The Madman and the Assassin: The Strange Life of Boston Corbett, the Man Who Killed John Wilkes Booth

Some men, such as Charles Gridley, instructed to fire on Manila by Admiral Dewey during the Spanish-American War, are footnotes to history. Boston Corbett (1832–94), the "madman" of the title, who, like Jack Ruby (Lee Harvey Oswald's killer), is in that exclusive category of men who shot presidential assassins. Corbett is also the subject of this impressive book by Martelle (The Admiral and the Ambassador; The Fear Within), whose research draws on archival and secondary sources, including 19th-century newspapers. In April 1865, Corbett, a soldier in the 16th New York Cavalry, was part of the search for John Wilkes Booth, who was presumed to be hiding in the Maryland countryside after shooting Abraham Lincoln. The cavalry found the barn where Wilkes was hiding and set it ablaze. When Booth raised his gun toward the soldiers, Corbett fired and killed Booth. Later, after moving to Kansas, where he endured minor fame, Corbett's behavior led to his commitment to an asylum. Martelle concludes with Corbett's mysterious death.