What do you think?
Rate this book
The Day Lincoln Was Shot
Gripping, minute-by-minute account of the day President Lincoln was struck down by an assassin's bullet in Ford's Theatre. Parallels of the activities of the President with those of his assassin in an unforgettable, suspense- filled chronicle. 320 pages.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1955
85 people are currently reading
1227 people want to read
About the author
Jim Bishop
58 books38 followersJames Alonzo "Jim" Bishop (November 21, 1907 – July 26, 1987) was an American journalist and author.
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, he dropped out of school after eighth grade. In 1923, he studied typing, shorthand and bookkeeping, and in 1929 began work as a copy boy at the New York Daily News. In 1930, he got a job as a cub reporter at New York Daily Mirror, where he worked until 1943, when he joined Collier's Magazine. He remained until 1945.
His plans to write for his friend and mentor, Hollywood producer Mark Hellinger, ended with Hellinger's death in 1947. Bishop wrote a biography of Hellinger in 1952. From 1946 to 1948, he was executive editor of Liberty magazine, then became director of the literary department at the Music Corporation of America until 1951. He was then founding editor of Gold Medal Books (the juvenile division of Fawcett Publications) until 1953. In the 1950s, Bishop would do his writing at the Jersey Shore in Sea Bright, New Jersey, going back to his home in Teaneck, New Jersey on weekends to see his wife and children.[1] In 1957, he started his column, "Jim Bishop: Reporter" with King Features Syndicate, which continued until 1983. It also landed him on the master list of Nixon political opponents.
The remainder of his career was spent writing biographical books about notable figures, and Christian-themed books. His book The Day Lincoln Was Shot was published in 1955, and became an instant best-seller. Bishop also wrote The Day Christ Died, The Day Christ Was Born, and The Day Kennedy Was Shot. Perhaps his most critically acclaimed book was FDR's Last Year: April 1944-April 1945, which brought to public awareness the secrecy that surrounded President Franklin D. Roosevelt's declining health during World War II.
The Day Lincoln Was Shot was dramatized on TV twice, first as a 1956 live special starring Raymond Massey as Abraham Lincoln and shown on the Ford Star Jubilee anthology series, and again as a 1998 made-for-television film starring Lance Henriksen as Lincoln. The Day Christ Died was made into a television film in 1980, starring Chris Sarandon as Jesus Christ, and Keith Michell as Pontius Pilate.
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, he dropped out of school after eighth grade. In 1923, he studied typing, shorthand and bookkeeping, and in 1929 began work as a copy boy at the New York Daily News. In 1930, he got a job as a cub reporter at New York Daily Mirror, where he worked until 1943, when he joined Collier's Magazine. He remained until 1945.
His plans to write for his friend and mentor, Hollywood producer Mark Hellinger, ended with Hellinger's death in 1947. Bishop wrote a biography of Hellinger in 1952. From 1946 to 1948, he was executive editor of Liberty magazine, then became director of the literary department at the Music Corporation of America until 1951. He was then founding editor of Gold Medal Books (the juvenile division of Fawcett Publications) until 1953. In the 1950s, Bishop would do his writing at the Jersey Shore in Sea Bright, New Jersey, going back to his home in Teaneck, New Jersey on weekends to see his wife and children.[1] In 1957, he started his column, "Jim Bishop: Reporter" with King Features Syndicate, which continued until 1983. It also landed him on the master list of Nixon political opponents.
The remainder of his career was spent writing biographical books about notable figures, and Christian-themed books. His book The Day Lincoln Was Shot was published in 1955, and became an instant best-seller. Bishop also wrote The Day Christ Died, The Day Christ Was Born, and The Day Kennedy Was Shot. Perhaps his most critically acclaimed book was FDR's Last Year: April 1944-April 1945, which brought to public awareness the secrecy that surrounded President Franklin D. Roosevelt's declining health during World War II.
The Day Lincoln Was Shot was dramatized on TV twice, first as a 1956 live special starring Raymond Massey as Abraham Lincoln and shown on the Ford Star Jubilee anthology series, and again as a 1998 made-for-television film starring Lance Henriksen as Lincoln. The Day Christ Died was made into a television film in 1980, starring Chris Sarandon as Jesus Christ, and Keith Michell as Pontius Pilate.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
May 20, 2021
April 14, 1865 (Good Friday, in that year) was the date of one of the most pivotal, and tragic, events of American history –-the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. With this 1955 landmark work of popular history, Jim Bishop brings that day to vivid life, in all its inherent drama, in a detailed nonfiction account. Already a history buff even back then, I read it in junior high school and found it fascinating, and it's stayed with me ever since, many even of its small details still well remembered.
Not an academically trained historian, Bishop actually had only an eighth-grade formal education. Like a number of other popular historians (Theodore H. White, Bruce Catton and William Shirer come to mind, just for starters), his background was in professional journalism, having risen from copy boy to reporter. Journalists, of course, deal with researching and uncovering the facts about events that have happened, and have to cultivate the ability to report those facts clearly and concisely in a readable style. Those are skills that naturally translate very well to historical research and writing historical narrative. In Bishop's case, that skill set was coupled with a long-term serious interest in Lincoln. He began researching this book, as he explains in his three-page preface “For the Record,” in 1930. In the intervening years, he examined a massive array of primary sources, and synthesized them brilliantly in the finished work here.
