Virtual Presentation!
It was April 23, 1865. Robert E. Lee had surrendered. Abraham Lincoln was dead. Assassin John Wilkes Booth and accomplice David Herold had crossed the Potomac River to safety. The Black Diamond, hoping to prevent that crossing and catch the perpetrators, was anchored with the Potomac Flotilla near Blackistone Lighthouse. All onboard the barge were unaware that they were too late. At the same time, the Massachusetts was running downriver carrying U.S. soldiers back to their regiments. A tragedy occurred and by dawn, the Black Diamond was on the bottom of the river; the Massachusetts was crippled, and eighty-seven men were dead – many from regiments raised in Connecticut.
Join us for a virtual presentation as author Karen E. Stone unfolds the story of the Connecticut men, their journey through the war, and how this tragedy occurred.
This virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link.
Questions? Contact Jen Busa, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org.
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About the speaker: Karen Stone was born and raised in Connecticut and that is where she got her first museum job – when she was in middle school. She holds a degree in history from Gettysburg College and has a master’s degree from Penn State. She has worked in museums in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New York, and has been the Museum Division Manager for St. Mary’s County, Maryland for 8 years.
To purchase a copy of Karen Stone’s book, Shipwreck on the Potomac – Disaster in Pursuit of Lincoln’s Killer, Click here.
Image: Karen Stone on the banks of the Potomac River, near the site of the wreck. Photographed by Mancil Gray.
