Has He Been Hiding in Plain Sight? John Wilkes Booth and the Richmond Grays

7/31/2019 Has He Been Hiding in Plain Sight? John Wilkes Booth and the Richmond Grays

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Has He Been Hiding in Plain Sight?

John Wilkes Booth and the Richmond Grays

By Angela Smythe

May 10, 2010

Dedicated to The Richmond Grays

Virginia citizen soldiers seen gazing back at us from the photographs that follow,

men both known and unknown, who remain eternally young, captured at a moment

before each of their lives and their world would change in ways truly unfathomable

to any of them.

____________________________________________

In November of 1859, the handsome 22-year-old actor and young rising star, John Wilkes Booth,proudly accompanied the Richmond Grays during their deployment to Charles Town in theaftermath of John Browns Raid at Harpers Ferry. This fact was known even in Booths own

lifetime. His participation and presence have long been verified by first-hand narratives andconfirming documentation.

In The Unlocked Book, Booths sister Asia recounts seeing a photograph of him with othersdressed in their uniforms during the Charles Town deployment. Asia writes this of John:

He left Richmond and unsought enrolled himself as one of the party going tosearch for and capture John Brown. He was exposed to dangers and hardships; hewas a scout and I have been shown a picture of himself and others in their scoutand sentinel dresses. 1 He was a witness of the death of old John Brown. Heacknowledged him a hero when he saw him die, and felt a throb of anguish as hebeheld the old eyes straining their anxious sight for the multitude he vainly hadthought would rise to rescue him. He was brave old man; his heart must have

1 Clarke, Asia Booth. The Unlocked Book: A Memoir of John Wilkes Booth by His Sister. New York; G.P.Putnams Sons, 1938. pg.111-112. The Unlocked Book remains the preeminent first-hand narrative on John WilkesBooth. Written in 1874 by his beloved sister, Asia Booth Clarke, whose shared childhood and adolescence provides

the most comprehensive and continuous first-hand narrative of Booth that has survived. In the aftermath of theLincoln Assassination, Asia left the United States in 1868 and lived the remainder of her life in England. During herself-imposed exile, she wrote her recollections of John, hoping that in time, its publication would present a balancedview of her brothers 26 years on earth, rather than the customary focus on his last infamous 12 days. Out of

necessity, she kept her recollections hidden in a locked book and guarded it from her familys destruction. On herdeathbed in 1888, she trusted it to the writer B.J. Farjeon to publish some time if he sees fit. The time deemed asfit encompassed the passing of yet another generation, after the deaths of Edwin Booth and Robert Lincoln. Thebook was only published in 1938, 50 years after Asias death, 73 years after the death of John Wilkes Booth and

Abraham Lincoln.


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broken when he felt himself deserted. Uttering these words sadly, he gave methe spear of old Brown, with Major Washington to J. Wilkes Booth written in

large ink letters on the handle.2

A tantalizing possibility arises, one which raises an important question. Does Asias picture, or

any others of Booth, from 1859 still exist? Such a discovery would be of unique historicalsignificance, not only due to the scarcity of Booths few remaining photographs after their wide-spread destruction in 1865, but for invaluable insight gained from a group photograph obtainedduring those formative years he spent in Richmond.

This investigation seeks to answer, has John Wilkes Booth been hiding in plain sight with theRichmond Grays for more than 150 years? The investigation starts by examining the four mostlikely and widely known group photographs taken at that time and place, collectively identifiedas The Richmond Grays ( RG#1 through RG#3) and Virginia Militia (VM#4). The fourphotographs were published together for the first time in 19813 and it has been twenty yearssince two of these photographs (RG#1 and RG#2) were widely circulated in connection with

John Wilkes Booth, with only one of these two (RG#1) undergoing a cursory consideration. Nextthe investigation turns to those Richmond Grays who have been documented at Charles Townduring the 1859 deployment and an assessment of the Charles Town photographs, includingvisual comparison to other known photographs of some of the participants. Finally, carefulconsideration is given to whether John Wilkes Booth could possibly be in one or more of thesephotographs.

2 See Wallace, Lee A. Jr. 5th Virginia Infantry, Lynchburg: H. E. Howard, 1988, pg. 10. Matthew Burwell BassettWashington was elected Captain of the Continental Morgan Guards on 6/25/1858. This uniformed "volunteermilitia" company was based in Winchester. By the time of the John Brown Raid he had been commissioned a Majorin the 31st Regiment of Virginia Militia for Frederick County. As a major Washington would have been a fieldofficer for the non-uniformed "line militia" of the county, composed of most white males between the ages of 18and 45. The Continental Morgan Guards did 18 days of duty during the John Brown crisis under Captain James W.Haines. There was another Washington involved in the John Brown raid and aftermath. Colonel LewisWashington was among John Browns hostages. Burwell Bassett and Lewis were relatives of General George

Washington;John Browns hostage, Lewis Was

hington, was his great grand-nephew. The pike presented to JohnWilkes Booth bears the title Major Washington and thus denotes its presenter as being B. B. Washington and notLewis Washington. See contra, Alford, Terry ed. John Wilkes Booth: A Sisters Memoir by Asia Booth Clarke ,Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1996, footnote pg. 81.

3 These four photographs appear in Davis, William C., ed. The Image of War: 1861- 1865 Vol. I Shadows of theStorm (Williams, T. Harry. The Coming of the War). Garden City, Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1981, pp. 46 -47.The caption associates John Wilkes Booth with the Richmond Grays in conjunction with VM#4 and the companionphotographs RG#1, #2 and #3.


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RG# 1

Photographic Print, Group of men at Harpers Ferry, by unknown (2010.1.38)[Probably taken at Charles Town]

Virginia Historical Societyhttp://www.vahistorical.org
http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/


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I. PHOTOGRAPHS EXAMINED

RG#1, RG#2, RG#3 and VM#4, VM#5

Richmond Grays (RG) and Virginia Militia (VM)

The Richmond Grays, a group of young men who grouped together to mug for the cameraduring the John Brown deployment in Charles Town circa late November 1859 are picturedabove in RG#1. Its a famous photograph, found in numerous reference books and on manyinternet sites, sometimes erroneously identified as Confederate volunteers.4 While known asThe Richmond Grays, the men in the photograph, and those below, actually were from at leasttwo different militia companies of the First Regiment of Virginia Volunteers deployed at CharlesTown. This famous photograph is but one of five known photos taken at this time. Thephotographer is believed to have been Lewis Dinkel of Charles Town5. Three more photographsare shown below (RG#2, RG#3 & VM#4). All four photographs were published together for thefirst time in 1988: The Image of War: 1861-1865, Volume 1: Shadows of the Storm, pages 46-47.RG#1 was also used on thebooks cover.

4 Miller, Francis Trevelyan , ed. The Photographic History of The Civil War (The Opening Battles, Vol. 1). New

York: Castle Books, 1957, pg. 145 and cover, RG#1 appears misidentified as taken just prior to Bull Run. The samephotograph subsequently appears in Seale, William. Virginias Executive Mansion, Richmond: Virginia StateLibrary and Archives, 1988, pg. 64 correcting the time frame to 1859.

5 Kimball, Gregg D. American City, Southern Place A Cultural History of Antebellum Richmond, Athens andLondon: The University of Georgia Press, 2000. RG#1 appears among a collection of photographs (pages notnumbered) that follow Chapter Five. The picture is captioned: Militiamen of the First Virginia Regiment, Charles

Town, Virginia,1859. Ambrotye, probably by Lewis Dinkle, Charles Town. Valentine Museum, Richmond,Virginia.


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RG#2

Ambrotype, Group Portrait of Richmond Grays

(1960.77)Virginia Historical Societyhttp://www.vahistorical.org

RG#3

Ambrotype, Militiamen (CC 3648 First Virginia

Regiment)

Valentine Richmond History Centerhttp://www.richmondhistorycenter.com

VM#4

Photographic Print

Militiamen (frame added)

William A. Albaugh Collection
http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.vahistorical.org/


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During this investigation, another photograph was located, VM#5, comprised of the sameindividuals found in VM#4, but in slightly different poses. Both photographs were obviouslytaken concurrently.

