Charles A. Dunham ( 18321900 ) was a spy , forger , and American Civil War journalist . Dunham had at least twelve identities , and is best known for testimony claiming Abraham Lincoln 's assassination was ordered by the Confederacy . He wrote for the '' New York World '' , '' New York Herald '' , and '' New-York Tribune '' simultaneously . At one time , he wrote an article for the '' Herald , '' a rebuttal of the article in the '' Tribune . '' Dunham claimed to have spied on both sides in the Civil War , and , in an attempt to defraud the government , claimed to have raised a legion called the Cameron Guards . Dunham was a lawyer before the outbreak of the Civil War , and claimed to have been conscripted into the Confederate army , where he eventually escaped to the North
Abraham Lincoln 's assassination
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Charles Dunham