The Secret Plot to Kill America's 16th President – and Why It Failed
A thrilling account of a plot that threatened the fate of a nation.
Division, hostility, and uncertainty ravaged the United States at the start of 1861. Northern states, such as Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, and southern ones, such as Georgia and South Carolina, have never been more disparate—socially, economically, and politically. The destiny of the South's approximately three million enslaved people was essential to the schism. Their labor sustained the Southern way of life, which the aristocratic planter class was determined to preserve. The storm of civil war was brewing, and when it broke, it would kill more Americans than all the battles from the American Revolution to World War II put together.
Abraham Lincoln's election in November 1860 sparked the splintering of the United States. The South widely despised Lincoln, an outspoken abolitionist. Southern leaders, business magnates, and members of secretive, armed militias that would eventually give rise to the Ku Klux Klan promised to die to prevent Lincoln from reaching office.
Lincoln would have to pass through the fervently separatist city of Baltimore on his way to his inauguration in Washington, D.C. For those who wished Lincoln well, this was their most excellent chance.
In this brief, you will learn.
How an impulsive monetary gift saved Lincoln's life
Why did someone threaten to put a "spider in Lincoln's dumpling"?
Lincoln's codename during the midnight rush to Washington was highly inappropriate.
1. In his arguments with Douglas, Abraham Lincoln established himself as a convincing speaker as well as an abolitionist.
August 1858 was the dog days of summer, and the hamlet of Ottawa, Illinois, was bustling with activity. Thousands of people from across the state had been arriving for days. Now, on the day everyone had been waiting for, Ottawa was hosting more than double its average population.
The atmosphere was joyous, but this was no county fair; it was a policy discussion between Illinois' two contenders for the United States Senate.
Stephen Douglas was a heavy favorite to win. Douglas, a wealthy landowner, slave owner, and Washington insider, had already served two terms in the Senate. His opponent was a new rural lawyer from Kentucky, whose name recognition was so low that the newspapers kept calling him Abram Lincoln.
The main point here is that in the debates with Douglas, Abraham Lincoln proved himself to be a convincing speaker and an abolitionist.
The two opponents differed more than simply in their backgrounds. They appeared to be complete physical opposites, almost comically so. Douglas was small and stubby, with prominent cheeks. Lincoln was a foot taller than Douglas, with a gawky frame and an angular visage that the newspapers described as frightening.
Their politics were diametrically opposed, especially when it came to the hotly debated issue of slavery. Douglas was a passionate pro-slavery supporter and white supremacist. "I do not regard the negro as my equal," he went on to say. "He belongs to an inferior race and must always occupy an inferior position."
Lincoln, for his part, utilized folksy humor to captivate the audience. He only grew impassioned over the problem of slavery. To have a "zeal for the spread of slavery, I cannot but hate," he went on to say. "I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself."
Illinois, a swing state, closely followed the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Although Lincoln lost the race, his closeness to unseating an incumbent received significant media attention. Lincoln's reputation as an abolitionist and eloquent speaker was gaining traction.
Two years later, in 1860, the Illinois State Republican Convention chose Lincoln as the Republican presidential nominee for Illinois. He'd gotten so popular that he had to crowdsurf to the stage. He eventually rode the wave to become the National Republican Party's nominee. Lincoln was running for President.
However, in New York, publications continued to misspell his name.
2. Political instability in the South contributed to what many considered a nightmare outcome: President-elect Lincoln.
In the South, the reception for Lincoln's nomination was polarizing. Cypriano Ferrandini, a Corsican immigrant who had found intellectual refuge in the South's radical politics, ran a barbershop in Baltimore, where a group of men gathered as word spread that the Republican presidential nominee was a Northern abolitionist. Ferrandini's barbershop has become a gathering place for Baltimore's top white nationalists. This was the breaking point for them, as it was for many others in the South.
The North saw an increase in support for the abolition of slavery. The Southern planter elite became more concerned that their way of life, which relied on slave labor, was under attack from a government that no longer represented them. Violence was on the upswing, including in Washington's halls of power. A South Carolina representative nearly killed an abolitionist Massachusetts senator on the floor of the United States Congress in 1856.
The essential point here is that political upheaval in the South aided in the election of President-elect Lincoln, which many feared would be disastrous.