The body of the book is a literally hour-by-hour account of events in a period of just slightly over 24 hours, from 7:00 a.m. on April 14, when Lincoln emerged from his White House bedroom, until 7:22 a.m. on April 15, when he was pronounced dead. (Two chapters, in the section “The Days Before” set the stage and provide valuable context, starting in early 1865 and following both Lincoln and his officials and Booth and his co-conspirators; but these are placed, oddly, between the chapters for 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., breaking the flow of the narrative. I'd have placed them at the very beginning, but that's a small quibble.) Bishop's narrative not only follows the President and the conspirators but, where appropriate, other people who would play a part in events. It also presents a vivid description of the background setting, Washington City as it was in that day: slow-paced and essentially Southern in character, small compared to Baltimore, vastly different than it is today. (The social history included is some of the most interesting content of the book, at least to me, and greatly adds to its texture.) All of the narrative, even the exact dialogues, is drawn from the voluminous primary, first-person material –which often includes differing recollections, so piecing out the truth in a unified narrative required no small amount of detective work. Though his result often reads like an exciting (albeit ultimately grim) novel, as the author notes, the only liberties he took were occasional references to facial expressions or attributions of thoughts to certain people, “although in each case the thought is based on knowledge of facts then in the possession” of that person. Booth's conspiracy was aimed at a broader goal than simply assassinating the President; he also planned to have the Vice President and Secretary of State killed, and Bishop follows those strands of the plot as well. Finally, a short Postscript brings us up to date on what subsequently happened to the other players in the day's events.
Probably my strongest impression from the book was amazement at the (by today's standards) incredibly slipshod security surrounding a U.S. President at that time. (At the theater, Lincoln was attended by exactly one bodyguard, a feckless city policeman stationed outside the presidential box, who had left his post and gone to a nearby tavern for a drink before Booth arrived.) This was despite the fact that many of the government officials were seriously concerned about the possibility of an assassination attempt. However, they were fixated on the Confederate government as the source of the danger. In fact, in the lead-up to April 1865, the Confederate Secret Service really had been in off-and-on contact with Booth and his mostly mentally-challenged gaggle of misfits; but their intent was to kidnap Lincoln rather than murder him. Back in 1836, when Texan rebels had captured Mexican President Santa Anna (an event which at that time was in relatively recent living memory for many Americans, though Bishop doesn't develop that connection) they were able to condition his release on his signing a treaty granting Texan independence; these Confederates were hoping for a similar coup. (Booth's own plan, however, morphed into something a lot more deranged and bloodthirsty.) As Bishop notes, the uncritical assumption on the part of the Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton (who largely directed the government's initial response to the events) that he was dealing with a massive and well-organized official Confederate plot, rather than the actions of a handful of bumbling amateurs whom he could have counted on his fingers, explains a lot of the bungled and ambiguous decisions that would later give rise to wild complicity theories.
Although he doesn't use documentary footnotes, Bishop provides a page-and-1/2- long bibliography of primary and secondary sources, and also notes his general use of government documents and contemporary newspaper accounts. As noted above, his research was extensive, and included visiting both Ford's Theatre (now a museum) and the William Petersen house across the street, where Lincoln died; the book was also beta read by leading Civil War historian Bruce Catton and a few other Lincoln experts. A full-page map of contemporary Washington, and a section of 18 black-and-white photographs (mostly of people important to the narrative, a couple are apparently of artist's sketches prepared for newspapers) enhance the text. The four-page index is mostly of personal names.
Readers sensitive to racial epithets should be aware that these may appear in places, when the exact words of some of the people involved in this narrative (such as the conspirators) are quoted or summarized, and are not sanitized away. (I remember at least one instance.) But with that caveat, I'd enthusiastically recommend this book to all students of U.S. History, and especially students of the Civil War area. It would be rewarding to interested lay readers, but also useful to serious students in academic contexts.
Not an academically trained historian, Bishop actually had only an eighth-grade formal education. Like a number of other popular historians (Theodore H. White, Bruce Catton and William Shirer come to mind, just for starters), his background was in professional journalism, having risen from copy boy to reporter. Journalists, of course, deal with researching and uncovering the facts about events that have happened, and have to cultivate the ability to report those facts clearly and concisely in a readable style. Those are skills that naturally translate very well to historical research and writing historical narrative. In Bishop's case, that skill set was coupled with a long-term serious interest in Lincoln. He began researching this book, as he explains in his three-page preface “For the Record,” in 1930. In the intervening years, he examined a massive array of primary sources, and synthesized them brilliantly in the finished work here.
The body of the book is a literally hour-by-hour account of events in a period of just slightly over 24 hours, from 7:00 a.m. on April 14, when Lincoln emerged from his White House bedroom, until 7:22 a.m. on April 15, when he was pronounced dead. (Two chapters, in the section “The Days Before” set the stage and provide valuable context, starting in early 1865 and following both Lincoln and his officials and Booth and his co-conspirators; but these are placed, oddly, between the chapters for 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., breaking the flow of the narrative. I'd have placed them at the very beginning, but that's a small quibble.) Bishop's narrative not only follows the President and the conspirators but, where appropriate, other people who would play a part in events. It also presents a vivid description of the background setting, Washington City as it was in that day: slow-paced and essentially Southern in character, small compared to Baltimore, vastly different than it is today. (The social history included is some of the most interesting content of the book, at least to me, and greatly adds to its texture.) All of the narrative, even the exact dialogues, is drawn from the voluminous primary, first-person material –which often includes differing recollections, so piecing out the truth in a unified narrative required no small amount of detective work. Though his result often reads like an exciting (albeit ultimately grim) novel, as the author notes, the only liberties he took were occasional references to facial expressions or attributions of thoughts to certain people, “although in each case the thought is based on knowledge of facts then in the possession” of that person. Booth's conspiracy was aimed at a broader goal than simply assassinating the President; he also planned to have the Vice President and Secretary of State killed, and Bishop follows those strands of the plot as well. Finally, a short Postscript brings us up to date on what subsequently happened to the other players in the day's events.