VM#5

Ambrotype, Militiamen (1983.72) - Depicted in sixth plate size, 2 x 3 6

- Virginia Historical Societyhttp://www.vahistorical.org

These group photographs are ambrotypes. An ambrotype is an early type of photographconsisting of a glass negative backed by a dark surface so as to appear positive in transmittedlight. Each ambrotype was an original negative image on glass made by using a collodian wetplate process. If everyone in a posed group wanted their own ambrotype, then additional (andunique) exposures had to be taken. Observing the correct orientation of the militia insigniainitials on hats (GR vs RG for Richmond Grays) can indicate whether the original was anambrotype, a negative picture. The ambrotype and photograph of the ambrotype will show theinsignia as GR as opposed to RG, whereas a print made using the ambrotype as the negative willproduce a positive print showing RG, as shown above in VM#4 from the Albaugh collection.

Ambrotypes came in various sizes from 1 x 1 to larger than 6 X 8 . RG#2 wasdocumented to be a sixth-plate ambrotype (2 x 3 ) and it can be assumed the rest of theseambrotypes were as well. This size was very popular as it was easily transportable and could be

6 1983.72 has been documented by the Virginia Historical Society as sixth plate size, but with the oval openingsightly smaller; 2 by 2 , vs. 2 x 3 .
http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/


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carried upon ones person. Ambrotypes were encased in protective decorative cases supplied bythe photographer, similar to a small hinged book or cosmetic compact.

High resolution photographs were obtained for RG#1, RG#2, and VM#5, from the VirginiaHistorical Society; and one for RG#3 was obtained from the Valentine Richmond History

Center. The photograph of VM#4 was taken from Confederate Faces by William A. Albaugh. Ahigh resolution photograph for VM#4 has not been located and only this low resolution print wasavailable for this examination. Of the five photographs, RG#2 and VM#5 are the only ones forwhich original ambrotypes have been located. RG#1, RG#2 and RG#3 each contain between11 and 13 recognizable individuals with mostly the same faces appearing in each. It canreasonably be assumed that RG#1 through RG#3 were all taken at the same time, the same place,and by the same photographer. They appear to have been taken outdoors, possibly in front awooden fence or wall. In RG#2 you can see evidence of the free-flowing liquor described inGeorge Libbys recollection: the Black Horse Troop, commanded by the gallant TurnerAshby, had its supply wagon, which contained a runlet of mountain dew, which they dispensedliberally. These lively photographs are composed of rough and tumble militiamen in an

informal setting.

VM#4 and VM#5 depict a different set of individuals than seen in RG#1 through RG#3. In eachphotograph the same six individuals appear, but in two different poses. It can be reasonablyassumed that these two photographs were taken indoors at the same time, the same place, and bythe same photographer. They are smaller, more formally posed shots of better quality than thosein RG#1 through RG#3.

As Lewis Dinkle has previously been credited for at least one of the RG#1 through RG#3photographs, it is reasonable to conclude that he took them all, and he is the likely photographerfor VM#4 and VM#5. It is documented that Lewis Dinkle lived in Charles Town during 1859

and operated a combined Mercantile and Daguerreotype establishment.

7

In 1990 Ken Burns used RG#1 and RG#2 in his groundbreaking video documentary, The CivilWar (Episode 1: The Cause). In displaying RG#1, the combination of a tight camera focus onthe man highlighted in the center, and an accompanying narration of there was a private inthe Richmond Grays, a young actor named John Wilkes Booth..., caused many to assume thatBurns was implying that Booth was the subject of the cameras focus. However, in the ensuing

discussion and dismissal of the individual with the moustache and goatee framed in the middle asbeing Booth, curiously only one article appeared addressing this issue.8 Other than that article,which rightfully concluded the man in the middle was not Booth, no further investigation was

7 Theriault, William ed. Explorer. West Virginia History Database, Edwin Fitzpatrick Collection. [Mr. Theriaultprovided the information on Mr. Dinkle and the initial low resolution image of RG#3. Nasby, Dolly, Images ofAmerica, Charles Town, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, South Carolina. 2004. pg. 83. The picture is entitled:First Virginia Regiment, credited to the collection of Bill Theriault, Bakerton, W.V.]

8Graves, Ralph. Who Are These Guys?, Smithsonian, January 1999, pg. 110


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undertaken to ascertain if any of the remaining men in this photograph could be Booth, nor hasany consideration given to the two companion photographs, RG#2, RG#3, or to VM#4 or VM#5.

II. VIRGINIA MILITIA PRESENT AT CHARLES TOWN

Background of Deployment

The First Regiment of Virginia Volunteers was organized in May 1851. In 1859 it wascommanded by Col. Thomas P. August. Members of the regiment responded to the John BrownRaid and its aftermath at the call of Gov. Henry A. Wise. Its individual companies included theRichmond Grays, organized in 1844, commanded by Captain Wyatt M. Elliott. Other companieswere the Montgomery Guard, the Richmond Light Infantry Blues, the Virginia Rifles, the newlyorganized Richmond Howitzers, and Company F. Obadiah Jennings Wise, eldest son of then-Virginia Governor Henry A. Wise and Editor of the RichmondEnquirer, was present at CharlesTown as a private in Company F. 9 Due to his numerous duels (credited with 8 in 2 years) Thegallant Jennings Wise was precluded at this time from holding rank as a commissioned officer.10

In 1861, he would be elected the Captain of the Richmond Blues and would serve as such untilhis mortal wounding in 1862 during the heroic but hopeless defense of Roanoke Island.

The RichmondDailyDispatch reported on November 21, 1859 that by 9 p.m. of the previousSaturday night, November 19th, six companies of the First Regiment, plus the Young Guard, amilitia company also based in Richmond, had assembled at the RF&P Depot on Broad Street.The force was originally placed under Captain Elliott of the Grays, Col. August being detainedfor several days by sickness. That night the Grays turned out at least 80 men under thetemporary command of Lt. Louis J. Bossieux. The entire force, estimated at more than 400soldiers, crowded onto eight train cars headed towards Harpers Ferry. Upon arrival, it was

discovered that the limited accommodations available at Charles Town made it necessary to keep

the Richmond Blues, Montgomery Guard, and Richmond Howitzers at Harpers Ferry. TheGrays, Company F, Virginia Rifles and Young Guard continued to Charles Town under CaptainElliott and were quartered there11. The population was in a panic, believing that organized forces

9 O. Jennings Wise appears as a member on the original muster roll of Company F listing those eligible to be paidfor duty at Charles Town in November-December 1859 (with signatures for payouts) but it is noted that he declinedall pay for his services. Record Group 46, Department of Military Affairs, John Browns Raid Muster Rolls, 1859-1860. Accession 27684. Library of Virginia.

10

Halstead, Murat. Vincent, Francis ed. Vincents Semi

-Annual United States Register: Events Transpiringbetween the 1st of January and 1st of July, 1860.The Independent. Oct. 6, 1898. [Entry for Tuesday, January 10th;AmnestyThis day the legislature of Virginia passed an act of amnesty to all engaged in duels previous to this date.This was done mainly for the benefit of Messrs. Pryor, Clemens, O. Jennings Wise, and some other Virginiaduelists, to remove their inability to hold office]; Library of Virginia, System Number 001287544, Sheet #598, S.Bassett French Biographical Sketches states that Obadiah Jennings Wise previous to the war joined Co. F , 1st Reg.Va. Vols.

11From Harpers Ferry. Letterdated 25 November 1859, Richmond Whig. 27 November 1859.


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from the North that supported Brown would descend upon Charles Town in an effort to freeBrown and his fellow prisoners.

The Richmond Grays

Honor Roll of the Richmond Grays (circa 1870s)

Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond Virginiahttp://www.moc.org

In a post war panorama photograph, known as The Honor Roll of the Richmond Grays12,probably taken during the 1870s, thirty-one individual members of the Grays were identified byname. At least thirteen of these men were known to have been present at Charles Town in 185913.

12 Taken at Richmond, the photograph is composed of three photographs put together to form a panorama view of 31

members of the Richmond Grays and a guest. The photograph, while identifying the members, does not identify themembers service dates, nor does it address members living elsewhere or absent at the time the photograph wastaken.

