This book by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard (tell people the second author if you don’t want to admit reading a book by O’Reilly) have written an excellent book. The Prologue begins with Lincoln’s oath of office for his second term. Andrew Johnson gave a drunken speech followed by Lincoln appealing for reunification. He said, “With malice toward none and charity for all…to bind up the nation’s wounds, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace…” John Wilkes Booth was standing only a few feet from Lincoln. He actually lunged at Lincoln, was restrained by Officer John Westfall, and explains he stumbled.

Lincoln was on the decks of the steamboat River Queen about four weeks later watching “the rolling thunder of heavy metal” as Union artillery pounded the Confederate defenses at Petersburg. The book elegantly describes the horrors of war as the Union Army works to drive Lee and the Confederates out of Petersburg after a long and brutal siege. Lee abandons the city and begins a retreat with Grant’s huge army in pursuit. There is a description of Lincoln riding through what had just recently been a battlefield “…littered with hundreds of dead soldiers, their unburied bodies swollen by death, and sometimes stripped bare by scavengers.”

The book weaves Booth’s story with the story of the final Civil War battles. Booth’s father had abandoned his wife and two children in England and fled to America with an eighteen year old girl who would be Booth’s mother. Booth was active in Confederate espionage, and had received money from Jefferson Davis’s office to fund his activities. The plan was originally to kidnap Lincoln and smuggle him out of Washington. Booth’s secret engagement to Lucy Hale ended in a political argument and clears the way for Booth to plot kill Lincoln.

The next chapters describe the desperate chase of Lee and his soldiers, and his men were virtually or actually shoeless, starving, weary, low on or out of ammunition, and fearful of the fate of their families. One man is quoted as saying, “I would die, yes I would die willingly, because I love my country. But if this war is ever over, I’ll be damned if I ever love another country.” They continue to fight effectively when “Marse Lee” asks that of them. The Union fails to cut them off from crossing High Bridge. The next battle was at Sayler’s Creek. Lee comes across what he sees as a “harmless mob,” and is shocked to realize it is his army. The first action often taken by the Union soldiers when Confederates surrendered was to give them food.

Lee tries for hours to arrange surrender, and finally receives a message from Grant signed, “Very respectfully, your obedient servant, U.S. Grant, Lieutenant-General.” Lee meets the bedraggled Grant wearing his fine uniform and ceremonial sword. As requested by Lincoln, the gist of the terms was for the Confederate Army to put down their weapons and go home.

The book then turns to the plans for assassination with detailed interesting information about the conspiracy and conspirators. History has given Mary Surratt, the only woman hanged in America, much well-deserved attention. She is described as being “…an active Confederate sympathizer who has been involved with spying and smuggling weapons.” There is no doubt her son John was actively involved in the conspiracy. The plan was to assassinate Lincoln, Grant, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Secretary of State William Seward. It is questioned why Stanton was spared from the plot. Connections between Booth, a shady character named Lafayette Baker, and Stanton “…continues to intrigue and befuddle scholars.” Baker and Booth had very large sums of money sent to them at the same address by a Canadian company. Stanton assigned Baker as the lead to track down Booth, and it is speculated that he wanted Booth killed before he could talk. Stanton took possession of Booth’s diary which had eighteen missing pages when he relinquished it two years later. One of the saddest details was that eighty-seven soldiers drowned in the swamps of Virginia searching for Booth.

There are numerous small details that make the book a worthwhile read. It is mentioned that Lincoln wears size 14 shoes and his usual breakfast is a cup of coffee and a single boiled egg. Booth is described “…as faithful as a traveling thespian could be, which is to say he made love to other women but considered them to be second to his fiancé Lucy Hale in his heart.” Booth asks Lucy for a photo when he tells her goodbye and slips it into his pocket next to the pictures of four other women. “The life of a narcissist is often cluttered.”

Mary Lincoln has tickets to “Aladdin,” but decides to instead attend “Our American Cousin” to see the one thousandth performance of Laura Keene. Lincoln does not want to go, because he has had a dream that is a premonition of his assassination. He mentions misgivings several times on his last day. Stanton warned Lincoln to take a bodyguard to the theatre, but twice refuses to allow his bodyguard to accompany Lincoln. Lincoln invites the Grants to attend, but Julia Grant refuses to go because she considered Mary Lincoln to be “…unstable and a gossip…”  Lincoln would invite several people to the theatre who decline. Lincoln has two guards. William Crook is alert and dependable. John Parker is frequently drunk and is seldom either dependable. He deserts his station outside the box where Lincoln is watching the play to go next door for a drink.

There are several chapters detailing the plans for the assassination and Booth’s activities. Booth writes a letter to be delivered to a newspaper that is intended to make certain he gets credit for the murder. He lists his conspirators. He also leaves evidence in his room that links him to Jefferson Davis’s office and a million-dollar espionage fund in Montreal. There is also a valise with “…damning evidence that implicates John Surratt and, by extension, his mother Mary.”

Lewis Powell attacks and severely injures four people in his attempt to murder Secretary of State Seward. George Atzerodt is too drunk to carry out an attempt on Andrew Johnson. Booth shot Lincoln when a female character is described as a “…sockdologizing old man trap,” which always draws loud laughter from the audience. The book names all of the people who come into incidental contact with Lincoln after he is shot, including the four soldiers who carry Lincoln across the street. Lincoln dies in a room John Wilkes Booth had rented often the previous summer.

There is a massive search for possible conspirators, and the jails are described as being filled. However, John Parker was never punished in any manner for leaving his post guarding the door to Lincoln to go drinking. One has to wonder who protected him and whether he had been told or ordered to leave his post.  On the other hand, George Atzerodt was hanged despite the fact he was too drunk to attack Andrew Johnson. Lewis Powell yelled “Mrs. Surratt is innocent!” moments before both were hanged. She died of strangulation five minutes later.

I have three “nits to pick.” It is mentioned that Lincoln freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation, but not that only the slaves in “areas in rebellion” were to be freed.  Robert E. Lee is listed in most documents as five foot ten, not six feet tall. Finally, Seward’s body guard is described both as a Sergeant and a Private on pages 201-202.