Probably my strongest impression from the book was amazement at the (by today's standards) incredibly slipshod security surrounding a U.S. President at that time. (At the theater, Lincoln was attended by exactly one bodyguard, a feckless city policeman stationed outside the presidential box, who had left his post and gone to a nearby tavern for a drink before Booth arrived.) This was despite the fact that many of the government officials were seriously concerned about the possibility of an assassination attempt. However, they were fixated on the Confederate government as the source of the danger. In fact, in the lead-up to April 1865, the Confederate Secret Service really had been in off-and-on contact with Booth and his mostly mentally-challenged gaggle of misfits; but their intent was to kidnap Lincoln rather than murder him. Back in 1836, when Texan rebels had captured Mexican President Santa Anna (an event which at that time was in relatively recent living memory for many Americans, though Bishop doesn't develop that connection) they were able to condition his release on his signing a treaty granting Texan independence; these Confederates were hoping for a similar coup. (Booth's own plan, however, morphed into something a lot more deranged and bloodthirsty.) As Bishop notes, the uncritical assumption on the part of the Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton (who largely directed the government's initial response to the events) that he was dealing with a massive and well-organized official Confederate plot, rather than the actions of a handful of bumbling amateurs whom he could have counted on his fingers, explains a lot of the bungled and ambiguous decisions that would later give rise to wild complicity theories.
Although he doesn't use documentary footnotes, Bishop provides a page-and-1/2- long bibliography of primary and secondary sources, and also notes his general use of government documents and contemporary newspaper accounts. As noted above, his research was extensive, and included visiting both Ford's Theatre (now a museum) and the William Petersen house across the street, where Lincoln died; the book was also beta read by leading Civil War historian Bruce Catton and a few other Lincoln experts. A full-page map of contemporary Washington, and a section of 18 black-and-white photographs (mostly of people important to the narrative, a couple are apparently of artist's sketches prepared for newspapers) enhance the text. The four-page index is mostly of personal names.
Readers sensitive to racial epithets should be aware that these may appear in places, when the exact words of some of the people involved in this narrative (such as the conspirators) are quoted or summarized, and are not sanitized away. (I remember at least one instance.) But with that caveat, I'd enthusiastically recommend this book to all students of U.S. History, and especially students of the Civil War area. It would be rewarding to interested lay readers, but also useful to serious students in academic contexts.
July 16, 2020
Hourly account of what key players were doing on this fateful day from the time of awakening on April 14th until the president succumbed to his wounds on April 15th. Bishop includes two chapters that provide additional background material on the small group of conspirators and events leading up assassination. It covers the hourly movements of Lincoln, his family, and cabinet members, as well as those of the conspirators, and the actions taken in the aftermath.
This book provides insight into the character, wit, and perspicacity of Lincoln through his words and actions. The reader comes away from the narrative with an understanding of the personalities and motivations of the principals. Bishop’s account of the night at Ford’s theater is filled with tension and foreboding. The story is logical, well-paced, and captivating. Bishop adds descriptive details that provide a sense of the era. The author lists his sources in the bibliography but does not annotate passages with formal footnotes. It reads as non-fiction in the form of a story.
Even though the reader knows the outcome, it is hard to resist hoping for a different ending. It is a good source for putting to rest some of the more outlandish speculations that came about after the fact. It seems clear that Reconstruction would have been handled differently had Lincoln survived. Bishop puts readers “on the scene” of the tragic end to one of the worst periods of American history.
This book provides insight into the character, wit, and perspicacity of Lincoln through his words and actions. The reader comes away from the narrative with an understanding of the personalities and motivations of the principals. Bishop’s account of the night at Ford’s theater is filled with tension and foreboding. The story is logical, well-paced, and captivating. Bishop adds descriptive details that provide a sense of the era. The author lists his sources in the bibliography but does not annotate passages with formal footnotes. It reads as non-fiction in the form of a story.
Even though the reader knows the outcome, it is hard to resist hoping for a different ending. It is a good source for putting to rest some of the more outlandish speculations that came about after the fact. It seems clear that Reconstruction would have been handled differently had Lincoln survived. Bishop puts readers “on the scene” of the tragic end to one of the worst periods of American history.
September 8, 2020
My second straight book that I have read that was published in 1955. Jim Bishop was a magazine writer that specialized in books about major events that cover a single day. In this case, it is the Abraham Lincoln assassination by John Wilkes Booth in April of 1865. Bishop starts the reader at 7 a.m. on Good Friday and continues until 7 a.m. on Saturday when Lincoln died.
An epilogue gives information on the main characters mentioned in the body of the work including the men and women associated with Booth and the members of Lincoln's cabinet as well as his family.
Bishop makes us envision Washington D.C. on that fateful Friday, gives the reader a nice understanding of the feeling of relief after the end of the Civil War felt by its residents and the rapidity of the bad news that shocked the city.
Reading The Day Lincoln Was Shot is interesting but also a bit frustrating as you wish you could change some of the events in order to save Lincoln and knowing you are not able to do that.
An epilogue gives information on the main characters mentioned in the body of the work including the men and women associated with Booth and the members of Lincoln's cabinet as well as his family.
Bishop makes us envision Washington D.C. on that fateful Friday, gives the reader a nice understanding of the feeling of relief after the end of the Civil War felt by its residents and the rapidity of the bad news that shocked the city.
Reading The Day Lincoln Was Shot is interesting but also a bit frustrating as you wish you could change some of the events in order to save Lincoln and knowing you are not able to do that.
April 16, 2018
On the surface, this book is extremely thorough in its telling of the events of April 14, 1865. I also appreciated the author's willingness to share the stories of seemingly bit players who end up in pivotal roles. However, I was frustrated with what I found to be some glib judgements leveled against both Lincoln and his wife.
On page 26, in referencing public attitude toward the president, the author says, "The people of the North felt, in the main, that he was a stumbling, homely man whose 'wrong' guesses, comically enough, were always justified in the end." No supporting proof or sources are offered on this point. While such sentiment may have been prevalent in the war's early years, it would've been a suspect charge to make in early 1865. The "stumbling, homely man" had secured 55 percent of the vote in the previous fall's election.
