A. Lincoln: His Last 24 Hours

by W. Emerson Reck

This short but scholarly book details those fateful hours of April 14, 1865. Every incident of the day is included, from the moment Lincoln arose until that evening when he died. Although basically a research book, it has a readable narrative style that sweeps readers along into the events of the day. Thus it should appeal to various types of students. Numerous illustrations, both photographs and drawings, add interest and realism. An appendix recounts some of the unsolved mysteries surrounding Lincoln's assassination. These include the suitability of his bodyguard that evening and the uncertainty of the autopsy findings. Extensive footnotes help to authenticate the material, and a lengthy bibliography documents the research.

Genres: History, Civil War

232 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 1987

Reviews

[Charles M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps the most comprehensive book regarding Lincoln's last day alive. Beats Jim Bishop's execllent, "The Day Lincoln was Shot".

[Fred Grogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

About 160 pages of sometimes moment by moment detail relating where Lincoln was, and what he was doing during his last 24 hours or more.
Reck started gathering his sources quite some time before he published. He relates that he was inspired by a college instructor in 1930 who had been in the crowd during one of the Lincoln Douglas debates. Lincoln had pointed to this man, a child at the time, and said "Not in my lifetime perhaps, but surely during this young lad's lifetime the slaves will be free". Reck took great inspiration from the idea of such a witness standing before him and began gathering source material that much later he composed into this book.
There are interludes such as Lincoln reading passages from Orpheus C. Kerr that particularly amused he and friends. Numerous people who met with him that day remarked on what a cheerful mood the president was in. It is a theme running throughout the beginning of the book.
Other items of interest are the possible confirmation that the cracked plate Gardner photograph was not Lincoln's last. The alternate photo is shown but accompanying information is brief.
Also of interest mention is made of, but no details provided about, Eli Price's $500 dollar check to Lincoln, which is still a mystery.
The story of the circumstances of the visit to Ford's theater and the panoply of actors good and bad meeting there is well described and probably the most detailed section, as I guess it should be.
You can read it yourself. It is too sad to describe here.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book at the Ford's Theatre Museum in 1994 and enjoyed re-reading it. A very detailed examination of the last day of Lincoln's life.

[Andrew-Isb · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part, I enjoyed reading this book. Some people may know the general idea of the Lincoln assassination, but this book reaches into the depths of Lincoln's life that seems to come together in one book. Lincolns is a very tragic man on the last day of his too-short life. The relief and joy that Lincoln must have felt with the end of the Civil War, his concern for how to achieve the nearly impossible task of reconstructing America, and the never-ending personal challenges he faced in dealing with his wife are all captured within Lincoln's own words as well as through comments from observers who had contact with him on his last day.

This a great book for those who are interested in history and want to exploit a more detailed explanation of Lincoln's assassination. I highly recommend it. :)