13The original muster roll for Captain Elliotts Co. A (Richmond Grays), First Regiment of Virginia Volunteers,

shows a total of 94 names of officers and men who were eligible to receive payment for duty performed from 17 to19 October and/or from 19 November to 5 December 1859. Several members were present for only a portion of theCharles Town Deployment. Record Group 46, Department of Military Affairs, John Brown's Raid Muster Rolls,1859-1860. Accession 27684. Library of Virginia.
http://moc.org/http://moc.org/http://moc.org/


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They Were

Cyrus

Bossieux14

U. A.

Gathright15

John Gibson16

William

Gibson17

Lyman J.

Laughton18

William

Carrington

Mayo19

James West

Pegram20

Honor Roll ofthe RichmondGrays (circa

1870s

(cropped)Museum of

the

Confederacyhttp://www.moc.org

James

Eldred

Phillips21

Robert

Bolling

Pickett22

John Pitt23

James

Edward

Tyler24

David

Garrick

Wilson25

William S.

Woodson 26

14 Federal Census - Year: 1880; Census Place:Richmond, Henrico, Virginia; Roll T9_1371;Family History Film: 1255371; Page: 82.2000; Enumeration District: 80; Federal Census - Year: 1870;Census Place:Richmond Marshall Ward, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M593_1654; Page: 214A; Image: 431; FamilyHistory Library Film: 553153; Federal Census - Year: 1850; Census Place:My District, Henrico, Virginia; RollM432_951; Page: 473A; Image: 477. [Bossieux, Cyrus - CorporalAge in 1860 abt. 25]

15 Federal Census - Year: 1860; Census Place:Eastern Division, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M653_1353; Page: 737;Image: 299; Family History Library Film: 805353. [Gathright, U - Age in 1860 abt. 20]

16 Federal Census - Year: 1860; Census Place:Eastern Division, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M653_1353; Page: 832;Image: 394; Family History Library Film: 805353. [John Gibson - Age abt. 18 in 1860]

17 Federal Census - Year: 1860; Census Place:Richmond Ward 2, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M653_1352; Page: 404;Image: 408; Family History Library Film: 805352. OR 30 1860; Census Place:Richmond Ward3, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M653_1353; Page: 465; Image: 25; Family History Library Film: 805353. [Gibson,William - Age in 1860 bwt. 28-30. Two possible candidates]

18 Federal Census - Year: 1860; Census Place:Eastern Division, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M653_1353; Page: 871;Image: 433; Family History Library Film: 805353. [Laughton, Lyman - Age in 1860 abt. 23]

19Federal Census - Year: 1860; Census Place:Richmond Ward 2, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M653_1352; Page: 247;

Image: 253; Family History Library Film: 805352. [Mayo, William - Age in 1860, abt.25]

20 Federal Census - Year: 1860; Census Place:Richmond Ward 3, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M653_1353; Page: 499;Image: 61; Family History Library Film: 805353. [Pegram, James - Age in 1860 abt. 21- Served as Sergeant Majorat Charles Town, but was in fact a Corporal.]

21 Federal Census - Year: 1860; Census Place:Richmond Ward 1, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M653_1352; Page: 51;Image: 55; Family History Library Film: 805352. [Phillips, James - Age in 1860 abt. 23] b. 3/10/1838
http://moc.org/http://moc.org/http://moc.org/


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Many militia members already have been documented as having been deployed at Charles Townwith Booth. Some of those individuals wrote first-hand narratives confirming Booths presenceand participation27. Three of those documented to have been at the deployment who have beenpreviously identified in RG#1 are Philip Whitlock (Richmond Grays), Aylett Reins Woodson(Richmond Grays), and Julian Alluisi (Virginia Rifles28.) Whitlock also appears in RG#2 and

RG#3.

22 Federal Census - Year: 1870; Census Place:Boydton, Mecklenburg, Virginia; Roll M593_1663; Page: 229B;Image: 84; Family History Library Film: 553162. [Pickett, Robert - Age in 1860 abt. 21]

23

Federal Census - Year: 1860; Census Place:Eastern Division, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M653_1353; Page: 828;Image: 390; Family History Library Film: 805353. [Pitt, John - Age in 1860 abt. 36]

24 Federal Census - Year: 1860; Census Place:Richmond Ward 1, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M653_1352; Page: 140;Image: 146; Family History Library Film: 805352. [Tyler, James E. - Age in 1860 abt. 24]

25 Federal Census - Year: 1860; Census Place:Richmond Ward 3, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M653_1353; Page: 495;Image: 57; Family History Library Film: 805353. [Wilson, David - Age in 1860 abt. 35]

26 Federal Census - Year: 1870; Census Place:Brookland, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M593_1652; Page: 240B;Image: 69; Family History Library Film: 553151. [Woodson, William - Age in 1860 abt. 32]

27

Whitlock, Philip.The Life of Philip Whitlock, Written by Himself

, Richmond: Beth Ahabah Museum and

Archives Trust,(used with permission);http://www.jewish-history.com/civilwar/philip_whitlock.html 3/1/2010.Libby, George. W. John Brown and John Wilkes Booth The Confederate Veteran 37, April 1930, 138-139;Alfriend, Edward M. Recollections of John Wilkes Booth by Edward M. Alfriend, The Era, October 1901, 604;Fuller, Charles F. quoting George Crutchfield, Edwin and John Wilkes Booth, Actors at the Old Marshall Theatrein Richmond. Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, 79: No. 4 (Oct. 1971), pp. 477-483; Crutchfield,George. Personal Letter to E. V. Valentine, July 5, 1904, V.M.H.C.

28 Documented by Virginia Historical Society.
http://www.bethahaba.org/http://www.bethahaba.org/http://www.jewish-history.com/civilwar/philip_whitlock.html%203/1/2010http://www.jewish-history.com/civilwar/philip_whitlock.html%203/1/2010http://www.jewish-history.com/civilwar/philip_whitlock.html%203/1/2010http://www.jewish-history.com/civilwar/philip_whitlock.html%203/1/2010http://www.bethahaba.org/http://www.bethahaba.org/


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From the various narratives placing John Wilkes Booth at Charles Town, we can identify thefollowing individuals associated with the Richmond Grays who would have definitely interactedwith him and whom might possibly be present in RG#1, RG#2 and/or RG#3:

Edward M. Alfriend (shared same quarters in Charles Town) Louis F. Bossieux (approached by Booth at the baggage car and helped to uniform Booth.

Shared same quarters at Charles Town)

George W. Libby (approached by Booth at the baggage car and helped to uniform Booth) Robert A. Caskie (shared same quarters at Charles Town and wrote an endorsement for

Booths April 1860 work voucher documenting payment for Booths militia services.

Caskie served as Regimental Quartermaster and Booth served as RegimentalQuartermaster Sergeant)

Philip Whitlock (near Booth when the Grays formed in ranks according to height) William Wirt Harrison (shared same quarters at Charles Town) Miles T. Phillips worked as a box-keeper in Richmond at the Marshall Theatre, the same

theater where Booth was appearing.29

29 Recent Affair at Harpers' Ferry, New YorkClipper, December 3, 1859, Library of Congress microfilm pg. 269.

The Federal census, the family composition as described in the New YorkClipperand the biographical sketch ofMiles T. Phillips at the time of his death, all confirm that he is one and the same person. The sketch and a linedrawing portrait of Phillips may be found attached to the fly page to the copy of The Old Stars and Stripes of theRichmond Grays, and the Grays in the Confederate Army once owned by the John A. Andrew Post, G.R.A. Boston,MA and now in the possession of the Virginia Historical Society, Ref. Rare UA 508 R6 G7.


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III. ASSESSING AND DISMISSING JOHN WILKES BOOTHIN VM#4 AND VM#5

VM#4

Photographic Print, Militiamen William A.

Albaugh Collection

VM#5

Ambrotype, Militiamen (1983.72)30

Virginia

Historical Society

http://www.vahistorical.org

?CC No# -Gen. Libby of Libby Prison, Cook

Collection, Valentine Richmond History Centerhttp://www.richmondhistorycenter.com

?

Booth Gutman #16

(circa 1861-62) (cropped) Collection of Richard

& Kellie Gutman

From this research we can dismiss John Wilkes Booth from appearing in VM#4 and VM#5.Using only the low resolution photograph available for VM#4 and compared against knownphotographs, one could conclude that the man sitting on the extreme left with an RG hat insigniacould be John Wilkes Booth and the man standing immediately behind him could be George W.