More infuriating is the author's description of Mary Todd Lincoln in the book's final page. As many students of Lincoln are aware, the First Lady grappled with depression, severe headaches, mood swings, and a fierce temper. There's no doubt that her erratic behavior weighed on the president, and that the death of their son Willie plunged their domestic life into even greater turmoil. But to call a grieving widow "perhaps the most pathetic of all the people who figured in this day ..." is deeply crass and utterly absurd. How about the Ford's Theatre ticket seller who didn't report the broken lock on the door to the presidential box? Or maybe Lincoln's guard who got bored and walked away from his post to get a drink at a neighboring bar shortly before Booth arrived? Not Booth himself or his band of stooges? Taking such a shot at Mrs. Lincoln is almost laughable.
On page 26, in referencing public attitude toward the president, the author says, "The people of the North felt, in the main, that he was a stumbling, homely man whose 'wrong' guesses, comically enough, were always justified in the end." No supporting proof or sources are offered on this point. While such sentiment may have been prevalent in the war's early years, it would've been a suspect charge to make in early 1865. The "stumbling, homely man" had secured 55 percent of the vote in the previous fall's election.
More infuriating is the author's description of Mary Todd Lincoln in the book's final page. As many students of Lincoln are aware, the First Lady grappled with depression, severe headaches, mood swings, and a fierce temper. There's no doubt that her erratic behavior weighed on the president, and that the death of their son Willie plunged their domestic life into even greater turmoil. But to call a grieving widow "perhaps the most pathetic of all the people who figured in this day ..." is deeply crass and utterly absurd. How about the Ford's Theatre ticket seller who didn't report the broken lock on the door to the presidential box? Or maybe Lincoln's guard who got bored and walked away from his post to get a drink at a neighboring bar shortly before Booth arrived? Not Booth himself or his band of stooges? Taking such a shot at Mrs. Lincoln is almost laughable.
September 4, 2020
Bishop's 1955 account of the killing of Lincoln, true to its title, begins at 7 A.M. on April 14, 1865, and (except for a brief postscript) concludes at 7:22 A.M. the following day. Along the way, however, it by no means neglects the complex of events that led up to the acts of Booth and his fellow assassins.
Scholars of Lincoln's life and Presidency can better assess than I the accuracy and scope of Bishop's historical research, and the passage of 65 years has generated many more facts and insights into the assassination, Bishop's history seems to me impressive for its time. I would not say that it was a five star work, brilliantly written, but it is certainly very well written, an excellently framed and rather gripping account, one which does not succumb to over-dramatizing or oversimplifying the events. I have warm feelings for the book, for over sixty years ago, when as a child I first attempted reading it, it taught me something that I had never considered: how much history can be exhumed and passed on, in living form, to later generations. At a time when too many are ignorant of history, twist history for their own purposes, sensationalize history for profit or misapply current standards to past conduct, I regard it as a small treasure.
Scholars of Lincoln's life and Presidency can better assess than I the accuracy and scope of Bishop's historical research, and the passage of 65 years has generated many more facts and insights into the assassination, Bishop's history seems to me impressive for its time. I would not say that it was a five star work, brilliantly written, but it is certainly very well written, an excellently framed and rather gripping account, one which does not succumb to over-dramatizing or oversimplifying the events. I have warm feelings for the book, for over sixty years ago, when as a child I first attempted reading it, it taught me something that I had never considered: how much history can be exhumed and passed on, in living form, to later generations. At a time when too many are ignorant of history, twist history for their own purposes, sensationalize history for profit or misapply current standards to past conduct, I regard it as a small treasure.
May 5, 2021
Worthwhile companion (and predecessor) to Bill O’Reilly’s book
I first become a fan of Jim Bishop for his broadcast journalistic skills when I was a wee-bitty lad in the early 1980s, specifically via watching reruns of the (1950s? early 1960s) WWII TV documentary “Battle Line.” Now, as a 45 y/o adult (whew, where did the time go?!?!), I’m also a fan of the late (God rest his soul) Mr. Bishop’s writing skills, as “The Day Lincoln Was Shot” is chock full of eye-opening facts (sometimes downright mind-blowing, especially (1) the gross incompetence of certain individual members of President Lincoln’s protective detail, and (2) the initial bungling of the investigation and pursuit of the assassins by senior civilian and military officials alike) and details of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, told with dramatic narrative.
This is an excellent companion piece to Bill O’Reilly’s “Killing Lincoln”—Mr. O’Reilly cites the Bishop book as one his key sources in the former’s Bibliography after all—as both books provide so many highlight-worthy passages that make you go “Wow, I did not know that” and embody the truthfulness of the saying that “You learn something new every day.”
I first become a fan of Jim Bishop for his broadcast journalistic skills when I was a wee-bitty lad in the early 1980s, specifically via watching reruns of the (1950s? early 1960s) WWII TV documentary “Battle Line.” Now, as a 45 y/o adult (whew, where did the time go?!?!), I’m also a fan of the late (God rest his soul) Mr. Bishop’s writing skills, as “The Day Lincoln Was Shot” is chock full of eye-opening facts (sometimes downright mind-blowing, especially (1) the gross incompetence of certain individual members of President Lincoln’s protective detail, and (2) the initial bungling of the investigation and pursuit of the assassins by senior civilian and military officials alike) and details of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, told with dramatic narrative.
This is an excellent companion piece to Bill O’Reilly’s “Killing Lincoln”—Mr. O’Reilly cites the Bishop book as one his key sources in the former’s Bibliography after all—as both books provide so many highlight-worthy passages that make you go “Wow, I did not know that” and embody the truthfulness of the saying that “You learn something new every day.”
June 25, 2010
Read this in high school and I still remember what a great read it was. A historical recreation that reads like a novel. The story of events surrounding the assassination of the president. Great read for history buffs or anyone else.
September 27, 2021
I read this book whilst in junior high school in the late 1970s and was wholly enthralled with it. Bishop takes the reader almost hour by hour through that fateful day in 1865 as it proved to be for President Lincoln and the nation.
