James L. Swanson

From the New York Times bestselling author of Manhunt (now an Apple TV+ series) and in the tradition of Empire of the Summer Moon comes a vivid account (The Wall Street Journal) of a forgotten chapter in American history: the deadly confrontation between natives and colonists in Massachusetts in 1704 and the tragic saga that unfolded.Once it was one of the most infamous events in early American history. Today, it has been nearly forgotten.In an obscure, two-hundred-year-old museum in a little town in western Massachusetts there stands what once was the most revered relic from the history of early New England: the massive, tomahawk-scarred door that came to symbolize the notorious Deerfield Massacre of 1704. This impregnable barricadeknown to early Americans as The Old Indian Doorconstructed from double-thick planks of Massachusetts oak and studded with hand-wrought iron nails to repel the tomahawk blades wielded by several attacking Native tribes, is the sole surviving artifact from one of the most dramatic moments in colonial American history: In the leap year of 1704, on the cold, snowy night of February 29, hundreds of Indians and their French allies swept down on an isolated frontier outpost to slaughter or capture its inhabitants.The sacking of Deerfield led to one of the greatest sagas of survival, sacrifice, family, and faith ever told in North America. One hundred and twelve survivors, including their fearless minister, the Reverend John Williams, were captured and forced to march three hundred miles north into enemy territory in Canada. Any captive who faltered or became too weak to continue the journeyincluding Williamss own wifefell under the tomahawk or war club.Survivors of the march willed themselves to live and endured captivity. Ransomed by the royal governor of Massachusetts, the captives later returned home to Deerfield, rebuilt their town and, for the rest of their lives, told the incredible tale. The memoir of Rev. Williams, The Redeemed Captive, published soon after his liberation, became one of the first bestselling books in American history and remains a literary classic. The Old Indian Door is a touchstone that conjures up one of the most dramatic and inspiring stories of colonial America. Now, in this immersive and memorable book [and] with his gifts of great storytelling and penetrating insight, James Swanson has given us a compelling account of an unjustly forgotten episode in American history (Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of And There Was Light).

The acclaimed and thrilling account of Abraham Lincolns assassination and the twelve-day chase for John Wilkes Booth, winner of the Edgar Award and adapted into an acclaimed Apple TV+ SeriesA terrific narrative of the hunt for Lincolns killers that will mesmerize the reader from start to finish.Doris Kearns GoodwinThe murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history--the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry troops on a wild, 12-day chase from the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia, while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness.Based on rare archival materials, obscure trial transcripts, and Lincolns own blood relics Manhunt is a fully documented, fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, it is history as its never been read before.

El asesinato de Abraham Lincoln desencadenó la mayor “caza del hombre” de la historia de Norteamérica: la persecución y captura de John Wilkes Booth. Desde el 14 hasta el 26 de abril de 1865, el ases

Basado en documentos de archivo, las transcripciones del juicio y las reliquias de la sangre de Lincoln, La caza del asesino es un trabajo sólidamente documentado, un relato fascinante de crimen, intriga y traicion. Una apasionante narracion contada minuto a minuto a traves de los ojos de la presa y de los cazadores. Esto es historia como nunca la habias leido antes. Desde el 14 hasta el 26 de abril de 1865, el asesino de Lincoln logro despistar a la Caballeria de la Union y a los detectives a traves de las calles de Washington D.C., de un lado a otro de las marismas de Maryland y en el interior de los bosques de Virginia, mientras toda la nacion, todavia tambaleante por la recien acabada Guerra Civil, era testigo de ello con horror y tristeza. La lectura de La caza del asesino satisfara tanto a los amantes de la historia como a todo aquel que se deje llevar por una buena novela de misterio. El autor se limita a narrar los hechos cronologicamente consiguiendo asi un ritmo trepidante y absorbente. De manera habil y con gran estilo, Swanson, miembro de la Comision del Bicentenario de Lincoln, ha elaborado un puro placer narrativo. El autor lleva estudiando a Lincoln desde los inicios de su profesion academica. En el centro de esta historia hallamos a John Wilkes Booth, el ma