What gun killed abe lincoln?

The Question that Haunts US History: What Gun Killed Abraham Lincoln?

Over 150 years have passed since the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, at Fords’ Theatre on April 14, 1865. Yet, the question lingers: What gun killed Abe Lincoln?

To answer this question, let’s delve into the facts and theories surrounding his untimely demise.

The Official Answer: A Deringer Pocket Pistol

The Warren Commission, established by Congress to investigate the assassination in 1865, reached a conclusion: Lee Harvey Oswald (David Herold) used an Iver Johnson model 5-shot.442-caliber Deringer double-shot pneumatic steel spring muzzle-loading pocket pistol, serial number 4439, to kill President Lincoln.

TABLE 1: The gun specifications

Though widely accepted, this consensus has been disputed by scholars, historians, and medical professionals.

Competing Theories and Clues

Several alternative accounts and theories have emerged throughout the years, each making a compelling case for altering the official narrative.

Here are some of the leading competitors:

• Pickett’s Pistol
Captain David Edgar Johnston Pickett, Commander of the 11th Alabama Infantry, claimed the killer was his own officer’s pistol, a German-made Lemat model. This theory persists despite the lack of significant ballistic evidence.

• Trowbridge’s 24-Shot Pistol: Dr. Charles Allen Trowbridge, Army Medical Officer, suggested this high-capacity pistol’s trajectory analysis supported its use rather than the Deringer.
• Ballpistic Analysis: L.S. Steward and Charles F. Morse Jr., two experts conducting an independent investigation, indicated a Colt-1839 pistol ballistically matched the fatal pellet, contradicting the traditional theory.

• Physical Evidence: Dr. James M. Phaler, a forensic expert of his time, analyzed fragment and pellet remains, attributing the killing to either the Deringer or a larger caliber pellet, but not conclusively eliminating the Deringer as the sole culprit. Dr. Phaler‘s findings conflicted with the Warren Report, which concluded the president died from a single " Deringer pellet "**.

• Eyewitness Accounts: Henry M. Rathbone, Lewis Powell’s (Edie), and Major Ford‘s testimonies hint at the possibility the President was struck by pellets or fragments from multiple or higher-caliber weapons not yet identified.

Technical Concerns and Limitations

The Warren Commission encountered technical challenges, as did subsequent investigations, making it difficult to decisively determine the weapon at play:

• Degenerative Condition: The Deringer’s muzzle had seen considerable wear, which undermined forensic analysis.
• Fragmentation: The limited capacity of the Deringer (.442-caliber projectile and 5-shot limitations) raised questions about which shots might have caused vital wounds.
• Ratios and Trajectory Analysis: Calculations considering ballistic trajectories, pellet paths, and the President’s movement during the shooting challenge accurate conclusions.

Final Considerations

Intricacies surrounding the weapons involved, ballistic evidence disputes, and conflicting eyewitness recollections have led to continuing skepticism about the official diagnosis of the Deringer.

What Gun Really Killed Abe Lincoln? The Jury is Still Out (Until Further Evidence Emerges)

While the historic investigation concluded the Deringer was the instrument used to end Abraham Lincoln‘s presidency, the controversy surrounding which weapon ultimately killed him may never be fully, decisively resolved. Both enthusiasts and scholars continue debate this enigmatic chapter within American History while ongoing research and discoveries help further refine our understanding. Ultimately, the answer – which gun killed Abe Lincoln – remains a subject requiring diligent investigation and rigorous questioning.

Additional Resources:

• William Marvel, "The autopsy": an analysis of the report in the context of gun, ballistics, assassination

• James O., White, "The medical side of the assassination:", analyzing the president’s shot patterns and potential impact forces.