April 13, 2025
This is a classic from 1955, giving account of the day Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
It's an hour-by-hour tale of the movements of the key characters and conspirators on that fateful day. It also gives necessary background of the plot headed by John Wilkes Booth.
It's an enlightening story of near misses, bad moves, and unfortunate failures that exposed Lincoln to a glory-seeking idealogue.
He also dives into the conspiracy - there was one in this assassination, although not a very good one.
Unfortunately, just eight years after Bishop published this book, he'd have another assassination to write about.
It's an hour-by-hour tale of the movements of the key characters and conspirators on that fateful day. It also gives necessary background of the plot headed by John Wilkes Booth.
It's an enlightening story of near misses, bad moves, and unfortunate failures that exposed Lincoln to a glory-seeking idealogue.
He also dives into the conspiracy - there was one in this assassination, although not a very good one.
Unfortunately, just eight years after Bishop published this book, he'd have another assassination to write about.
November 22, 2009
This is an hour by hour account of the events leading to Lincoln's assassination by John Wilkes Booth. Jim Bishop's ability to capture the political mood of the era and the times and lives of people is nothing short of spectacular if not magical. The reader will discover that the chain of events leading to the death of Lincoln was filled with twists and turns. From Lincoln's strange dream that he was going to be assassinated to John Wilkes Booth failed multiple plans to kidnap and then kill the president, this book has it all and it is the ultimate companion and finale to Doris Kearns Goodwin’s excellent book: “Team of Rivals – The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.”
August 26, 2018
Such a sad and tragic story. I learned a lot of history, but ultimately walked away sad that humanity is so disturbed at times. Four stars, only because it got a little slow in the middle and there were too many people to keep track of. All in all, I’m glad I read it and would highly recommend it to anyone who is fuzzy on the history of the Civil War era.
September 11, 2014
A very interesting and compelling telling of the events leading to the assassination of President Lincoln. Very well written. There were a few parts that were a little gory, but very true to the actual events.
May 30, 2022
Jim Bishop presents the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in a unique, 24-hour chronology from 7 am, Good Friday, April 14, 1865 until he took his last breath slightly 24 hours later on Saturday at 7:22 am. Through this format, Bishop describes the political climate in the mid-1860s, the band of conspirators, and Lincoln’s perspective during his last days. Through this book, I learned many things among which includes:
• At the conclusion of the War, Lincoln was an unpopular president and reviled by all sides. There were several assassination plots uncovered, and Lincoln thought he would most likely be killed in office.
• Mary Todd Lincoln was a profligate shrew with whom Lincoln tried to make the best of a bad bargain.
• Other than Wilkes himself, the band of conspirators were mostly ne’er-do-well alcoholics who were JWB hangers on.
• Not a native Southerner, Wilkes seemed to be motivated by narcissism and a drive to make an even bigger name for himself. He already knew that the cause of the Confederacy was lost.
• The assassination attempt against Secretary of State Seward and his family was even more dramatic than the plot against Lincoln.
• In the aftermath of the shooting, the government was disorganized and overlooked several important leads.
• The President’s personal bodyguard for the evening, John F. Parker, was visiting a tavern next door during the assassination. He was never prosecuted.
In this format, unfortunately, Bishop could not cover the capture of J. Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators.
• At the conclusion of the War, Lincoln was an unpopular president and reviled by all sides. There were several assassination plots uncovered, and Lincoln thought he would most likely be killed in office.
• Mary Todd Lincoln was a profligate shrew with whom Lincoln tried to make the best of a bad bargain.
• Other than Wilkes himself, the band of conspirators were mostly ne’er-do-well alcoholics who were JWB hangers on.
• Not a native Southerner, Wilkes seemed to be motivated by narcissism and a drive to make an even bigger name for himself. He already knew that the cause of the Confederacy was lost.
• The assassination attempt against Secretary of State Seward and his family was even more dramatic than the plot against Lincoln.
• In the aftermath of the shooting, the government was disorganized and overlooked several important leads.
• The President’s personal bodyguard for the evening, John F. Parker, was visiting a tavern next door during the assassination. He was never prosecuted.
In this format, unfortunately, Bishop could not cover the capture of J. Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators.
November 30, 2011
Directo de mi blog:
El día de ayer, pero 1865 el presidente gringo Abraham Lincoln recibió un balazo en la sien a manos de John Wilkes Booth. A pesar de que el disparo fue mortal, Lincoln murió hasta las 7:22 del día 15. El título del post corresponde a la "novela/documental" sobre el día en que Lincoln murió. El autor, Jim Bishop, llevó a cabo una investigación detallada sobre la muerte del presidente con datos originales de los eventos, desde las 7 am del 14 de abril, hasta las 7 am del 15.
El libro es bastante interesante, sobre todo al descibir el tipo de vida que se llevaba a cabo en aquella época. El día en que fue asesinado Lincoln fue un viernes santo y apenas el lunes anterior a este día había acabado la guerra de sececión, entre el ejercito del Norte, comandado por el general Grant y el ejército confederado del sur, dirigido por el general Lee. Lee había perdido la batalla decisiva en las cercanías de Richmond y ya solo faltaba la rendición de un general confederado Joseph Johnston ante el general Sherman, ya que ambos comandaban los ejércitos más grandes después de Grant y Lee.
Grant ya había incluso regresado a Washington y ese día el presidente Lincoln le pidió que lo acompañara al teatro para que la gente aclamara al héroe de la guerra. Grant declinó para ir a visitar a sus hijos en Philadelphia. Ese día en la mañana Lincoln tuvo una reunión de gabinete, incluyendo a Grant, en las que se definirían las bases para la incorporación de los estados sureños al sistema y gobierno del Norte.
