What did Lt. Doherty do to Booth's body?

What did Lt. Doherty do to Booth's body?

• A. Unrolled a wool army blanket and laid the body upon it and sewed it together.
• B. Buried the body in the ground.
• C. Carried the body to Washington.
• D. Left the body where it lay.

Answer: (A)

The action tested is how the body was handled immediately after Booth was killed. Lt. Doherty and the soldiers wrapped Booth in a wool army blanket, laid the body on it, and sewed the blanket around him to secure and transport him. This wrapping kept the body intact and ready for movement, and reflects the military way of moving a death from the field for later identification and funeral arrangements. The other possibilities don’t fit the historical account: the body wasn’t buried on the spot, it wasn’t simply carried away in an unsupported form to Washington, and it wasn’t left where it lay.

The action tested is how the body was handled immediately after Booth was killed. Lt. Doherty and the soldiers wrapped Booth in a wool army blanket, laid the body on it, and sewed the blanket around him to secure and transport him. This wrapping kept the body intact and ready for movement, and reflects the military way of moving a death from the field for later identification and funeral arrangements. The other possibilities don’t fit the historical account: the body wasn’t buried on the spot, it wasn’t simply carried away in an unsupported form to Washington, and it wasn’t left where it lay.