30 1983.72 has been documented by the Virginia Historical Society as sixth plate size, but with the oval openingslightly smaller; 2 by 2 , vs. 2 x 3 .
http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.vahistorical.org/


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Libby. However when examining VM#5, the higher resolution photograph of these mendiscovered during this investigation, one can discern that the man who bears a similarity toBooth appears to have muttonchops, a detail lost in the shadows of the low resolutionphotograph.

This conclusion is confirmed by an obscure March 4, 1917 Richmond Times-Dispatchnewspaper article entitled Historic Company F and John Browns Raid. The newspaper articledetailed a Mr. John Tylers experiences at Charles Town and his recollection that the group wentinto a daguerreotype saloon and had ourphotographs taken, probably Dinkles establishment.The photograph taken in that daguerreotype saloon, published with the article, was from theoriginal ambrotype VM#4, the ambrotype then owned by Tyler.31 Tyler is the man previouslyconsidered as possibly being Libby.

From the 1917 article, the men in VM#4 (as reproduced here) from left to right are identified as:StandingCorporal John Tyler, Sergeant Ned Rawlings (both with Company F), and Dr.Chandler, a surgeon with the Alexandria Company. Seated: Wirt Harrison, Private Joseph

James, and Howard Claiborne, Company F.

As VM#4 and VM#5 depict the same men, this article identifies all of the individuals in each ofthese two photographs.

An article from the Richmond Whig, dated Nov. 24, 1859 was located describing scenesobserved at Charles Town during this same time. The correspondent wrote that a party ofRichmond Grays was observed in the street, in front of a daguerreotype wagon, three lying onthe ground, and three others in standing position who were having their photographs taken tosend to their families and friends behind them in the event of their not being able to return tothem until after the close of the war. From this narrative, yet another photograph of a militia

group consisting of unnamed individuals is described. Whether the wagon was indicative of atraveling photographer or Dinkels wagon is unknown. As RG#1 through RG#3 were takenoutdoors, a wagon would have been necessary to transport all of the required equipment. Again,Lewis Dinkle is a likely candidate as being the photographer. The photograph described in theWhig article has yet to be located or identified.

It is important to stress that the presence of a large number of militia members in Charles Townfor several weeks increases the likelihood that many more photographs were taken and that atleast some of them might still be in existence32.

31 Unlike the Albaugh picture of RG#4, which is a positive print made from the original ambrotype, the photographpublished in 1917 is a negative print, and thus a photograph of the original ambrotype.

32 Smith, Robin and Field, Ron. Uniforms of the Civil War. Gilford, Connecticut: Lyons Press. 2001, Pg. 219shows a photograph of three unidentified members of the Richmond Grays (an officer, a sergeant, and an enlistedman) captioned Three members of the Richmond Grays, Co. A, 1

stRegiment of Virginia Volunteers, Virginia, at the

time of the Hanging of John Brown in December 1859. Photographcredited to Russell Hicks, Jr. There is novisual match of these three individuals to any of the photographs addressed herein.


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This still leaves three known photographs for possible consideration.


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IV. ASSESSING OTHERS IN RG#1 RG#2 AND RG#3

The Man in the Middle

James E. Tyler

Age 23 in 1859

Honor Roll of the Richmond

Grays (circa 1870s cropped)

Museum of the Confederacy

http://www.moc.org

RG#1

Man in the Middle in 1859

Photographic Print, Group ofmen at Harpers Ferry, by

unknown (2010.1.38)(cropped)

Virginia Historical Society


Miles T. Phillips at 75

Age 36 in 185933

33 Federal Census Year: 1870; Census Place:Richmond Madison Ward, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M593_1654;Page: 115B; Image: 234; Family History Library Film: 553153. Age 37 in Federal Census Year: 1860;Census Place:Richmond Ward 3, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M653_1353; Page: 637; Image: 199; Family HistoryLibrary Film: 805353; Age 57 in Federal Census - Year: 1880; Census Place: Richmond, Henrico, Virginia; RollT9_1371; Family History Film: 1255371; Page: 49.1000; Enumeration District: 79. [Phillips, Miles T. Age 47 in

1870]
http://www.moc.org/http://www.moc.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.moc.org/


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RG# 1

Photographic Print, Group of

men at Harpers Ferry, by

unknown (2010.1.38)

(red highlight)



RG#2

Ambrotype, Group Portrait of

Richmond Grays (1960.77)

(red highlight)



RG#3

Ambrotype, Militiamen (CC

3648 First Virginia

Regiment) (red highlight)

Valentine Richmond HistoryCenter

http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com

The man in the middle erroneously identified as John Wilkes Booth in the 1990s appears inRG#1, RG#2 and RG#3. In RG#2 he is located to the extreme right of center with damage shownon the face, in RG#3 he is found again in the center of the photograph. Currently, there are twoleading candidates for this man in the middle, James Edward Tyler and Miles Turpin Phillips,both of the Richmond Grays. From the previously mentioned Honor Roll of the Richmond

Grays, Tyler bears a resemblance to this individual and while no confirming photograph ofPhillips has yet been obtained the drawing which accompanied his obituary confirms hisresemblance. Both men were at Charles Town in 1859, Tyler was 24 and Phillips 36.
http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/


18/41

Known to be in these photographs

Prior to this investigation, identities for the following individuals presence had already beenestablished:

Philip Whitlock

Richmond GraysAge 21 34

RG#1

Photographic Print, Group

of men at Harpers Ferry,

by unknown

(2010.1.38)(cropped)


Aylett Reins Woodson

Richmond GraysAge 27 35

RG#1



by unknown

(2010.1.38)(cropped)


Julian Alluisi

Virginia RiflesAge 27 36

RG#1



by unknown

(2010.1.38)(cropped)


In some instances, other first-hand narratives place named individuals at the deployment, but

without any known photographs to compare, one can only surmise if they are in any of the groupphotographs. At the other end of the spectrum, all of the 6 men present in VM#4 and VM#5have been successfully identified. In some instances there are confirmed photographs ofdocumented individuals present at Charles Town in 1859, but they are taken at such an advancedage as to make a definitive visual comparison nearly impossible.

Possibly in the photographs

34 Federal Census - Year: 1880; Census Place:Richmond, Henrico, Virginia; Roll T9_1371;Family History Film: 1255371; Page: 252.4000; Enumeration District: 87. [Whitlock, Philip]

35 Federal Census - Year: 1860; Census Place:Richmond Ward 1, Henrico, Virginia; Roll M653_1352; Page: 78;Image: 82; Family History Library Film: 805352. [Woodson, Aylett.]

36 Federal Census - Year: 1880; Census Place:Richmond, Henrico, Virginia; Roll T9_1371;Family History Film: 1255371; Page: 277.2000; Enumeration District: 88; [Alluisi, Julian]
http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/


19/41

Cyrus Bossieux?

RG# 1

Photographic Print, Group ofmen at Harpers

Ferry, by unknown (2010.1.38)

(red highlight)



RG#3Ambrotype, Militiamen

(CC 3648 First Virginia Regiment)

(red highlight)

Valentine Richmond History Center


Cyrus Bossieux ?

RG#1Photographic Print, Group of men at Harpers

Ferry, by unknown (2010.1.38)

(cropped & exposure lightened)


Cyrus Bossieux

(circa 1870s)

Honor Roll of the Richmond Grays (circa 1870s

(Cropped)Museum of the Confederacy

http://www.moc.org
http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.moc.org/http://www.moc.org/http://www.moc.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.vahistorical.org/


20/41

From referring to The Honor Rolls of the Richmond Grays, Cyrus Bossieux is a candidate forappearing both in RG#1 and RG#3. In RG#1 he is the last discernable face on the left, in RG#3he is the highest placed face. The individuals hat insignia is covered by a protective oil clothand is not visible.


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A.H. Robbins?

