How Historically Accurate Is Death by Lightning?

"Garfield's startling election, shocking assassination, and tragically lingering death represented one of those hinges of history that had an enduring effect on what came after. Death by Lightning competently explains all three parts of the story. Garfield's unlikely rise to the presidency in 1880 was the product of a deadlocked Republican convention and a deadlocked country still in the shadow of the Civil War but being rapidly transformed by the Industrial Revolution."

"Garfield's assassin, Charles Guiteau, was (in the parlance of the time) a madman, but one whose delusions and lust for office were perfectly in character with the times. And while Death by Lightning 's four hours don't allow for that much focus on Garfield's medical treatment after Guiteau shot him, it vividly demonstrates that his death, 79 days after the shooting, was probably avoidable."

James A. Garfield won the 1880 presidency after a deadlocked Republican convention and a polarized post–Civil War nation undergoing rapid industrial transformation. Political factions and personalities fought for control of the GOP, which had held the presidency for five consecutive terms before 1880. Garfield's assassination by Charles Guiteau reflected contemporary extremes of political delusion and personal ambition. Medical care after the shooting lasted 79 days and appears to have been inadequate, making death probably avoidable. Nineteenth-century urban life featured muddy streets, poor hygiene, unamplified oratory, and loose security practices that allowed volatile individuals to evade obligations. The convergence of political deadlock, public fervor, and medical shortcomings shaped a consequential historical hinge.

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