Introduction
In the tumultuous days leading up to Abraham Lincoln's presidency, the United States teetered on the brink of civil war. The nation was deeply divided over the issue of slavery, with Northern and Southern states growing increasingly hostile toward one another. Into this powder keg stepped Abraham Lincoln, a relatively unknown lawyer from Illinois who had just been elected as the 16th President of the United States.
"The Lincoln Conspiracy" by Brad Meltzer tells the riveting true story of a plot to assassinate Lincoln before he could even take office. As Lincoln made his way from Illinois to Washington D.C. for his inauguration, a group of Southern sympathizers and white supremacists in Baltimore hatched a plan to kill the president-elect as he passed through their city. Only through the efforts of America's first private detective, Allan Pinkerton, and his team of undercover agents was the conspiracy uncovered and foiled at the last minute.
This book provides a gripping account of the dangerous journey that brought Lincoln to the presidency and the shadowy forces that sought to stop him. It offers a glimpse into a pivotal moment in American history when the fate of the nation hung in the balance. Through meticulous research and storytelling, Meltzer brings to life the cast of characters involved in both the plot and the effort to thwart it, painting a vivid picture of a country on the verge of disintegration.
Lincoln's Rise to National Prominence
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
In the summer of 1858, Abraham Lincoln was still a relatively obscure figure on the national political stage. A lawyer from Illinois, he had served one unremarkable term in Congress but was not widely known outside his home state. That began to change when he challenged the incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas to a series of debates as they both vied for a Senate seat from Illinois.
The Lincoln-Douglas debates thrust Lincoln into the spotlight and established him as a persuasive speaker and staunch opponent of slavery. Douglas was the heavy favorite - wealthy, well-connected, and already a two-term Senator. Lincoln was seen as the underdog, described by newspapers as "gawky" with his tall, lanky frame and angular face.
But it was on the issue of slavery that Lincoln truly shone. While Douglas defended slavery and white supremacy, Lincoln spoke passionately against the injustice and immorality of the institution. "I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself," Lincoln declared. His folksy humor and powerful rhetoric on abolition won over many in the crowds.
Though Lincoln ultimately lost the Senate race, the debates catapulted him to national prominence as a leading anti-slavery voice. His performance caught the attention of Republican Party leaders looking for a presidential candidate who could appeal to both moderates and abolitionists.
Becoming the Republican Nominee
Two years after the debates with Douglas, Lincoln's star had risen dramatically within the Republican Party. At the 1860 Illinois Republican Convention, Lincoln was selected as the party's nominee for president. His popularity was so great that he had to crowd surf his way to the stage to accept the nomination.
From there, Lincoln went on to secure the national Republican Party's nomination for president. It was a stunning ascent for a man who just a few years earlier was a little-known country lawyer. Now he was poised to potentially become the leader of a fractured nation teetering on the brink of civil war.
The Gathering Storm in the South
Reaction to Lincoln's Nomination
News of Lincoln's nomination as the Republican candidate for president was met with outrage and alarm across much of the South. As an avowed opponent of slavery, Lincoln represented an existential threat to the Southern way of life in the eyes of many.
In Baltimore, a hotbed of pro-slavery sentiment, groups of white supremacists began gathering to discuss how to respond. One popular meeting spot was a barbershop owned by Cypriano Ferrandini, an immigrant from Corsica who had embraced the radical politics of the South. Ferrandini's shop became a hub for Baltimore's elite secessionists to plot against Lincoln and the federal government.
Across the South, membership surged in organizations like the Knights of the Golden Circle, a secretive group dedicated to preserving slavery and Southern rights by any means necessary. By 1860, the Knights claimed some 40,000 members, many of whom were armed and ready for violence if Lincoln were to win the presidency.
Political Chaos and the Splintering of the Democratic Party
The threat posed by Lincoln's candidacy threw the Democratic Party into disarray. At the 1860 Democratic National Convention, the party splintered over the issue of slavery and secession. Debates devolved into shouting matches and even fistfights on the convention floor. In the end, the party was unable to unify behind a single candidate and ended up nominating two different men for president.
This fracturing of the Democratic opposition virtually assured Lincoln's victory in the general election. For many in the South, the prospect of an abolitionist Republican in the White House was unthinkable. Newspapers began openly calling for revolt and secession if Lincoln were to win.
Lincoln's Election and the South's Response
On election night, November 6, 1860, Lincoln stayed up late watching the results come in. As expected, he won a clear victory, though almost entirely without Southern support. His election sent shockwaves through the South and set in motion a chain of events that would tear the country apart.
Within days, Lincoln began receiving a flood of mail - up to 70 letters a day. Many were from well-wishers, but a disturbing number contained graphic death threats and vows of eternal hatred. One writer threatened to "put a spider in your dumpling," while others spewed strings of profanity and promises of violence.