Por otra parte, Booth, llevaba a cabo los últimos detalles de su plan de asesinato de Lincoln. Wilkes Booth era un famoso actor, pero de origen sureño y que llevaba varios meses tratando de hacer algo contra el presidente. Se tienen registros de que hubo al menos dos intentos para raptarlo (que era su primera intención) con el fin de intercambiar prisioneros de guerra que el norte se negaba a realizar. Booth reunió un grupo de conspiradores: John y Mary Surratt, Michael O'Laughlin, Lewis Paine, David Herold, Samuel Arnold y George Atzerodt.
Una vez que se anunció la rendición del sur, Booth cambió su plan de secuestro por el de asesinato. En su plan, quería desbaratar el liderazgo del norte matando, no solo a Lincoln, sino también a Grant, al vicepresidente Andrew Johnson y al Secretario de Estado William Seward. Seward debía ser asesinado por Paine y Herold, quienes solo alcanzaron a darle unas puñaladas para dejarlo medio muerto. Grant sería asesinado por Booth también, ya que estaría originalmente en el palco presidencial del teatro Ford viendo con la esposa de Lincoln la última función de la obra Our American Cousin. El vicepresidente debía ser asesinado por Atzerodt, pero éste no hizo ningún intento por llevarlo a cabo.
Booth aprovechó su fama y camadería con otros actores para acceder al placo antes y durante la función, lo que le permitió salir de Washington después de su magnicidio. Resulta que el palco presidencial se componía de los placos 7 y 8 del teatro y se accedía solo por la puerta 8 cuando estaba el presidente. Pero una semana antes se había roto la chapa del palco 7 y así Booth pudo entrar al palco sin ser visto y disparar.
Alrededor de las 10:15 de la noche del 14, Booth efectuó su disparo, que al parecer no fue escuchado por más de la mitad del teatro y agregó las siguientes palabras "revenge for the South" y huyó. Booth pasó entre actores y siguió aprovechando su fama de actor para franquearse el paso hasta llegar a la propiedad de los Surratt en Surrattville donde se encontraría con los demás conspiradores a excepción dfe O'Laughlin, pero Atzerodt nunca llegó ni tampoco tuvo intenciones de huir de Washington.
Al momento del disparo, en el palco dijo la frase "sic semper tyranus", pero solo lo oyeron los 3 que estaban en el palco: Mrs Lincoln, y una pareja invitada por ella, pero al parecer hay cierta confusión sobre si solo lo dijo a ellos o a todo la audiencia cuando huía... en el libro menciona que fue en el palco solamente.
Las horas de la madrugada fueron de confusión en la ciudad, gente espantada por las calles, que ayudó a la huída de los consipradores, pero también permitió que se identificara a Booth como el asesino. Días después se le halló en un bar y en un intento de huir fue muerto por los policias. El resto de los conspiradores fueron atrapados y posteriormente ahorcados, siendo Mary Surratt la primera mujer en Estados Unidos en sufrir la pena de muerte.
Después del disparo los médicos que estaban presentes en el teatro lo llevaron a un edificio cercano, ya que no se arriesgaron a llevarlo al hospital por la gravedad de la lesión. Booth le disparó entre la nuca y la oreja izquierda. La bala se alojó en el cerebro y Lincoln estuvo semiconsiente durante 9 horas de agonía en la que ya no pudo ni pronunciar palabra. Grant, quien salió en tren alrededor de las 6 de la tarde, se enteró de la muerte de Lincoln en cuanto llegó a Philadelphia y regresó al día siguiente.
La esposa de Lincoln, así como la actriz Laura Keene, autora de la obra que se presentaba en el teatro, estuvieron junto a Lincoln hasta su muerte. La noticia fue anunciada vía telégrafo primero a Nueva York y Chicago, pero la noticia no se divulgó inmediatamente en los estados y ciudades del sur.
Cuando se anunció la muerte oficial de Lincoln en Washington, más de la mitad de la gente reunida afuera de donde estaba Lincoln era de raza negra. Según el autor, eran 2/3 partes de la gente.
Durante días, a Lincoln se le insistía en que no se expusiera en público por el latente peligro de asesinato, pero Abraham, alentado por su esposa, desatendía estas advertencias, incluyendo las peticiones de ese mismo día de Grant y Stanton, secretario de Guerra, de que no asistiera. Para colmo, una serie de circunstancias, como la de la chapa, terminaron por poner el escenario propicio para el asesinato.
El libro, se separa en horas dandole un dramatismo estilo novela de lo acontecido en ese día. El único pero que le pongo es que no da muchos antecedentes se los origenes de la guerra que alimentaron el odio de John Wilkes Booth hacia el norte, aun cuando actuaba principalmente en Washintong. Fuera de eso, el libro es ameno y no tan largo como otras novelas. Está en inglés.
El día de ayer, pero 1865 el presidente gringo Abraham Lincoln recibió un balazo en la sien a manos de John Wilkes Booth. A pesar de que el disparo fue mortal, Lincoln murió hasta las 7:22 del día 15. El título del post corresponde a la "novela/documental" sobre el día en que Lincoln murió. El autor, Jim Bishop, llevó a cabo una investigación detallada sobre la muerte del presidente con datos originales de los eventos, desde las 7 am del 14 de abril, hasta las 7 am del 15.
El libro es bastante interesante, sobre todo al descibir el tipo de vida que se llevaba a cabo en aquella época. El día en que fue asesinado Lincoln fue un viernes santo y apenas el lunes anterior a este día había acabado la guerra de sececión, entre el ejercito del Norte, comandado por el general Grant y el ejército confederado del sur, dirigido por el general Lee. Lee había perdido la batalla decisiva en las cercanías de Richmond y ya solo faltaba la rendición de un general confederado Joseph Johnston ante el general Sherman, ya que ambos comandaban los ejércitos más grandes después de Grant y Lee.