RG# 1



unknown (2010.1.38)(red highlight)



RG#2

Ambrotype, Group Portrait of

Richmond Grays (1960.77)

(red highlight)



RG#3

Ambrotype, Militiamen

(CC 3648 First Virginia

Regiment)(red highlight)

Valentine Richmond History

Centerhttp://www.richmondhistorycenter.com

A. H. Robbins ?

RG#1



unknown (2010.1.38)

(cropped)


A. H. Robbins

(circa 1870s)

Honor Roll of the Richmond Grays (circa

1870s (Cropped)

Museum of the Confederacy

http://www.moc.org

A. H. Robbins ?

RG#3



Regiment)

Valentine Richmond HistoryCenter


The individual with the long flowing beard and a Richmond Grays insignia on his hat in RG#1,RG#2 and RG#3 resembles A. H. Robbins, but Robbins image in the Honor Roll photograph isslightly distorted and shows signs of visible damage. Additionally, no confirming evidence hasbeen found to place A. H. Robbins on site at Charles Town.
http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.moc.org/http://www.moc.org/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.moc.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/


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Edward Morrison Alfriend?

RG#2

Ambrotype, Group Portrait

of Richmond Grays

(1960.77)(red highlight)


RG#3



Regiment)(red highlight)

Valentine Richmond

History Centerhttp://www.richmondhistorycenter

.com

Edward Morrison

Alfriend?

RG#2

Ambrotype, Group Portrait

of Richmond Grays

(1960.77)

(cropped) Virginia

Historical Societyhttp://www.vahistorical.org

Edward Morrison Alfriend

(circa 1892-1901)

Edward Morrison

Alfriend37 (date unknown)

An individual appears with a Richmond Grays (1 RG) insignia in 3 of the group pictures (RG#1,RG#2 and RG#3.) He is almost indistinct in RG#1, buried in shadow at the extreme left center.His face is clearly shown in RG#2 immediately to the side of the gentleman with the longflowing beard. In RG#3 his arm is restraining the hand of a man holding a knife, earning this

37Alfriend, Edward M. Social Life in Richmond during the War. The Cosmopolitian . April 1892, pg. 229.
http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.vahistorical.org/


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individual the title of restraining man. The face of the restraining man can be clearly seen inRG#2 and confirms the resemblance to RG#1 and RG#3. He has a moustache and short beard orstubble. A possible candidate for the restraining man is Edward Morrison Alfriend, known tobe present with the Richmond Grays and a close friend of Booths at Richmond during this time.Unfortunately, the only identified photographs of Alfriend found to date were taken more than

20 or 30 years later and depict a portly bald gentleman with a large walrus moustache. Themoustache obscures his mouth shape but his chin is evident. Restraining mans chin isobscured by his beard/stubble so the only features visible on both photographs to compare arethe eyes, eyebrows, nose, and slopping forehead. Accordingly, even though Alfriend wasconfirmed present, absent another photograph of him taken at a younger age, his identification asthe Restraining Man can currently only be surmised.

A reasonable assumption based upon his facial appearance is that the individual being threatenedwith the knife in the dramatically staged tableau in RG#3 is the youngest, or among the youngestmembers present with the Grays. The RG insignia can be discerned on his hat and he appears inRG#1, RG#2 and RG#3. A possible candidate for youngest looking man was Louis F.

Bossieux who was 19 at this time and son of the Richmond Grays Lieutenant Louis J. Bossieux.(Louis F. Bossieux was approached by Booth at the baggage car, helped to uniform him andshared the same quarters at Charles Town.)

A photograph of a young officer in uniform subsequently identified as Louis F. Bossieux takenin 1861 was discovered. Bossieux would have been 21 at the time. The photograph does notcompare well with youngest looking man. The subject identified as Louis F. Bossieux appearsto be a teen-aged boy rather than a 21-year old man. It is possible the photograph is of anothermember of the Bossieux family and has been misidentified. The identity of youngest lookingman remains open.

So where might John Wilkes Booth be and why?

V. JOHN WILKES BOOTH

Narratives confirming his presence at Charles Town

What do we know about John Wilkes Booth and his involvement with the Richmond Grays?

Booth had early military trainingIn his early teens, Booth had spent two years at St. Timothys Hall, an Episcopal MilitaryAcademy in Catonsville, Maryland. Students at St. Timothy's wore military uniforms and

were subject to a regimen of daily formation drills and strict discipline. This experience andtraining would have helped Booth to pass muster in a militia setting. Booth left school at 14,after his father's death.

Booth was attracted to military service and conflicted about his future career


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Narratives from Booths own family substantiate his attraction towards following a militarycareer and his participation with the militia at Charles Town.38

Sometime before the beginning of the Richmond 1858-59 season39Booths mother, MaryAnn Booth, wrote a letter to her eldest son Junius (which exists only in fragments) thatincludes her comment: I think John wishes he had been something else now-- but he wont

[sic] acknowledge it.40 That comment, coupled with Asia Booth Clarkes statement in anundated letter to her friend Jean Anderson, John is crazy or enthusiastic about going for asoldier. I think he will get off. It has been his dearest ambition, perhaps it is his truevocation. 41 clearly evidences his inclination to enter military service or at least become acitizen-solider in the volunteer militia.

Booth left with the Richmond Grays when they deployed to Charles Town, November19, 1859

It is established fact that John Wilkes Booth was present in Richmond from 1858 to 1860 andresided at the Powhatan Hotel (1). He was a regular member of George Kunkles stockcompany at the Old Marshall Theatre 42(2). The railroad depot for the departing troops was

on the northwest corner of 8th

and Broad Streets, near the Old Marshall Theatre (3). TheGrays boarded the cars while the companys baggage was stowed into a separate car.

38 Goodrich, Thomas. The Darkest Dawn. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University, 2005, p. 210

39 Rhodenhamel, John & Taper, Louise.Right or Wrong, God Judge Me: The Writings of John Wilkes Booth.,Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press 2001. Pg. 45 [Footnote: He played stock for two seasons in theVirginia CapitalSeptember 1858 through May 1859 and September 1859 through May 1860.]

40 Kincaid, Deirdre Lindsay. Rough Magic: The Theatrical Life of John Wilkes Booth, PhD thesis, Univ. of Hull.2000, pg. 77; [quotes: ML 518, Peale Museum. Written after Asias marriage and before Edwins, the date isbetween May 1859 and June 1860.]; Barber, Deirdre. A Man of Promise: John Wilkes Booth at RichmondTheatre Symposium: Theatre in the Antebellum South Vol 2, Tuscaloosa, Al: Univ. Alabama Press, 1994, pp. 113-129]

41 Kincaid, Deirdre Lindsay. Rough Magic: The Theatrical Life of John Wilkes Booth, PhD thesis, Univ. of Hull.2000, pg. 77; [quotes: ML 518, Peale Museum. Written after Asias marriage and before Edwins, the date is

between May 1859 and June 1860.]; Barber, Deirdre. A Man of Promise: John Wilkes Booth at Richmond

Theatre Symposium: Theatre in the Antebellum South Vol 2, Tuscaloosa, Al: Univ. Alabama Press, 1994, pp. 113-129]

42 Barber, Deirdre. A Man of Promise: John Wilkes Booth at Richmond Theatre Symposium: Theatre in theAntebellum South Vol 2, Tuscaloosa, Al: Univ. Alabama Press, 1994, pp. 113-129; Rhodenhamel, John & Taper,Louise, Right or Wrong, God Judge Me: The Writings of John Wilkes Booth. Urbana and Chicago: University ofIllinois Press, (2001), Pg. 45 [Footnote: He played stock for two seasons in the Virginia CapitalSeptember 1858through May 1859 and September 1859 through May 1860.]


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City of Richmond, VA. U.S. Coast Survey Office 1864 (cropped)

The detail assigned to guard the baggage included George W. Libby (age 20) and Louis F.Bossieux (age 19), son of Lieutenant Louis J. Bossieux of the Grays. George W. Libbyprovided a first-hand narrative placing Booth at the boxcar and described how he andBossieux allowed Booth to accompany the Richmond Grays to Charles Town43.

On November 19th, 1859 numerous sources document that Booth having observed the militiapreparing for departure, rushed from rehearsals at The Old Marshall Theatre, insisting onentry into the box cars carrying the Grays to Charles Town. Dr. Joseph W. Southall believeshe witnessed Booths actual decision to join the Grays.

44 The signal for the militia departurewas the tolling of the bell in the old tower in Capitol Square, a public park located justbehind the Powhatan Hotel where both Southall and Booth lodged45. Going to the depot withother medical students to observe the send off, he recollects:

43Libby, George. W. John Brown and John Wilkes Booth The Confederate Veteran 37, April 1930, 138-139.