In the years leading up to the 1860 election, membership in the Knights of the Golden Circle, a clandestine organization sworn to defend white Southern rights, even if it meant using force, increased dramatically. Ferrandini and his comrades, along with other knights, always carried loaded revolvers and Bowie knives. By 1860, the group had an estimated 40,000 members.
However, not all Southerners were violent secessionists. Secessionists and moderate Democrats made up the Democratic Party at the time. The 1860 Democratic National Convention highlighted how deeply divided the party was on the topic of secession. Fistfights frequently interrupted the especially acrimonious debates. Ultimately, a compromise could have been more attainable. The convention split, resulting in two rival presidential nominees.
With no cohesive opposition, Lincoln was expected to win the presidency. The South viewed this as a gloomy prospect. For the first time, the President may substantially undermine the institution of slavery. The vocabulary of insurrection became more common in Southern newspapers: "We must not submit," said Alabama's Montgomery Weekly Mail.
On Election Day, November 6, Lincoln stayed up late, calculating probabilities for each state and watching the returns. He won comfortably, and he spent the night partying and thanking his fans.
By 3 a.m., he was finally alone. He couldn't sleep because he was filled with dread. Looking up from his chair in a gloomy room, he noticed himself in a mirror. With a start, he saw a ghostly double vision of his face.
He and his wife spent the next few weeks obsessively thinking about the vision. Finally, they decided that the omen was not auspicious. It meant an untimely death.
3. As Lincoln prepared to take office, the South reacted negatively.
During the election campaign, Lincoln stated that he had no intention of abolishing slavery where it already existed. Lincoln's sole goal was to stop the introduction of slavery into new U.S. territories. Nonetheless, Southerners saw his election as the apocalypse. It solidified their growing rift with the North. The North, not the South, elected Lincoln president.
Southerners did not hesitate to act, both individually and collectively.
Lincoln quickly began receiving approximately 70 letters each day. Not all came from well-wishers. Death threats and rambling vows of eternal hatred were common, with up to a dozen issued per day. The other said, "Old Abe Lincoln, God damn your god damned old Hellfired god damned soul to hell..." and so on and so on. Another person threatened to "put a spider in your dumpling."
The main takeaway here is that as Lincoln prepared to take office, the South reacted negatively to his election.
Lincoln's victory sparked heated reactions from more than just eccentric arachnophiles. Just three days after the election, the South Carolina state assembly carried out a threat by voting to separate from the United States in December. Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, and Georgia followed suit quickly after South Carolina.
The South was ecstatic, and the North was stunned. Lincoln's election had sparked secession, and now everyone was looking to him for an answer. However, in those days, it was customary for a president-elect to maintain silence before commencing his term as a gesture of respect towards the previous administration. Lincoln remained silent, with the exception of a few letters to party leaders emphasizing his opposition to slavery.
In any event, he and his newly hired team had a large number of administrative duties to complete. He had not just a new job to prepare for but also a cross-country relocation to plan. Furthermore, he had become the country's most famous and sought-after guy.
He would give the people what they desired: a promotional tour from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C. It would be a complicated voyage, with tickets from several railroad companies and regional parts, timed pauses, and meetings with local officials. Not to mention overnight bookings and secure baggage transit. With so many moving elements, there is plenty of room for error.
Lincoln's security staff was especially concerned about one aspect of the journey: the final leg would take the president-elect deep into hostile territory.
4. Threats were apparent everywhere. Fortunately, Felton contacted the only man who could connect the connections.
Rumors spread around Washington. There were whispers of hidden organizations attempting to prevent Lincoln from taking office and an invasion of Southern militias assisted by sleeper agents already present in the city. The city was in a perilous situation, wedged between two slave states, Virginia and Maryland. If a Southern militia invaded, it would lose government support.
Rumors were also spreading north to railroad mogul Samuel Felton's Philadelphia office. There, he learned that a mysterious gang intended to blow up his train links between Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, preventing Lincoln from reaching the capital.
Even more troubling, when Felton approached George Kane, the Baltimore Police Marshal, with his findings, Kane dismissed him casually. Felton was well aware of Kane's declared secessionist views.
The key takeaway here is that threats were practically everywhere. Fortunately, Felton reached out to the only person who could make the necessary connections.
Felton knew just the man for the task, someone who had previously assisted him in a difficult situation. On January 19, he sent an urgent message to Allan Pinkerton in Chicago.