Grant ya había incluso regresado a Washington y ese día el presidente Lincoln le pidió que lo acompañara al teatro para que la gente aclamara al héroe de la guerra. Grant declinó para ir a visitar a sus hijos en Philadelphia. Ese día en la mañana Lincoln tuvo una reunión de gabinete, incluyendo a Grant, en las que se definirían las bases para la incorporación de los estados sureños al sistema y gobierno del Norte.
Por otra parte, Booth, llevaba a cabo los últimos detalles de su plan de asesinato de Lincoln. Wilkes Booth era un famoso actor, pero de origen sureño y que llevaba varios meses tratando de hacer algo contra el presidente. Se tienen registros de que hubo al menos dos intentos para raptarlo (que era su primera intención) con el fin de intercambiar prisioneros de guerra que el norte se negaba a realizar. Booth reunió un grupo de conspiradores: John y Mary Surratt, Michael O'Laughlin, Lewis Paine, David Herold, Samuel Arnold y George Atzerodt.
Una vez que se anunció la rendición del sur, Booth cambió su plan de secuestro por el de asesinato. En su plan, quería desbaratar el liderazgo del norte matando, no solo a Lincoln, sino también a Grant, al vicepresidente Andrew Johnson y al Secretario de Estado William Seward. Seward debía ser asesinado por Paine y Herold, quienes solo alcanzaron a darle unas puñaladas para dejarlo medio muerto. Grant sería asesinado por Booth también, ya que estaría originalmente en el palco presidencial del teatro Ford viendo con la esposa de Lincoln la última función de la obra Our American Cousin. El vicepresidente debía ser asesinado por Atzerodt, pero éste no hizo ningún intento por llevarlo a cabo.
Booth aprovechó su fama y camadería con otros actores para acceder al placo antes y durante la función, lo que le permitió salir de Washington después de su magnicidio. Resulta que el palco presidencial se componía de los placos 7 y 8 del teatro y se accedía solo por la puerta 8 cuando estaba el presidente. Pero una semana antes se había roto la chapa del palco 7 y así Booth pudo entrar al palco sin ser visto y disparar.
Alrededor de las 10:15 de la noche del 14, Booth efectuó su disparo, que al parecer no fue escuchado por más de la mitad del teatro y agregó las siguientes palabras "revenge for the South" y huyó. Booth pasó entre actores y siguió aprovechando su fama de actor para franquearse el paso hasta llegar a la propiedad de los Surratt en Surrattville donde se encontraría con los demás conspiradores a excepción dfe O'Laughlin, pero Atzerodt nunca llegó ni tampoco tuvo intenciones de huir de Washington.
Al momento del disparo, en el palco dijo la frase "sic semper tyranus", pero solo lo oyeron los 3 que estaban en el palco: Mrs Lincoln, y una pareja invitada por ella, pero al parecer hay cierta confusión sobre si solo lo dijo a ellos o a todo la audiencia cuando huía... en el libro menciona que fue en el palco solamente.
Las horas de la madrugada fueron de confusión en la ciudad, gente espantada por las calles, que ayudó a la huída de los consipradores, pero también permitió que se identificara a Booth como el asesino. Días después se le halló en un bar y en un intento de huir fue muerto por los policias. El resto de los conspiradores fueron atrapados y posteriormente ahorcados, siendo Mary Surratt la primera mujer en Estados Unidos en sufrir la pena de muerte.
Después del disparo los médicos que estaban presentes en el teatro lo llevaron a un edificio cercano, ya que no se arriesgaron a llevarlo al hospital por la gravedad de la lesión. Booth le disparó entre la nuca y la oreja izquierda. La bala se alojó en el cerebro y Lincoln estuvo semiconsiente durante 9 horas de agonía en la que ya no pudo ni pronunciar palabra. Grant, quien salió en tren alrededor de las 6 de la tarde, se enteró de la muerte de Lincoln en cuanto llegó a Philadelphia y regresó al día siguiente.
La esposa de Lincoln, así como la actriz Laura Keene, autora de la obra que se presentaba en el teatro, estuvieron junto a Lincoln hasta su muerte. La noticia fue anunciada vía telégrafo primero a Nueva York y Chicago, pero la noticia no se divulgó inmediatamente en los estados y ciudades del sur.
Cuando se anunció la muerte oficial de Lincoln en Washington, más de la mitad de la gente reunida afuera de donde estaba Lincoln era de raza negra. Según el autor, eran 2/3 partes de la gente.
Durante días, a Lincoln se le insistía en que no se expusiera en público por el latente peligro de asesinato, pero Abraham, alentado por su esposa, desatendía estas advertencias, incluyendo las peticiones de ese mismo día de Grant y Stanton, secretario de Guerra, de que no asistiera. Para colmo, una serie de circunstancias, como la de la chapa, terminaron por poner el escenario propicio para el asesinato.
El libro, se separa en horas dandole un dramatismo estilo novela de lo acontecido en ese día. El único pero que le pongo es que no da muchos antecedentes se los origenes de la guerra que alimentaron el odio de John Wilkes Booth hacia el norte, aun cuando actuaba principalmente en Washintong. Fuera de eso, el libro es ameno y no tan largo como otras novelas. Está en inglés.
January 24, 2018
This was recommended by a friend. I'm not normally one for history, so I was a little reluctant, but I have been trying to expand my historical knowledge and this seemed like a good way to go about it. I'm glad I did; it was a very good read. The book moves hour by hour from Lincoln waking the morning of his assassination to when silver dollars were placed on his eyes. The author moves back and forth between what was going on with Lincoln and with Booth and the consipirators. There are a few chapters of backstory, which the author does a good job of handling - bringing the reader up to speed very effectively. The author is obviously very knowledgeable and has done a ton of research on the subject. The account is detailed, but very readable. I especially enjoyed the description of Washington, D.C. at the time; I live just across the river from the District and find it so hard to imagine the city looking the way it is described. Thanks to this book, I have made arrangements to take the special tour of Ford's theatre so I can get up close to see all the things described.
Good read. Definitely recommended.