More ominously, Southern states began taking concrete steps toward secession. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina voted to secede from the Union. Within weeks, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, and Georgia followed suit. The country was rapidly splintering, and all eyes turned to the president-elect for a response.
But in keeping with tradition, Lincoln maintained public silence in the months before his inauguration out of respect for the outgoing administration. Behind the scenes, he and his team were scrambling to prepare for the monumental challenges that lay ahead - including the very real threat to Lincoln's life.
The Gathering Conspiracy
Rumors and Threats in Washington
As Lincoln's inauguration approached, Washington D.C. was awash in rumors of plots and conspiracies. There were whispers of secret secessionist organizations planning to prevent Lincoln from taking office, and even talk of Southern militias preparing to invade the capital.
Washington's location, wedged between the slave states of Virginia and Maryland, left it vulnerable. If Southern forces were to attack, the city could quickly be cut off from Northern reinforcements. The sense of paranoia and foreboding in the capital was palpable.
Samuel Felton Raises the Alarm
One man who took the threat seriously was Samuel Felton, president of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad. Felton received concerning reports that secessionists were planning to sabotage his rail lines to prevent Lincoln from reaching Washington for the inauguration.
When Felton brought his concerns to George Kane, the Baltimore Police Marshal, he was casually dismissed. The fact that Kane was a known secessionist sympathizer only heightened Felton's alarm. Realizing he needed help from someone he could trust, Felton reached out to famed detective Allan Pinkerton in Chicago.
Enter Allan Pinkerton
Allan Pinkerton was America's first private detective and had built a reputation as a cunning investigator. He had brought down major counterfeiters and bank robbers in Chicago, making plenty of enemies in the process. Pinkerton was also a passionate abolitionist who admired Lincoln and saw him as the country's best hope for ending slavery.
When Pinkerton received Felton's urgent telegram about the threats against Lincoln, he immediately grasped the gravity of the situation. Within days, he was on a train to Philadelphia to meet with Felton and devise a plan to protect the president-elect.
As Pinkerton dug into the rumors and threats, he came to a chilling realization. The danger to Lincoln wasn't just from sabotaged railroads or invading militias. There was a very real possibility of an assassination attempt during Lincoln's highly publicized train journey to Washington. With only days to prepare, Pinkerton assembled his best agents for a daring undercover mission to infiltrate the secessionist groups in Baltimore and uncover their plans.
Pinkerton's Undercover Operation
Infiltrating Baltimore's Secessionist Circles
In early February 1861, Pinkerton and his team of detectives arrived in Baltimore to begin their covert investigation. They found a city seething with anti-Lincoln sentiment and talk of violent resistance to his presidency.
Pinkerton himself assumed the identity of John Hutcheson, a stockbroker from Alabama. He set up an office in the same building as Thomas Luckett, a known secessionist, hoping to gain his trust and access to insider information.
Meanwhile, Pinkerton's operative Harry Davies took on the role of a New Orleans dandy, ingratiating himself with Otis Hillard, a dim-witted Baltimore socialite with connections to secessionist groups. After several nights of drinking and carousing, Davies was able to extract hints about a large-scale plot against Lincoln.
Uncovering the Assassination Plot
Pinkerton's big break came when he was able to meet face-to-face with Cypriano Ferrandini, the barber who seemed to be at the center of the conspiracy. Over drinks, an agitated Ferrandini ranted about Lincoln and declared that "murder of any kind is justifiable and right to save the rights of Southern people."
It became clear to Pinkerton that Ferrandini and his associates were planning to assassinate Lincoln during his scheduled stop in Baltimore en route to Washington. The pieces of the puzzle were coming together, but time was running out. Lincoln's train was already making its way east, and Pinkerton needed to warn the president-elect's team before it was too late.
Lincoln's Perilous Journey
The Start of the Inaugural Tour
On February 11, 1861, Abraham Lincoln departed his hometown of Springfield, Illinois to begin his journey to Washington for his inauguration. Against the advice of some friends, Lincoln chose not to travel with a military escort. He did have a small security detail of tough ex-soldiers, but was largely unprotected as he made his way across the country.
At each stop along the route, Lincoln was greeted by large, enthusiastic crowds eager to see their new president. He charmed them with his folksy humor and down-to-earth manner. But the adoring crowds also presented a security risk, as Lincoln was frequently exposed and vulnerable as he gave speeches and shook hands with well-wishers.
Growing Risks and Warnings
As the journey progressed, the security risks became more apparent. In Cincinnati, Lincoln was mobbed by an out-of-control crowd, demonstrating how easily someone with ill intent could have harmed him. His bodyguards were often overwhelmed trying to protect him.
Meanwhile, Allan Pinkerton was racing to warn Lincoln's team about the assassination plot he had uncovered in Baltimore. He sent urgent messages to Norman Judd, a member of Lincoln's entourage, but Judd was initially skeptical about taking drastic action based on Pinkerton's warnings.