Pinkerton was America's first private investigator and a pioneer in his area. He was intelligent, inventive, and didn't give up easily. He specialized in bank robberies and counterfeit operations and had apprehended some of Chicago's most notorious criminals. He had made many enemies and survived at least one assassination attempt.
Pinkerton was in charge of a thriving business with dozens of employees when Felton's telegraph arrived. Among them was Kate Warne, the first female investigator in the United States.
Pinkerton was also a man of solid principles. He was an ardent abolitionist and a fan of Lincoln, Illinois' native hero. His Chicago mansion was a popular stop for those fleeing slavery and heading to Canada.
Pinkerton was alarmed by Felton's warning and hastened to Philadelphia. After meeting with the railroad magnate, he had an even more terrifying epiphany. The stories of armed secessionists, secret political cabals of white nationalists, and train saboteurs were scary enough. However, the president-elect has finally made the schedule of his press tour public. Those who wanted him ill would be able to do so at home in the South, as intended.
Worst of all, Pinkerton only had a few days to devise a strategy to defend the best chance America has ever had to put an end to slavery.
5. Pinkerton's investigators went undercover in Baltimore to identify and disrupt any conspiracy against the president-elect.
A few days later, Pinkerton was on his way to Baltimore with his top agents. They'd only had a few days to practice their Southern accents, create bogus identities, and gather accessories for their disguises. Their strategy was surprisingly audacious: infiltrate the groups of white supremacist secessionists in Baltimore, learn about their preparations, and disrupt them, ensuring Lincoln's inauguration.
When they arrived in Baltimore, they discovered a city rife with rage, self-righteousness, and hate centered on a single target: Lincoln. Pinkerton believed that it was just a matter of time until an open uprising broke out.
On February 11, Pinkerton adopted his new identity. He was now known as John Hutcheson, an Alabama stockbroker. The location of Hutcheson's office was no coincidence. Thomas Luckett, a stockbroker and avowed separatist, had his offices in the same building.
The crucial message here is that Pinkerton's investigators went undercover in Baltimore to uncover and disrupt any plot against the president-elect.
Pinkerton's other operatives were making their debuts in white supremacist Baltimore society. Harry Davies was a young and handsome man with a refined New Orleans accent that fitted him well for the job. His target was Otis Hillard, a not-so-bright Baltimore socialite. Following several evenings of carousing in pubs, restaurants, and brothels, Davies discovered that Hillard spoke more freely after a few drinks.
Hillard had hinted at a large-scale movement against Lincoln. Still, it took a few more boisterous evenings packed with pro-secessionist rhetoric before Hillard was convinced of Davies' dedication to the cause. Hillard eventually brought Davies to Cypriano Ferrandini's barber shop, where wealthy Baltimore white nationalists congregate, to meet the plot's architect. But they had just missed him.
Meanwhile, Pinkerton was ingratiating himself with Thomas Luckett while passionately condemning Lincoln. On February 14, Luckett was especially enraged by the glowing treatment Lincoln was receiving in the Northern Press. He revealed his connection with a formidable organization capable of defying Lincoln, as well as their hidden weapons and ammo cache. Pinkerton saw an opportunity and offered Luckett the equivalent of $750 in today's money as a contribution. Impressed, Luckett offered to introduce Pinkerton to the organization's chief that same night.
It was Ferrandini, the barber. Over drinks, Ferrandini became more furious and convincing. He stated that "murder of any kind is justifiable and right to save the rights of Southern people." Pinkerton came to the horrifying discovery that Ferrandini was plotting to assassinate Lincoln right there in Baltimore.
6. As Lincoln began his marketing tour, his popularity—and the safety dangers—exceeded expectations.
Lincoln's procession left Springfield on February 11, 1861. Against the advice of those concerned about the alarming, frequent reports, Lincoln set out without a military escort. He did, however, have a few bodyguards, strong barroom brawlers, and former soldiers who understood how to handle themselves.
At each stop, throngs gathered to cheer on the president-elect's train. Lincoln arrived at each station with a friendly smile and a humorous comment. As news spread about Lincoln's engaging personality, the crowds got even more significant. The trip's organizers had plainly miscalculated the public's interest in the gangly man who would become their leader.
Cincinnati, Ohio, was the largest city they'd visited so far. On their trip from the station to their hotel, the Lincolns encountered a massive gathering of admirers. The truth is that Lincoln was susceptible. Anyone may have fired a gun during his lectures, meet-and-greets, or meals.
