In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

The Cavalry Arrives The major-General commanding directs that you detail twenty-five men, well mounted, to be commanded by a reliable and discreet commissioned officer, to report at once to Col. L.C. Baker. Lieutenant A.R. Sewall U.S. highway 301 passes over the Rappahannock &ver not more than a hundred yards from where the old ferry ran between Port Conway and Port Royal. Vestiges of the original site remain as a boat ramp on the Port Royal side where local sportsmen can float their boats onto the gently meandering river. The village of Port Royal gives the modern-day traveler the appearance of a mini-Mrilliamsburg waiting to happen. Old wood-frame homes, their brick chimneys slowly crumbling, sit as dying symbols of an earlier, more prosperous era. Many of the homes appear abandoned. Three miles south of Port Royal the median strip of the divided highway broadens to a point where two hundred feet of dense underbrush and scrub pine separate the northbound and southbound lanes. The site sits out in the middle of nowhere, identifiable only by a state highway marker whose black letters have slowly faded to a dull gray. On special Saturdays in the spring and fall of each year a large bus pulls off of the highway and empties its cargo of avid enthusiasts onto the gravel shoulder of the northbound lane. With its leader in front, the line of people snakes its way through the underbrush to the center of the median strip. There is a heightened anticipation among the group as they carefully step through the tall grass. The leader cautions his followers to walk with care, loohng out for stickers and other nasty weeds. Arriving at a small clearing the people gather around an old iron pipe sticlung a few inches above the ground. Attached to the top of the pipe is a small plastic sleeve. Inside the sleeve is a card containing the followingwords: "Exactnortheast corner of the Garrett farmhouse as ascertained by Bob Bergantino. The Garrett farmhouse fell in on itself in the late-1930's. This stake courtesy of the Surratt Society." Invariably the group falls silent as it senses the history that played out here. Awoman, in her forties, clutches a small locket suspended from a chain 192 Blood on the iZloon around her neck. Inside the locket is a picture ofJohn Wilkes Booth. She has followed his footsteps into every nook and cranny of his short, infamous life. Such is the strange and bizarre fascination this story holds. The stake marks the site of the farmhouse of Richard Garrett. Here in the first hours of dawn on April 26, 1865,John Wilkes Booth died, twelve days after murdering the president of United States. Both men died unaware of their luller. Both men gained immortality because of their deaths. John Wilkes Booth's death brought an end to a tragic period in American history and marked the beginning of another. When the three Confederate soldiers and their two companions arrived at Richard Garrett's farm on the afternoon of April 24 it was just after three o'clock. Willie Jett once again assumed the roll of sponsor.Jett asked the elder Garrett if the two soldiers could rest for a day or two at his house before pushing on. The lame man, James Boyd, had been injured at Petersburg in the closing moments before that city was abandoned. He was tired and worn out from his wound. The old man did not hesitate. Of course the man could stay, and he would be welcome to the hospitality of a Virginia gentleman and his house. Jett was much obliged and thanked Garrett. He and his friends would leave now along with the injured man's companion, but they would return the next morning. They had other business to attend to. The four men returned to the main road and headed south toward Bowling Green, leaving Booth standing on the porch. The four men had traveled three miles when they came to a small log building located just off of the road to Bowling Green. Known locally as the Trap, it was run by a woman named Carter, who had four daughters. LVrs. Carter and the four Carter sisters had a reputation in the area that attracted men. Today was no exception. The four men dismounted and spent the next hour or so "visiting" with the Carter sisters while Mother Carter provided the drinks. Having finished their business...

Share