44 Kincaid, Deirdre Lindsay. Rough Magic: The Theatrical Life of John Wilkes Booth, PhD thesis, Univ. Hull.2000, pg. 100 [quotes from Southall, Joseph Dr. The Wilkes Booth Story, Richmond Dispatch, Feb. 2, 1902]

45 Kincaid, Deirdre Lindsay. Rough Magic: The Theatrical Life of John Wilkes Booth, PhD thesis, Univ. Hull.2000, pg. 99


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I noticed Wilkes Booth was walking just ahead of me on his wayto the theatreJust before we got as far as the theatre I saw Booth,

who had been walking at a brisk pace, stop suddenly as if he hadforgotten something. Just as our group reached the spot where hestopped, Booth deliberately turned backI have ever since been

convinced that when he stopped and stood for a moment in thoughtthat he then and there decided that his duty to the State had firstclaim on his allegiance in an emergency like that, and that when heturned back he had made up his mind as to his course.

The December 3, 1859 edition of the New YorkClipperdescribes the sense ofexcitement and unease in Richmond that night:

Of course, the feeling was intense, for not knowing the exact natureof the summons, and supposing that actual fighting was going on atCharlestown, Va., the parting of the volunteers from their families had allthe semblance and in fact, reality, of the departure of soldiers to a bona fideacknowledged and declared war.

Edwin Booth, John's brother, wrote a letter to his then fiance Mary Devlin,telling of John's impulsive act in leaving the theatre to go to Charles Townwith the militia. Mary replied, "Your news concerning the mad step John hastaken does not surprise me. 'Tis a great pity he had not more sense but moretime will teach him...I hope nothing serious will occur there (Charles Town),for it would frighten your mother so46

First-hand narratives describe that when Booth appeared at the boxcar, he had no musket andno uniform. Edwin Adams relates that Booth was armed with pistols and a knife.47Narratives describe both Libby and Bossieux being hesitant to admit him before finallyrelenting.48 Perhaps Booths well known celebrity status from his stage appearances 49and

the fact Booth could provide welcomed entertainment entered into Libby and Bossieuxs

46 Giblin, James Cross. Good Brother, Bad Brother: The Story of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth . ClarionBooks, New York, 2005, pg 53 - 58

47 Kimmel, Stanley. The Mad Booths of Maryland. Indianapolis, New York: Bobbs-Merrill. 1940, pg 156.[Quoting Edwin Adams unpublished letter to My Dear Reakirt,, dated Long Branch, N.J. April 17, 1865, War

Department Archives, National Archives, M599, Reel 2, Frames 0059-62; Kincaid, Deirdre Lindsay. Rough Magic:The Theatrical Life of John Wilkes Booth, PhD thesis, Univ. of Hull. 2000, pg. 101[also quotes same letter to My

Dear Reakirt.]

48See Generally, Tucker, Glenn. John Wilkes Booth at the John Brown Hanging, Lincoln Herald, Spring 1976,Vol. 78, No. 9, pgs. 3-11

49 Samples, Gordon. Lust for Fame: The Stage Career of John Wilkes. Jefferson, North Carolina and London:McFarland & Company, Inc., 1982, pg. 40. [Amongst them I notice Mr. J. Wilkes Booth, a son of Junius Brutus

Booth, who, though not a member, as soon as he heard the tap of the drum, threw down the sock and buskin, andshouldered his musket with the Grays to the scene of the deadly conflict.], quoting from the RichmondEnquirer,Nov. 28, 1859.


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decision to allow him to go. It is also possible that Booth had previously interacted withindividual members of the Grays and was personally known to both Libby and Bossieux.According to published narratives, by borrowing or exchanging individual items of clothingwith others Booth obtained enough of a uniform to pass muster. George Crutchfield in a1904 letter to E. V. Valentine50 wrote that Booth borrowed a uniform of a member of the

Richmond Grays and joined that company that night and went along with us. (I was with theR.L.I. Blues.)

Booth served with the Richmond Grays at Charles TownBooth was assigned as the quartermaster sergeant. Harpers Ferry Fund records at theLibrary of Virginia include a pay voucher for John Booth, written and signed in his own handand witnessed by both R.A. Caskie and Col. Thomas August, certifying Booth served as thequarter master sergeant for the 1st Virginia Regiment from November 19 through December6, 1859.51

Edward M. Alfriend wrote: While at Charlestown the Richmond Grays occupied as their

quarters an old tin factory, and here John Wilkes Booth slept every night when he was notdoing duty as a sentinel with Wirt Harrison, on a straw pallet, which was laid next to myown.

52 Wirt Harrison, wearing a Richmond Grays cap in VM#4 and VM#5, is undoubtedlythe same Wirt Harrison of the Richmond Grays who Edward M. Alfriend documents ashaving bunked with John Wilkes Booth at Charles Town.

Philip Whitlock remembered that he and Booth were the same height and thus werepositioned next to each other when in line. They were evidently lined up in this position nearthe scaffold when John Brown was executed. Again, Whitlocks first- hand recollectionstates that Booth turned white when the drop fell and asked for a drink of whiskey at thesight. The Richmond Grays and Company F were lined up oblique to the scaffold. Somenarratives fix the distance at 50 feet, while Whitlock claims 30 feet, though 100 feet isconsidered most likely.

Booths documented dramatic readings while at Charles TownWhile at Charles Town, Booth also is known to have given dramatic readings53, both for hisfellow militiamen after guard duty and for the greater civilian population at the Episcopal

50 Crutchfield, George. Personal Letter to E. V. Valentine dated July 5, 1904, V.M.T.C.

51The material was copied from the Auditor of Public Accounts, Entry 145, Harpers Ferry Fund. The amountauthorized to be paid on April 14, 1860 was $64.58 to cover 19 days of service from 19 November to 6 December:I claim as quarter masterSergeant of 1 Reg. V. Vol. for fifteen nineteen days service from 19 Nov to 6 Dec[Signed] John Booth.

52Alfriend, Edward M. Recollections of John Wilkes Booth by Edward M. Alfriend, The Era, October 1901, pg

604.

53 Alfriend, Edward M. Recollections of John Wilkes Booth by Edward M. Alfriend, The Era, October 1901, pg604 [Nearly every night before taps Booth would entertain us with dramatic recitations from different plays. He


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Lecture Room. Arthur Wells Hawks, a resident of Charles Town and young boy at the time,recalled later in life that Booth gave dramatic readings in the Episcopal Lecture Room andhow those readings helped ease the tension incident to Browns trial and subsequentconviction for treason. Arthur Hawks served in the Civil War (he was the son of MajorWells Hawks of Stonewall Jacksons staff) and later enjoyed a long and successful career as

Sunshine Hawks, a noted philosopher, minister and lecturer on the Chautauqua Circuit.

54

Mrs. Charles E. Ambler, the wife of Rev. Charles E. Ambler, rector of Zion EpiscopalChurch in Charles Town recorded in her diary, John Wilkes Boothe [sic] who is hereas one of the guards of the John Brown Jail, has been giving Shakespearan [sic]readings each evening in the Episcopal Meeting House, to quell the population.55

Another account of Booth the actor at Charles Town comes from Gordon SamplesLust forFamewhere he writes: [d]uring free evenings from guard duty [Booth] entertained hiscompanions with dramatic monologues, of which he had a great store in his fantasticmemory. His theater at this time was any shelter or lean to; his audience of soldiers sataround on mounds of straw, bales of cotton, or other warehouse commodities available. 56

From the above, it is reasonable to conclude that Booth was presented the personallydedicated commemorative John Brown pike by Major B. B. Washington that Asia BoothClarke mentioned in The Unlocked Bookin appreciation for his dramatic performances. It isa known fact that John Brown pikes57 (metal forged spear heads some with and withoutwooden handles) intended for Browns hoped-for army of insurrection which nevermaterialized, were divided up and provided en masse as souvenirs after the conclusion of theevents at Charles Town.58

There were at least two pieces of physical evidence of Booths service at Charles Town

was very fond of reciting, which he did in such a fiery, intense, vigorous, brilliant way as to forecast that greatgenius he subsequently showed on the stage.]

