Professor reveals alternate theory on Lincoln's assassination
New book challenges established history

The East Carolinian
Nick Henne, Staff Writer
January 22, 2004

Historian David E. Long, associate professor in the department of history, will appear on the Discovery Channel to discuss his views about the events surrounding the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
Long, who has done much research on Lincoln and the civil war said Lincoln was a ruthless leader who would not give in short of ending slavery and keeping the nation together.
"This is a guy who waged war like maybe nobody else in history and would never consent to any kind of compromise short of unconditional surrender and total return to the Union," Long said.
With a new theory of Lincoln's assassination, and a book being released this summer, Long was chosen to be featured on Discovery Channel's "Unsolved History," a program that takes another look at controversial history and analyzes it with modern technology and knowledge.
"I'm the first historian that is willing to come out and say that I think the evidence is strong enough to justify that Lincoln ... probably did sanction the killing of [Confederacy President] Jefferson Davis," said Long.
Long's argument rests on papers found on the body of a killed officer close to Lincoln in Richmond.
The papers contained plans to assassinate Davis. Confederate soldiers organized to assassinate Lincoln.
Long's theory states if Lincoln did plot for the assassination of Jefferson Davis, then he guaranteed his own assassination.
As part of the television program, handwriting experts will analyze the documents for authenticity, Long said.
The presentation on the Discovery Channel will give students a more in depth look on the Civil War and its significance in our history, Long said.
"Students will be educated on who this president was and what this event in American history meant," Long said.
Gerry Prokopowicz, assistant professor of history, said Long is an eminent scholar of Abraham Lincoln and students will benefit from seeing the program.
"I think it brings history alive when you can see the people who are writing it, and they are real people, not someone you know only from a back of the book photo, but someone you can see walking around on campus," said Prokopowicz.
Prokopowicz said history is a set of arguments and people too easily believe the reading of one historian.
"There are basic facts that you start from, but the interpretations of those facts are always debatable," Prokopowicz said.