I have just shot the President. I shot him several times,
as I wished him to go as easily as possible...I am going
to the jail. Please order out your troops and take
possession of the jail at once.
Charles Guiteau to General William Tecumseh Sherman
July 2, 1881
Was Charles Guiteau, the man who shot President James Garfield, insane? At the time of
the shooting - the morning of July 2, 1881 - the assassin’s mental state mattered little to most Americans.