, yet not many know the names of John Wilkes Booth’s conspirators and the role they each played. Four of them were hanged for their crimes, a handful spent time in jail, and the rest remained free. The Assassin’s Accomplice by Kate Clifford Larson tells the story of one of those conspirators: Mary Surratt. It provides a brief biography and goes into detail regarding her trial and involvement with Booth.

Surratt owned a boarding house that was home to numerous Confederate spies and couriers, as well as a meeting place for Booth. It was here that Union troops raced to on the night of the assassination searching for Booth. Soon afterwards, Surratt was arrested and put on trial. Larson walks the reader through the evidence that began to stack up against Surratt and the trial proceedings, which led to her death. Interestingly, the North wanted revenge for the assassination, yet they balked at the first execution of a woman. Larson shows the contrast between a criminal mind and the cultural beliefs about women at that time.

I would also recommend the film The Conspirator which portrays the trial of Mary Surratt. 


The Place  

Today, visitors to Washington, DC can find the Surratt boarding house in the heart of Chinatown. Unlike Ford’s Theatre or the Peterson House, this building is not a museum or tourist destination. It is a Chinese restaurant with a historical marker. On the outside, the house looks almost exactly as it did when John Wilkes Booth led the conspiracy to kidnap or assassinate Abraham Lincoln. You can have lunch or dinner inside while imagining the conferences between Southern sympathizers. 


Seven minutes southwest of the Surratt boarding house is the Lincoln Memorial.
It looms over the city and draws many more visitors than the obscure boarding house. I would recommend visiting the Lincoln Memorial during the day and at night; both times offer completely different atmospheres. From the front, you can look east down the Capital Mall and see the Washington Monument and Capitol building. I would also recommend walking around back. Not many people do this, but you get a great view of Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River. Inside, Abraham Lincoln towers over visitors and words from his speeches are engraved in the walls. A staircase on the side leads to a small museum underneath that is dedicated to the history of the memorial.