54 Chautauqua was an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20thcenturies. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. TheChautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians,entertainers, preachers and specialists of the day.

55 Alfriend, John S. History of Zion Episcopal Church, Saint Andrews Parish, Charles Town, West Virginia Privately published 1973, pg. 3

56 Samples, Gordon. Lust for Fame: The Stage Career of John Wilkes . Jefferson, North Carolina and London:McFarland & Company, Inc., 1982. pg.41.

57See generallyHodder, Frank Heywood. The John Brown Pikes, Kansas Historical Quarterly, Nov. 1933, Vol.2, No 4, pg 386-390.

58Tucker, Glenn. John Wilkes Booth at the John Brown Hanging, Lincoln Herald, Spring 1976, Vol. 78, No. 9,Pg. 9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States


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From Asia Booth Clarkes The Unlocked Bookwe know that Asia saw a group photographwhich included her brother dating from this time and a John Brown souvenir pike that hadbeen personally dedicated to him from Major B. B. Washington, known to have been present.It is undeniable that John Wilkes Booth was present at Charles Town during this time andboth a photograph and a personalized John Brown pike are evidence of his participation.

What is unknown is if they still exist, and if so, where?

Where Booth might be in these Photographs

It is important to remember that comparison photographs for John Wilkes Booth were takenduring his stage career. Booth was repeatedly photographed by leading professionalphotographers under studio conditions with careful lighting and staging to provide for thesubjects best possible presentation. These are the photographs that readily come to mind whenthinking of him.

In contrast, the Richmond Grays photographs were poorly lit group photographs of militia men

who happened to be present during a military deployment. Due to the militia garb being worn,the black curly hair and dapper clothing so indelibly associated with photographs of Boothcannot be expected to be seen, nor should their absence discredit the balance of the visualinformation still comparable. Likewise the comparison photographs of Booth in civilian attirecannot be expected to correspond to the same exact pose of the individual highlighted aspotentially being Booth in the militia group photographs.

Booth was known for his remarkably handsome physical appearance. George Crutchfield, ironoxide merchant at Richmond and a member of the First Virginia Volunteers stated: I knew Jno.Wilkes Booth quite well in 1858-1860 and frequently met him sociallyHe was a man of highcharacter & sociable disposition & liked by everyone with whom he associated. Was considered

very handsome, having coal black hair and eyes

59

and from George W. Libby: He was aremarkably handsome man, with a winning personality and would regale us around the camp firewith recitations from Shakespeare.60 Seldom has the stage seen a more impressive, or a morehandsome, or a more impassioned actor. Picture to yourself Adonis, with high forehead, asceticface corrected by rather full lips, sweeping black hair, a figure of perfect proportions and themost wonderful black eyes in the world. Such was John Wilkes Booth. At all times his eyeswere his striking features but when his emotions were aroused they were like living jewels.Flames shot from them.61

59

Samples, Gordon. Lust for Fame: The Stage Career of John Wilkes.

Jefferson, North Carolina and London:McFarland & Company, Inc., 1982. pg. 43. [Attributed in a letter to E.V. Valentine, Richmond, Va, July 5, 1909.Original in the Valentine Museum, Richmond]

60 Rhodenhamel, John & Taper, Louise.Right or Wrong, God Judge Me: The Writings of John Wilkes Booth.,Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press 2001, pg.45; (Quoting from George W. Libby, John Brown andJohn Wilkes Booth The Confederate Veteran 37, April 1930, 138-9)

61 Rhodenhamel, John & Taper, Louise.Right or Wrong, God Judge Me: The Writings of John Wilkes Booth.,Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press 2001, pg Pg. 6; (Quoting from Wilson, Francis. John Wilkes


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One individual who appears in both RG#1 and RG#2 meets the unique physical descriptions ofBooth. As documented below, in each instance this individual of interest from RG#1 and RG#2compares well against known photographs of John Wilkes Booth. In both pictures theindividual wears the same distinctive hat with the insignia covered by a protective oil cloth.

In RG#1 he is standing just behind and to the viewers left of the man in the middle:

RG# 1

Photographic Print, Group of men at Harpers Ferry, by unknown (2010.1.38)

(red highlight) Virginia Historical Societyhttp://www.vahistorical.org

Booth, Boston and New York; Houghton Mifflin Company, 1929, pg. 15, in turn quoting Wyndham, Sir Charles.Interview, New YorkHerald, June 27, 1909.
http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/


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Booth

Gutman #4

(circa 1859-60)(cropped & flipped)

Collection of Richard & Kellie

Gutman

Booth ?

RG# 1



unknown (2010.1.38) (cropped)


Booth

Gutman #32

(circa 1864)


Gutman

In RG#2, an individual is observed in the upper right hand portion, above and to the right of theman with the long flowing beard. While the face is obscured partially in shadow, whencompared against a known photograph of John Wilkes Booth taken three years later, the facialresemblance is noticeable. Although in each of the RG photographs, the man who is possiblyBooth has his hair concealed by a hat, in RG#2 a distinctive hair flip indicative of curly hair can

still be discerned on the left hand side of the face.


32/41

RG#2 -Ambrotype, Group Portrait of Richmond Grays (1960.77) (red highlight) Virginia Historical Societyhttp://www.vahistorical.org

Booth ?

RG#2 - Ambrotype, Group Portrait of Richmond

Grays (1960.77) (cropped)

Booth

Gutman #20

(circa 1862 - cropped)


33/41


Collection of Richard & Kellie Gutman

In RG#3, the photographer captured an individual in the foreground in a highly theatrical

posture. The dramatic posing is indicative of an actors personality and we know that Booth, theactor, was at Charles Town. By his actions, the man staging the dramatic stab while holding atheatrically poised knife is a candidate to be Booth. Unfortunately this individuals profile is toodiffused by shadow and blurred by motion to be easily compared with the provided knownprofile of Booth. In searching for photographic evidence of Booth at Charles Town, the primaryvalue of RG#3 is in the action which the attacking man is performing and in the uniqueweapon he is holding.

RG#3 -



http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.vahistorical.org/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.vahistorical.org/


34/41


(CC 3648 First Virginia Regiment)(cropped)


Again, as in the photographs of the candidate for Booth in RG#1 and RG#2, the cap of theattacking man in RG#3 is covered with an oilcloth and the insignia is not visible. While thismans profile is barely discernable, being diffused and in shadow, the mans pose is clearly astaged theatrical one. This man is holding a fellow militiaman by the collar while dramaticallythreatening him with a unique knife or improvised weapon. We know from actor Edwin Adams

that Booth reportedly took a knife with him to Charles Town. The drama of the pose is furtherheightened by a man immediately to the side who has extended his hand grasping and restrainingthe hand of the attacking man.This restraining man was previously discussed as potentiallybeing Booths friend and fellow Richmond Gray, Edward Morrison Alfriend. Restrainingmans other hand is resting along the attacking mans shoulder and upper arm. Again,indicative of a familiar relationship. Restraining man is participating in, and supportive of, theaction being staged.
http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/


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Booth ?

RG#3 - Ambrotype, Militiamen


(cropped & exposure lightened)


Booth

Gutman #30

(circa 1863cropped & flipped)

Collection of Richard & Kellie Gutman
http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/


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RG#3 - Ambrotype, Militiamen RG#3 - Ambrotype, Militiamen


(cropped)


A close-up of the hand-held weapon in RG#3 reveals that it appears to be a single edged weaponabout seven or eight inches long overall, with a short flat shoulder, no quillion, and occasionallines running perpendicular to the shaft/spine and blade. The weapon does not correspond to abowie knife, side knife or any identifiable military edged weapon.62 As such, it appears to bemore suitable as a gentlemans personal (concealed) weapon of opportunity, rather than amilitary issue item. Whatever its identity, its size and shape obviously do not meet the designrequirements for military edged weapons of the day. A reasonable conclusion is that while theobject being used as a knife may qualify as a weapon, it is a unique personal item rather than oneof standardized military combat. John Wilkes Booth was reported to have carried a knife andpistols when he boarded the box car at the Richmond Depot. 63

62See generally Albaugh, William A. Confederate Edged Weapons . New York: Harper & Brothers , 1960, pgs.168-179[where Albaugh discusses blade lengths: 17 , 16 , 13, 12 , 10 5/8 , 10 , 7 with the smallest oneonly identified as a dirk, which is a two edged stabbing weapon, all others described as side arms, side knives orbowie knives.]

