SO well and deeply researched is this book, that I ran into some info that I have long wanted to obtain, but was not quite so complete in other sources.
Lincoln was a religious man, but not a regular church goer in his adult life. His parents were "hard shell" Baptists and he attended Pigeon Creek Baptist Church during his young years. ...But his attendance "became sporadic" as he moved into adult life. He did throughout his life carry on with daily reading of scriptures, and often used scripture verses to punctuate his public pronouncements. (e.g. "a house divided against itself, cannot stand")
We all know that Lincoln was assassinated in Ford's theater, on 4/14/1865, which was Good Friday evening..and some of his most loyal followers dwelt upon the connection.
Many however do not know that Lincoln was not the only target of the plot. This was a true insurrection plot! Also targeted was Vice President Johnson, Secretary of State, Seward, Gen US Grant, , and Secretary of war Stanton.
This was a long brewing plot. A month earlier, a conspirator and former Confederate soldier named O'Laughlin laid grass along a road to a soldier's home, where he expected Lincoln to travel.. His plan was to kidnap Lincoln, but while lying there, began to think about how he may be hanged, so he was somewhat relieved to discover that as the carriage passed below his position, it was Samuel B Chase, and not Lincoln.
The April 14 plot thickens.. Gen Grant and his wife Julia are to attend a play called "Our American Cousin", on that fateful evening.. Booth figures to kill two with one attack..more if he could, including Mary Lincoln.
Each assassin carried more than one weapon..freshly sharpened Bowie knives were included.
To be continued..