It wasn't until Lincoln reached New York that Judd finally agreed to meet with Pinkerton and railroad magnate Samuel Felton in Philadelphia. There, they laid out the evidence of the Baltimore plot and urged immediate action to protect the president-elect.
The Midnight Dash to Washington
With Lincoln due to arrive in Baltimore in just days, Pinkerton devised a bold plan to sneak the president-elect through the city under cover of darkness. On the night of February 22, Lincoln boarded a private train in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania disguised in a soft cap instead of his trademark top hat.
Accompanied only by Judd, a bodyguard, and Pinkerton's female operative Kate Warne, Lincoln traveled incognito to Philadelphia. There, they boarded a public sleeper car bound for Washington, with Lincoln posing as Warne's invalid brother.
The most dangerous part of the journey came in the early morning hours of February 23 as they passed through Baltimore. Lincoln and his small party remained hidden in their berth as the train car was transferred between stations, coming within blocks of where the assassins lay in wait.
Thanks to careful planning and a bit of luck, Lincoln made it safely through Baltimore undetected. By the time Ferrandini and his co-conspirators realized what had happened, Lincoln was already in Washington preparing for his inauguration.
Aftermath and Legacy
Reaction to Lincoln's Secret Journey
When news broke that Lincoln had been smuggled into Washington to avoid an assassination attempt, it caused a sensation. Many newspapers mocked the president-elect, accusing him of cowardice unbecoming of a leader. Political cartoons portrayed Lincoln disguised in women's clothing or hiding in a box.
The controversy over Lincoln's clandestine journey was soon overshadowed, however, by the outbreak of the Civil War. Just over a month after taking office, Lincoln faced the first shots fired at Fort Sumter, plunging the nation into four years of bloody conflict.
The Civil War and Lincoln's Presidency
Lincoln's time as president would be defined by the immense human toll of the Civil War. More Americans died during his administration than in all other American wars combined up to that point. Lincoln himself was haunted by the death and suffering, including the loss of his own young son Willie while in office.
But amid the tragedy, Lincoln also achieved monumental change. His Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 freed over 3 million enslaved people and set the stage for the eventual abolition of slavery nationwide. Had the Baltimore plot succeeded, this transformative act likely never would have occurred.
Lingering Mysteries
Some aspects of the Baltimore assassination conspiracy remain shrouded in mystery to this day. The full roster of plotters was never conclusively identified, and it's unclear whether they acted independently or as part of a larger organized effort.
The Knights of the Golden Circle and other secessionist groups remained active throughout the 1860s, with many members joining the Confederate army. Their white supremacist ideology lived on as well, inspiring future generations of hate groups.
Lincoln's Enduring Impact
Though his life was cut short by an assassin's bullet in 1865, Abraham Lincoln's impact on American history was profound and long-lasting. His leadership preserved the Union through its greatest crisis and set the nation on a path toward greater equality and justice.
The Baltimore Plot of 1861 represents a pivotal moment when the course of history hung in the balance. Had Lincoln's enemies succeeded in killing him before he took office, the Civil War and the fate of slavery may have unfolded very differently. Thanks to the efforts of Allan Pinkerton and his agents, Lincoln survived to become one of America's greatest presidents and most revered historical figures.
Conclusion
"The Lincoln Conspiracy" offers a gripping account of a little-known but critically important episode in American history. It highlights the very real dangers Lincoln faced even before taking office, as well as the determination of those who sought to protect him and preserve the Union.
The book paints a vivid picture of a nation on the brink of disintegration, with partisan tensions, regional rivalries, and the fundamental issue of slavery threatening to tear the country apart. Against this backdrop, the plot to assassinate Lincoln takes on even greater significance as a potential turning point that could have dramatically altered the course of events.
Meltzer's narrative also sheds light on the pivotal role played by Allan Pinkerton and his operatives in uncovering and thwarting the Baltimore Plot. Their work represents an early example of the type of intelligence gathering and protective services that would become increasingly important in safeguarding American leaders.
Ultimately, "The Lincoln Conspiracy" serves as a reminder of how fragile democracy can be in times of extreme polarization and conflict. It underscores the importance of principled leadership and the courage of those willing to stand up against forces of division and hatred. Lincoln's survival of the Baltimore Plot allowed him to lead the nation through its darkest hour and set it on a path toward greater justice and equality - a legacy that continues to resonate today.
The book leaves readers with a deeper appreciation for the challenges Lincoln faced and the high stakes of his presidency. It also prompts reflection on the ongoing struggle to live up to America's founding ideals and overcome the legacy of slavery and racism. By examining this critical moment in history, we gain valuable perspective on the importance of protecting democratic institutions and working to bridge societal divisions in our own time.