According to this book...

Caleb Cushing and Pike are given credit for starting the Civil War.

The British Freemasons killed Lincoln using the Knights of the Golden Circle (a masonic organization). Booth was a 33rd degree Mason, and member of the Knights of the Golden Circle. After killing Lincoln, Booth was helped by another freemason to escape, Edwin Stanton, Lincoln cabinet member.

This is interesting, but the writer is not a good historian.

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David Upton