John Surratt never succeeded in his most important Civil War labors. There were admittedly some deeds of secrecy and some adventure, but John’s story lacked piquancy of classical flirtation and courtship, and he never became a heroic figure in his tales. He related a carefully controlled, innocuous story, designed to save his hide, not reveal the truth. Instead of personifying a folk hero, John unintentionally portrayed himself and his companions as a bunch of bumbling incompetents, who could not abduct an unguarded enemy president on a lonely country road. Worse yet, they could not even find Lincoln to capture him in theater or highway. John has been judged the best of Booth’s band of misfits. Of course Booth succeeded in carrying out his evil deed. But his ragtag band failed to obey Boot
