Dispelling common myths and misunderstandings, this book provides a fascinating and historically accurate portrayal of the 1858 Almanac Trial that establishes both Lincoln's character and his considerable abilities as a trial lawyer.
Even after the mythical elements are removed, the true story of Abraham Lincoln and the Almanac Trial is a compelling tale of courtroom drama that involves themes of friendship and loyalty. Abraham Lincoln's Most Famous Case: The Almanac Trial sets the record straight: it examines how the dual myths of the dramatic cross-examination and the forged almanac came to be, describes how Lincoln actually won the case, and establishes how Lincoln's behavior at the trial was above reproach.
The book outlines three conflicting versions of how Lincoln won the Almanac Trial-with a dramatic cross-examination; with an impassioned final argument; or with a forged almanac-and then traces the transformation of these three stories over the decades as they were retold in the forms of campaign rhetoric, biography, history, and legal analysis. After the author exposes the inaccuracies of previous attempts to tell the story of the trial, he refers to primary sources to reconstruct the probable course of the trial and address questions regarding how Lincoln achieved his victory-and whether he freed a murderer.

George R. Dekle, Sr. has been a legal skills professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law since 2006.

Preface
1. Murder at a Whiskey Camp
2. Lincoln the Cross-Examiner
3. Lincoln the Orator
4. Lincoln the Trickster
5. The Hagiography of the Trial
6. The Historiography of the Trial
7. Lincoln and the Clary's Grove Boys
8. The Camp Meeting
9. The Prosecution
10. The Trial Begins
11. The Famous Cross-Examination
12. The Misplaced Moon
13. Winning the Almanac Trial
14. Was Armstrong Guilty?
Appendix A: The Statements of the Major Participants
Appendix B: Selected Documents from the Armstrong Court File
Appendix C: The Oral History of the Armstrongs
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index