The main takeaway here is that once Lincoln began his marketing tour, his popularity—and the safety dangers—exceeded expectations.
As Lincoln was settling in for the night at his Cincinnati hotel, a stranger approached reception and refused to say no. He demanded to see Norman Judd, a member of the president-elect's party. The messenger had just arrived from Chicago to hand deliver a message from Pinkerton. Pinkerton knew Judd from Chicago and thought he could trust him with the explosive material in the letter, which stated that there was a plan against Lincoln's life.
Judd paused. There had already been numerous threats, he reasoned. Why is this one any different? He wrote a letter to Pinkerton in Baltimore, urging the detective to keep him updated on the situation. He would be vigilant but take no particular action.
But Lincoln's publicity trip was about to become much more turbulent and unpredictable.
When the train arrived at the Buffalo, New York, station on February 16, there was commotion. When former President Millard Fillmore approached Lincoln to greet him, the mob grew uncontrolled. Lincoln's security team was overwhelmed. One of Lincoln's bodyguards dislocated his shoulder. Some members of the crowd passed out due to the pressure. Lincoln himself was crushed but not harmed.
The risk seemed to be increasing by the day, and they were still in firmly Republican anti-slavery territory.
Lincoln was due to be in Baltimore in only seven days. Neither he nor his colleagues knew what awaited him there.
7. With only a few days until Lincoln passed through Baltimore, Pinkerton convinced his security detail of the risk.
The pushy stranger in Lincoln's Cincinnati hotel was not Pinkerton's only agent on the scene. Warne was speeding through the night on a train from Baltimore to New York. Pinkerton had trusted her with another important message for Norman Judd.
They planned to use code names until they achieved their goal. Lincoln's name was somewhat inappropriate for a man aspiring to the nation's highest office. Nuts became the president-elect's nickname from that point forward.
Judd encountered a series of surprises upon his arrival in New York. First, Pinkerton sent a woman agent to meet with him. Furthermore, she had a letter containing additional proof of a plot to assassinate Lincoln, which was to take place on February 23 in Baltimore. Finally, when Judd asked for further information, the stubborn woman dared to decline.
The crucial point here is that, with only a few days until Lincoln passed through Baltimore, Pinkerton convinced his security detail of the risk.
Warne invited Judd to Philadelphia to meet with Felton, the railroad heir, and Pinkerton himself. They would thoroughly brief each other and collaborate on a plan of action. After this discussion on February 21, Judd was convinced enough of the risk to inform his employer.
But how would they transport Lincoln from Philadelphia to Washington without passing through Baltimore? They would not. Pinkerton's goal was to slip Lincoln into Baltimore on a nighttime train ahead of schedule so no one knew he was there.
It was now time to inform Lincoln about the conspiracy against him. After considerable battling with crowds and handlers, they eventually sat down with Lincoln in a hotel room. Lincoln said nothing, while Judd and Pinkerton described the extraordinary series of events that had led them there, the hostile attitude in Baltimore, and the mindset of the secessionists they had encountered. Pinkerton concluded by warning of an assassination attempt in Baltimore if the plans remained unchanged.
Pinkerton suggested that if they moved immediately, they would be able to catch the late train to Washington.
After a pause, Lincoln said no. He would complete his commitments the next day and then agree to whatever they thought was best.
8. As Lincoln's opponents finalized their plans, Pinkerton, Warne, and Lincoln embarked on a perilous overnight trip.
Meanwhile, back in Baltimore, the covert gang plotting against Lincoln invited Harry Davies to a gathering. In a convoluted ceremony, he was sworn in by Ferrandini, dressed entirely in black, who laid out the plan: to kill Lincoln on Saturday, February 23, shortly after 1:00 p.m., while the president-elect was moving between train stations in Baltimore. This left less than three days to act.
George Kane, Baltimore's police marshal, was aware of the plan. He would ensure that Lincoln did not have an appropriate police escort.
The meeting's objective was to select who would really administer the fatal shot. They'd draw ballots, and whoever drew the red one would get the job. Nobody would know who had drawn the red ballot until they fired the shot.
The essential takeaway here is that as Lincoln's opponents finalized their plans, Pinkerton, Warne, and Lincoln embarked on a frantic overnight trip.
