Booth Brothers: Drama, Fame, and the Death of President Lincoln

Booth Brothers: Drama, Fame, and the Death of President Lincoln — page 5 — Soldiers from the Richmond Grays gathered at the execution of John Brown a crusader who turned to violence in his effort to abolish slavery in the United States Someone provided him with a gray Richmond militia uniform To the delight of the soldiers the young actor boarded the train and joined them on their journey When the other soldiers asked who would take his place on stage that night Booth said he neither knew nor cared John Wilkes Booth was relishing the rank of make-believe private His skills as an actor served him well as he camped with his new military acquaintances For their amusement he spent each evening reciting dramatic poems and bits and pieces of plays John was so engaging and charming that a reporter there to cover the execution even wrote a story about him for the Richmond Enquirer newspaper 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 shouldered his musket and marched with the Grays 1 Far away from Charlestown Edwin Booth’s fiancée Mary Devlin didn’t share the

Booth Brothers: Drama, Fame, and the Death of President Lincoln — page 6 — reporter’s admiration for her future brother-in-law Replying to Edwin’s letter describing his brother’s action she wrote Your news concerning the mad step John has taken I confess did not surprise me Tis a great pity he has not more sense but time will teach him 2 While John entertained troops and played soldier Edwin Booth had begun to settle down into a stable life at least a life as stable as an actor could have at the time He traveled most of the year performing Shakespeare like his father before him As a rising star of the stage he began to make powerful friends One year before the execution of John Brown 24-year-old Edwin was invited to the home of Dr Samuel Howe and his wife Julia Ward Howe The Howes had just seen him perform at the Boston Theater Dr Howe ran a school for the blind and his wife would soon gain fame for writing the song The Battle Hymn of the Republic They were among Boston’s elite social families They were also dedicated abolitionists Their home called Green Peace had served as a stop on the Underground Railroad It provided safe harbor for runaway slaves for more than 10 years While others in their social circles turned up their noses at the thought of rubbing elbows with common actors the Howes considered Edwin Booth a great artist of the stage Julia Howe wrote about him in her diary In every word and every gesture the touch of genius made itself felt 3 In the fall of 1858 Julia threw the first of several parties in Edwin’s honor to introduce the young actor to Boston society Their friendship would last throughout their lives Through the Howes Edwin Booth’s social circle overlapped with John Brown’s The Howes had hosted Brown at their home and Dr Howe had met with him on several occasions He also had introduced Brown to others who shared their views on slavery and politics The Howes along with their wealthy friends provided much of the money Brown needed to arm his supporters and obtain land in Harper’s Ferry In fact Dr Howe was one of the Secret Six a group of Brown’s most reliable financial backers

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