63 Kimmel, Stanley. The Mad Booths of Maryland. Indianapolis, New York: Bobbs-Merrill. 1940, pg 156. QuotingEdwin Adams unpublished letter to My Dear Reakirt,, dated Long Branch, N.J. April 17, 1865, War Department
http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/


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Who were the clients for these photographs?

The reference workRichmond Volunteers 1861-1865 contains a photograph of RG#1, identifyingJulian Alluisi of the Virginia Rifles as the owner of the original ambrotype.64 At the time of thebooks publication in 1969, the image was in the possession of his grandson. As Alluisi is only

in one of the three photographs, it is reasonable to conclude that he left the group after posing forRG#1 and that RG#1 was probably the first of the series taken that day. Additionally, themembers of the Grays immediately around Alluisi are taking care not to lean into him and thusobscure the cameras view. It is reasonable to assume that Alluisi was the client for RG#1.

Aylett Reins Woodsons family donated the original ambrotype for RG#2 to the VirginiaHistorical Society65, and thus it was in the familys possession. Woodson is in RG#1, RG#2 andRG#3, but his image appears best in RG#2. It is reasonable to assume Woodson was the clientfor RG#2. We know that RG#2 was a sixth plate ambrotype.

We know from the 1917 Times-Dispatch article, previously mentioned, that John Tyler owned

the original ambrotype of VM#4. It is reasonable to assume Tyler was the client for VM#4. TheMeade Family donated VM#5 to the Virginia Historical Society.66 We know that Booth was notin either VM#4 or VM#5, and the original ambrotype owner was one of the six individuals whoposed for each picture.

That leaves one original ambrotype and customer unaccounted for; namely RG#3.

RG#2 has been documented to be a sixth plate ambrotype. As RG#1 and RG#3 were likelymade at the same time, it is highly likely that all three ambrotypes were the same sixth plate size.This size would make its cased size of 2 x 3 easily transportable. As ambrotypes wereone per customer, we could ask who a reasonable client would be to purchase RG#3? Apossibility is the man who is starring in the action for whom the others serve as a backdrop.Of the three photographs, it is possible that RG#3 is the one Asia recounts seeing. Thispossibility is even more likely as the individual possibly identified as Booth in RG#1 and RG#2is located off to the side of the center focus in these two photographs. Further, Asia would havenot likely seen the original ambrotypes of RG#1 or RG#2, as we know who owned them. It isprobable that when a photo opportunity presented itself, Booth, the actor, would most likely

Archives, National Archives, M599, Reel 2, Frames 0059-62; Kincaid, Deirdre Lindsay. Rough Magic: TheTheatrical Life of John Wilkes Booth, PHD thesis, Univ. Hull. 2000, pg. 101[also quotes same letter to My Dear

Reakirt.]

64Manarin, Louis H., Wallace, Lee A. Jr. Richmond Volunteers 1861-1865, Richmond: Westover Press, 1969, pg.190

65 Donor of picture, Julia E. Saunders, daughter of Woodson. Virginia Historical Society, Search the Collection,04/29/10. [enter keyword 1960.77 athttp://vhs3.vahistorical.org/starweb/vhs/servlet.starweb?path=vhs/vhs.web]

66 Donor of ambrotype picture, Meade family. Virginia Historical Society, Search the Collection, 04/29/10. [enterkeyword 1983.72 athttp://vhs3.vahistorical.org/starweb/vhs/servlet.starweb?path=vhs/vhs.web]
http://vhs3.vahistorical.org/starweb/vhs/servlet.starweb?path=vhs/vhs.webhttp://vhs3.vahistorical.org/starweb/vhs/servlet.starweb?path=vhs/vhs.webhttp://vhs3.vahistorical.org/starweb/vhs/servlet.starweb?path=vhs/vhs.webhttp://vhs3.vahistorical.org/starweb/vhs/servlet.starweb?path=vhs/vhs.webhttp://vhs3.vahistorical.org/starweb/vhs/servlet.starweb?path=vhs/vhs.webhttp://vhs3.vahistorical.org/starweb/vhs/servlet.starweb?path=vhs/vhs.webhttp://vhs3.vahistorical.org/starweb/vhs/servlet.starweb?path=vhs/vhs.webhttp://vhs3.vahistorical.org/starweb/vhs/servlet.starweb?path=vhs/vhs.web


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gravitate to a place in front of the camera, as in all three of these group photographs. It is alsolikely that an actor, wanting a memento of his service at Charles Town, would dramatically stagea tableau like that shown in RG#3 and purchase that photograph.

VI. CONCLUSION

Has John Wilkes Booth been hiding in plain sight in the Richmond Grays photographs?

This investigation has identified:

1. First-hand evidence of a uniformed group photograph containing John Wilkes Boothtaken at Charles Town in 1859

2. The Richmond Grays confirmed presence at Charles Town in 18593. John Wilkes Booths confirmed presence with the Richmond Grays at Charles Town in

18594. Three documented photographs of the Richmond Grays taken at Charles Town in 1859

that do not preclude Booths presence in the photographs5. An individual in two of the three Richmond Grays photographs (RG#1 and RG#2) with acomparable visual resemblance to documented images of Booth

6. An individual in one of the three Richmond Grays photographs (RG#3) who by hisdramatic action and unique weapon invites comparison with Booth, the actor

7. An 1859 newspaper account which indicates that there was at least one more groupphotograph taken, showing six members of the Richmond Grays

From the narratives documenting John Wilkes Booths involvement with the Richmond Grays,and the visual analysis of each of the best known photographs taken from that time, merelydismissing him as not being the man in the middle in RG#1, and thus concluding that no

picture exists of him at Charles Town, is no longer a sufficient response to the evidence.

This investigation does not purport to reach a final answer if he is in one or more of theexamined pictures, but the possibilities presented warrant serious debate and consideration. Thepresence of hundreds of men in Charles Town makes it extremely likely that many morephotographs were taken besides the group pictures addressed in this investigation. We know thatat least one other Richmond Grays group picture remains missing or misidentified. Perhapsthere are others still in existence which have been misclassified as Civil War photographs. It ishoped that this research will prompt a thorough re-examination of group photographsdocumenting the aftermath of John Browns raid and motivate a search for new ones.

Where is the picture Asia saw? Has John Wilkes Booth been hiding in plain sight with theRichmond Grays in these photographs, or is he in others yet to be identified? As a result of thisinvestigation, the six individuals in VM#5, originally catalogued as unidentified militiamen,were identified. What else may be out there waiting to be discovered? To believe we havealready discovered everything means we have learned nothing.

______________________


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Booth

Gutman #4

(circa 1859-60)

(cropped & flipped)


Gutman

Booth ?

RG# 1Photographic Print, Group of


unknown (2010.1.38) (cropped)



Booth

Gutman #32

(circa 1864)


Gutman


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Acknowledgments

Mark Greenough - Gentleman and Scholar, for his

invaluable research contributions about the Virginia militiain general and the Richmond Grays in particular, and for theunfailing encouragement and insightful editorial guidance heso graciously provided during the course of the entire project

Richard and Kellie Gutman, for their generosity inallowing me the opportunity to include their wonderful

images of John Wilkes Booth and for their unfailingkindness and courtesy

Art Loux for providing daily information compiled on John

Wilkes Booth during the Charles Town timeframe

Lois McCord Mousty, whom I never had the pleasure ofmeeting, but who for the last 20 years had always wondered

who was the man next to theman in the middle

David Smythe, husband and true partner, without whoselove and support Hiding would not have been researched

or written

William Theriault for providing the initial image of RG#3and key information on Lewis Dinkle

Hampden-Booth Theatre LibraryRaymond Wemmlinger

Museum of the ConfederacyJohn Coski

Ann Drury Wellford

Spirits of Tudor Hall

Dinah Faber

Surratt House MuseumJoan Chaconas

Laurie Verge

Sandra Walia

Valentine Richmond History Center


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Meghan HolderMeg Hughes

Virginia Historical SocietyJamison Davis

Jeffrey RugglesKatherine Wilkins

Documents

Has He Been Hiding in Plain Sight? John Wilkes Booth and the Richmond Grays