Good read. Definitely recommended.
May 25, 2017
When I read High Noon in Lincoln about the Lincoln County War
I had the same feeling as this book -- how did they know and could they
write a minute by minute account of the day's events.
But apparently in the aftermath of the assassination of Lincoln
it was so thoroughly investigated and documented and photographed
that what you get is changing perspectives with history and time
and revisions and new looks and Lincoln is one of the most written
about people ever so its really amazing that authors keep coming
up with new ideas in how to write about him -- he becomes immortalized
and saintly in death and now current writing seems to have come back to the southern
perspective as northern aggressor and invader of the south and the Constitution
allowed and gave states the right to secede -- it was Lincoln who committed
the north to the horrors of the war to keep the Union together.
I had the same feeling as this book -- how did they know and could they
write a minute by minute account of the day's events.
But apparently in the aftermath of the assassination of Lincoln
it was so thoroughly investigated and documented and photographed
that what you get is changing perspectives with history and time
and revisions and new looks and Lincoln is one of the most written
about people ever so its really amazing that authors keep coming
up with new ideas in how to write about him -- he becomes immortalized
and saintly in death and now current writing seems to have come back to the southern
perspective as northern aggressor and invader of the south and the Constitution
allowed and gave states the right to secede -- it was Lincoln who committed
the north to the horrors of the war to keep the Union together.
January 12, 2025
Listened on Audible. I do own the paperback copy (which is falling apart) and had read it years ago. This time I listened to it. This is a very detailed account of the fateful day. The narrator was excellent. This is one of the best books detailing the event.
Another very good book on the subject is James L. Swanson's book, Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. I used Swanson's book for research for a short story I wrote a while back ,"J. W. B.," in Volume 2 (I Fear only the Dogs) of my Dark Tales of the Civil War series. Come to think of it, I also, at least tangentially,. used the knowledge gained for the title story of the book. Though my stories are fictional ghost stories, I did need to get the essential facts correct.
In any event, I would highly recommend both the Bishop book and the Swanson book to anyone seriously interested in the subject.
Another very good book on the subject is James L. Swanson's book, Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. I used Swanson's book for research for a short story I wrote a while back ,"J. W. B.," in Volume 2 (I Fear only the Dogs) of my Dark Tales of the Civil War series. Come to think of it, I also, at least tangentially,. used the knowledge gained for the title story of the book. Though my stories are fictional ghost stories, I did need to get the essential facts correct.
In any event, I would highly recommend both the Bishop book and the Swanson book to anyone seriously interested in the subject.
December 25, 2018
The title is accurate: this is literally an hour-by-hour account of the last day of Abraham Lincoln's life. And it's actually very interesting, though I do wonder how in the world the author knew some of the details - where people sat in a room, what they said to each other, what time they put their head in their hands, that kind of thing. Was that information really available? How much did he fill in the gaps on his own? Still, it's quite the thorough immersion into life during that time period, and a fascinating look at the surprisingly sloppy execution of an ultimately successful conspiracy.
April 14, 2021
The Day Lincoln Was Shot is a must read historical narrative written by historian Jim Bishop. The book chronicles the 24-hour period of Lincoln's final day on earth. It is written in very readable narrative form, the background information and historical context is fully established throughout, and the fascinating story of all of the parties involved are fully chronicled and fascinatingly told in this outstanding piece of Lincoln history.
I especially like the story of Lincoln's dream/premonition of his own death and assassination.
I especially like the story of Lincoln's dream/premonition of his own death and assassination.
June 14, 2017
I knew this had to be a worthy read after noticing the venerable Bruce Catton praised it. Even though it was published more than 60 years ago, this remains the stand alone document of Lincoln's final 24 hours. It is thoroughly and intensely researched, and written with the eye of a novelist. I could not put it down.
September 19, 2019
Took me along time to get through but I did enjoy. I learned a lot about history. I did not realize that Lincoln died right after the surrender and on Good Friday. I did not realize that they took so long to make VP the president and Stanton was in charge. Will look at other books from this author.
January 13, 2021
A remarkable, captivating, account of an American tragedy as it inexorably moves toward an outcome that feels no less harrowing for being known—especially given that the success of the plot turned on so many small factors that could have easily have gone another way, changing history. I liked that careful attention was paid to such a wide array of people, even the ones who played only bit parts.
November 25, 2025
I picked this up for $1 in a used bookstore in Maine and I’m so glad I did! This was a gripping retelling of the assassination of Lincoln. It’s incredible to see the details and how this could have gone differently at almost every turn. The look into Washington at this moment in history was also interesting to read about.
Read
October 22, 2025I read this in high school.
I found it fascinating. It follows all the main people(Booth, his coconspirators, Lincoln, Rathbone, etc.) throughout that day and what they did.
If gives a little before and after the actual day, too. At least from what I remember.
I found it fascinating. It follows all the main people(Booth, his coconspirators, Lincoln, Rathbone, etc.) throughout that day and what they did.
If gives a little before and after the actual day, too. At least from what I remember.
October 30, 2017
Very interesting book. I would recommend it to everyone. It is a good read
.l am glad I took time to read this. It is an interesting and sad period in our country's history
.l am glad I took time to read this. It is an interesting and sad period in our country's history
February 16, 2018
You’d think a person who has read a lot on Lincoln might tire of the story, but not me. And not when it is really well written. This one goes in my top 5 Lincoln books for sure.
October 7, 2018
Great book. It is fascinating to see how the scholarship has changed the narrative since this was published.
February 4, 2019
Expected more
Disappointing. Never really got a sense of being there. Should have been more detailed and more dramatic. Again’ a let down.
Disappointing. Never really got a sense of being there. Should have been more detailed and more dramatic. Again’ a let down.
November 13, 2019
Read my brothers copy. I was a bit confused at the time, but got the timeline sorted out later.
February 16, 2020
I felt like I was in 1865 listening to the people tell a story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews