The Baltimore Plot: The First Conspiracy to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln

By Michael J. Kline

Book Overview

The Complete Story of the First Attempt to Assassinate President Abraham Lincoln

"In a thrilling detective story of conspiracy, treachery and assassination, Michael J. Kline suggests how close the Baltimore plotters came to achieving their goal, and reveals how Lincoln and a few guards outwitted them. Meticulously researched and written with verve, "The Baltimore Plot" takes readers aboard Lincoln's inaugural train for a perilous and unforgettable journey." --James L. Swanson, author of the Edgar Award-winning New York Times bestseller Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer

On February 11, 1861, the "Lincoln Special" - Abraham Lincoln's private train--began its journey from Springfield, Illinois, to the City of Washington, carrying the president-elect to his inauguration as the sixteenth president of the United States. Considered a "sectional candidate" by the South, and winning the election without the popular vote, Lincoln was so despised that seven states immediately seceded from the Union. Over the next twelve days, Lincoln would speak at numerous stops, including Indianapolis, Columbus, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Albany, New York, and Philadelphia, expressing his desire to maintain the Union. But as Lincoln made his way east, America's first private detective, Allan Pinkerton, and a separate undercover operation by New York City detectives, uncovered startling evidence of a conspiracy to assassinate Lincoln during his next-to-last stop in Baltimore. Long a site of civil unrest--even Robert E. Lee's father, Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, was nearly beaten to death in its streets--Baltimore provided the perfect environment for a strike. The largest city of a border state with secessionist sympathies, Baltimore had been infiltrated by paramilitary groups bent on killing Lincoln, the "Black Republican." The death of the president-elect would, it was supposed, throw the nation into chaos and allow the South to establish a new nation and claim Washington as its capital. Warned in time, Lincoln outfoxed the alleged conspirators by slipping through Baltimore undetected, but at a steep price. Ridiculed by the press for "cowardice" and the fact that no conspirators were charged, Lincoln would never hide from the public again. Four years later, when he sat unprotected in the balcony of Ford's Theatre, the string of conspiracies against his life finally succeeded. One of the great presidential mysteries and long a source of fascination among Lincoln scholars, the Baltimore Plot has never been fully investigated until now. In The Baltimore Plot: The First Conspiracy to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln, Michael J. Kline turns his legal expertise to evaluating primary sources in order to discover the extent of the conspiracy and culpability of the many suspects surrounding the case. Full of memorable characters, including Kate Warne, the first female undercover agent, and intriguing plot twists, the story is written as an unfolding criminal proceeding in which the author allows the reader to determine whether there was a true plot to kill Lincoln and if the perpetrators could have been brought to trial.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594160716
• ISBN13: 9781594160714
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Westholme Publishing
• Length: 536 Pages
• Weight: 2.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.3" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

A WORTHY EFFORT

I am not certain which book Mister Durney was reading, but I have a hard time believing it was "The Baltimore Plot." I found the book fascinating and exactly what Michael Kline said it was - - an in-depth investigative look at circumstantial evidence surrounding the possibility of a plot. I am a former Federal Agent, and I found Kline's methodology interesting and thorough. He admits that it is circumstantial as there are no witnesses to interview, and written documents differ and contradict. His presentation kept my attention and I learned much from the text. What Kline did was very much like what is done in the intelligence community today when analyzing bits and pieces of unsubstantiated data from sources of varying reliability. Other than going back in time, as I'm certain Kline (and I) would love to do, his analysis is as good as it gets. I personally agree with his conclusion that there is a high probability of a plot, and recommend the book to anyone interested in Lincoln, the causes and political machinations of the Civil War, or anyone who wants to view an excellent word picture of those turbulent times.

A must read

This book was a captivating documentary about Lincoln and the men who were with him and the men who were against him. Kline lays the ground work for the law defining the conspiracy then goes on to place you in the middle of the conspiracy as well as to place you in the middle of Lincoln's balancing game - of his plan to travel to his inaugural vs. the strategy of Pinkerton to keep him alive during the process. Underlying the plot the reader is placed in the mid 1800's immersed in the politics of Lincoln's election, more specifically in the politics of the region including Maryland and more specifically that of Baltimore. The book is written from many different perspectives: people, politics and the law - it is as though Lincoln and the Plot is sitting in the center of a diamond and you are viewing him and the Plot through the window of each facet, and at a different angle throughout the book - It is truly ingenious to view Lincoln and the Plot in this comprehensive manner. To me though - the most important point of the entire book to me was the picture that was painted that answered the historical question as to the real reason WHY Booth shot Lincoln at Ford's Theater. For this reason, I consider this Book a Historical compilation that is a must read for every American.

Great Story Told Very Well

The Baltimore Plot is brilliant in its presentation. Evocatively written and endnoted completely, this book is first rate. Of course, as with all history there is some speculation on the writer's part; but, I for one find those parts fascinating and the questions offered add greatly to the book. The section on Lincoln's secret leave of Harrisburg, PA, is wonderfully rendered by Mr. Kline. What a terrific book!!

A Thoroughly Enjoyable Experience

There is nothing not to like about this book. The combination of exhaustive background research and the author's keen writing ability creates a historical drama that captures and keeps your attention throughout. There is something here for everyone. For history buffs, you will be engaged by the well-researched discussion of such an important time in our country's past. For those who enjoy legal drama, this book does not disappoint. The author leads you through the conspiracy evidence in a thought-provoking manner, such that you are the ultimate judge and jury on the critical issue of whether the conspiracy actually existed. As a lawyer myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the book. Finally, for anyone that simply enjoys a well-written book regardless of the subject matter, this one is for you. We should all keep our eyes out for more writings from Michael Kline.

A Persuasive Analysis that the 1861 Plot to Kill Lincoln Was Real

Michael J. Kline has written an engrossing, detailed account of the events surround presiden-elect Abraham Lincoln's danger-laden journey to Washington for his inauguration in 1861. And he presents a persuasive case that there was indeed a plot (or plots) to kill Lincoln before he could reach his destimation, most especially as he traversed the city of Baltimore. The case cannot, at this distance in time, be proven beyond any doubt, but I think that Kline lays out a case that should dispell reasonable doubt on the part of anyone with an open mind on the subject. Kline does not stop with the events of 1861, but carries on the story of connections between the 1861 conspirators and the eventual assassination of Lincoln in 1865 by John Wilkes Book. Again, a persuasive, but necessarily less than airtight case, is made that the connections were real, and that Booth's plot was not hatched in 1864 in a vacuum. Kline's work fits readily into recent scholarship that rejects the traditional portrait of Booth as merely a crazed individual, but places him in a larger context of secret operations and plots.