Warne and Pinkerton were in Philadelphia, making last-minute plans for a secret, desperate expedition. Maintaining confidentiality would take a lot of work. Lincoln was extremely tall and had a notoriously unique face. The travel would be on public transportation, where everyone could see him. They would have to keep him hidden across four major cities, three railroad lines, six train stations, and multiple vehicles.
At 6:00 p.m. On February 22, the strategy that would determine a nation's fate began. Only Judd and one hefty bodyguard accompanied Lincoln as he boarded a private chartered train from Harrisburg to Philadelphia, disguised in a soft felt cap instead of his trademark top hat. Warne and Pinkerton met at the party in Philadelphia, where Warne had reserved a seat on a public sleeper. The passenger manifest mentioned Lincoln as Warne's invalid brother.
Lincoln's chariot approached the Philadelphia station on a gloomy side street. Pinkerton and Lincoln hurriedly approached the train, entered through the back door, and met Warne face-to-face. After placing their 'invalid brother' into the sleeping berth, they both dropped into their seats for an anxious night.
Around 3:30 a.m., they arrived in Baltimore, a city of adversaries. Lincoln and his chaperones remained seated as station workers removed the engine from the carriage and attached it to horses that would draw it to the other station in Baltimore. This was the moment of greatest vulnerability. The party would travel within four blocks of Ferrandini's barbershop.
They arrived at the opposite station and waited for workers to attach the carriage to the train bound for Washington. It departed around 4:30 a.m. Ferrandini and his conspirators arrived too late.
9. Despite defeating the conspiracy, Lincoln still faced difficulties and eternal posthumous glory.
When Lincoln and Pinkerton arrived in Washington, neither had slept for nearly 48 hours. But the mission still needed to be done. Pinkerton still needed to conceal Lincoln's identity when they passed through the Washington station. He failed. A middle-aged man jumped out, clutching Lincoln and shouting his name. Pinkerton lunged.
"Do not attack him! "That is my friend!" Lincoln shouted. Pinkerton sheepishly removed the man's lapels. Lincoln chuckled as he introduced him to his old acquaintance, an Illinois congressman.
The three boarded a carriage bound for a hotel where Lincoln could relax. Pinkerton also began to relax. For the first time in his life, Lincoln wasn't responsible for his own well-being. They had foiled the covert scheme, ensuring the safety of the president-elect.
The primary takeaway is that, despite preventing the conspiracy, Lincoln still endured suffering and achieved eternal posthumous glory.
Word spread across the Capitol about Lincoln's smuggling into Washington to thwart an assassination attempt in Baltimore, becoming a topic of conversation. The press seized the opportunity, caricaturing Lincoln and accusing him of cowardice unworthy of a president. However, other events would soon eclipse the outrage over Lincoln's journey.
On April 12, thirty-nine days after Lincoln's inauguration as President, the Confederate army opened fire on Fort Sumter, a Union outpost in South Carolina. These were the first shots fired during the Civil War.
Death would haunt Lincoln throughout his presidency. Ultimately, more Americans perished under Lincoln's administration than in all preceding wars from the American Revolution to WWII combined. His little son, Willie, died while he was in office.
Some aspects of the Baltimore Plot are still a mystery. We never definitively identified either of the conspirators. While many of the alleged plotters were members of the Knights of the Golden Circle, they most likely operated outside of the formal organization.
The Knights of the Golden Circle were active into the 1860s. Many members joined the Confederate Army. Many noteworthy people, including a young actor named John Wilkes Booth, devised their own methods of conveying the white supremacist, secessionist ideology. On April 15, 1865, Booth shot Lincoln in the head at Ford's Theatre in Washington, killing him.
Despite his premature death, Lincoln's accomplishments throughout his administration impacted the country forever. If the Baltimore Plot had succeeded, Lincoln would never have issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which was arguably the most radical and far-reaching political declaration since the Declaration of Independence. On January 1, 1863, the United States released almost three million enslaved individuals all at once.
Final Summary
In the anxious days leading up to Lincoln's first inauguration, Southern secessionists swore to do whatever it took to prevent him from taking office, including treason. Only through teamwork, serendipity, and a finely honed set of phony Southern accents was a motley gang of characters able to prevent the assassination plot. In doing so, they paved the way for the abolition of slavery, America's most significant political act since the Declaration of Independence.