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Murder on the Baltimore Express: The Plot to Keep Abraham Lincoln from Becoming President
Find out how Detective Allan Pinkerton uncovered the plot to murder Lincoln and whisked him safely to Washington D.C. under the darkness of night!
While on his inauguration tour, Abraham Lincoln was to travel 2,000 miles by railroad to Washington. D.C. At this time, Confederates were desperate for Lincoln not to take office. Unhappy that Lincoln was against slavery, a group known as the Knights of the Golden Circle devised a plan. In Baltimore, Lincoln would be assassinated. But when Detective Allan Pinkerton learns of the plot, he and his detective agency come up with a plan of their very own.
While on his inauguration tour, Abraham Lincoln was to travel 2,000 miles by railroad to Washington. D.C. At this time, Confederates were desperate for Lincoln not to take office. Unhappy that Lincoln was against slavery, a group known as the Knights of the Golden Circle devised a plan. In Baltimore, Lincoln would be assassinated. But when Detective Allan Pinkerton learns of the plot, he and his detective agency come up with a plan of their very own.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published April 6, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 7, 2023
Murder on the Baltimore Express came to my attention, as do most of the books on my “want to read” list, because of its mention in something else I was already reading and, as usual, I never bothered to look up any reviews or more detailed descriptions before getting a copy. Therefore, I was a bit surprised to find that the book is classified as being for “young readers” and that a review in the School Library Journal called it a “must-have for any middle school library.” In this case, I'm just as glad that I did not further research the book, for I might not have followed through in obtaining a copy, in which case I would have missed out on a well-written, entertaining, and informative bit of U.S. history.
The text is highly readable and is in no way overly simplified for young readers. Other than the font and the between-line spacing being somewhat more generous than I had anticipated, this book is as good a quality as any “fully adult” history book I've come across—and is even superior to some. The historical photographs that appear between several of the chapters are both pertinent to the topic and intriguing to the senses in that they are not the usual, often-used images in numerous other books. In fact, I cannot recall having seen any of them elsewhere!
Did Murder on the Baltimore Express teach me anything new or at least remind me of historical events I had forgotten? Yes indeed. First of all, I had never read of the plot to assassinate Lincoln on his journey to Washington to be sworn in as the new president of the United States. Books are filled with accounts of the successful assassination by John Wilkes Booth, but of the earlier plot I can remember having read nothing at all. Now, as to the location of that plot, I must say that my early home and education were in the American South, where many nuances concerning seceding and non-seceding states were not exactly emphasized. Knowing that Maryland was not among seceding states left me with the impression that it was firmly part of the North and filled with abolitionist Yankees. Only now do I understand, thanks to Jurmain's book, that the state was replete with pro-secession advocates, was far from being unified behind the Union cause, and that the new president-elect ran substantial risk by traveling through the state, much less the hotbed of secessionist advocates in Baltimore!
Yet another new fact that I gleaned from the book was the effort expended by Allan Pinkerton and his agents in confirming the existence of the rumored assassination plot, in identifying the plotters, and in devising actions that enabled Lincoln to avoid the trap. I don't believe that I had ever connected Pinkerton with the Lincoln presidency before. Oh yes, how did Pinkerton even learn of the plot and who engaged him to investigate? For that, we must thank a railroad company president, yet another small fact of history that I learned for the first time from Jurmain's book. I believe that these examples are enough to show that this book for young readers has a lot to teach even us old readers.
I appreciate the fact that the book does include an outlined timeline of major pertinent events beginning with the first slave sale in Virginia in 1619 through adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution in 1865, a list identifying the “principal characters” of this historical narrative, source notes, a bibliography, and an index.
Now, just to balance the scales, I must pick a few nits with the book. Let's begin with the title. There was no murder though one was certainly planned. Even that one was planned to occur in the city of Baltimore, not on any train, so we see that there was absolutely no “murder on the Baltimore Express.” The title is egregiously misleading.
The next nit is not an error but is rather a lament for a missed opportunity by the author. In mentioning the Electoral College on page 60, Jurmain notes that the U.S. voting “process is pretty automatic. In most cases the candidate who gets the most popular votes on Election Day also gets the most electoral votes. But sometimes problems occur.” This woefully understates the dangers implicit in the outmoded, undemocratic, and indeed “un-American” institution of the Electoral College. Five times has this obsolete holdover from the 18th Century imposed a loser on the country in spite of the will of the citizens as expressed through their popular vote. The nation has thus been presided over by five men who were actually rejected by the voters: John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. Jurmain could have put just a bit more emphasis on the potential danger of the outmoded Electoral College system. True, that was not the main focus of her book, but inasmuch as she brought it up, she could have shown the extent of the damage it has caused over the nation's history.
Moving on to the third nit, while describing Lincoln's flag raising in Philadelphia on Washington's birthday, Jurmain perhaps unwittingly falls into the common trap of patriotic blindness (and quite possibly Lincoln did, too). On page 154, the author tells us that Lincoln was intensely interested that there in Independence Hall in 1776, fifty-six men signed a document that “freed the thirteen American colonies from England.” Does Jurmain (and possibly Lincoln) not see the irony of celebrating the forceful separation of England's colonies from their lawful government in London while disapproving of several Southern states separating themselves from their lawful government in Washington? This is followed by citing the Declaration's statement that “all men are created equal,” though, at the time, slaves in the United States were legally defined as property, not as men. The realities of history are typically far more nuanced than flag-waving patriots care to comprehend or acknowledge. To achieve a more balanced presentation, Jurmain could have made some note of that fact.
The final nit is actually a plea for a little more information. By page 189, we learn that part of Pinkerton's plan to protect Lincoln required that the railroad car in which he and his small party were concealed be dragged by horses through the streets of Baltimore from one railroad's station to that of another railroad, which will then complete the trip to Washington. Considering that there is no way to steer a railroad car once it has been lifted off the rails of the track and that the flanges on the steel wheels would prove to be quite damaging to any sort of pavement (brick, perhaps?) over which they were dragged, a short paragraph explaining how these problems were overcome would have been greatly appreciated. For that matter, how was the car even removed from one track and then re-railed on another? There were surely several difficult technical problems in this transfer of a rail car to be worked out, but Jurmain does not seem to appreciate them, much less explain their solution.
Despite the nits I have picked at here, Jurmain's book remains an interesting and generally well-narrated history of a relatively little known event in the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, and I feel that the time I spent with it to be quite adequately rewarded. I certainly agree with the School Library Journal that the book should be part of middle school libraries—and just possibly part of high school and public libraries, too. I also love this observation from pages 42 and 43: “Once, when he didn't want to reveal what he really thought about a book, Abraham Lincoln said, 'For those who like this sort of thing, this is exactly the sort of thing they would like.'” I believe that Jurmain's book is exactly the sort of thing that readers would indeed like.
The text is highly readable and is in no way overly simplified for young readers. Other than the font and the between-line spacing being somewhat more generous than I had anticipated, this book is as good a quality as any “fully adult” history book I've come across—and is even superior to some. The historical photographs that appear between several of the chapters are both pertinent to the topic and intriguing to the senses in that they are not the usual, often-used images in numerous other books. In fact, I cannot recall having seen any of them elsewhere!
Did Murder on the Baltimore Express teach me anything new or at least remind me of historical events I had forgotten? Yes indeed. First of all, I had never read of the plot to assassinate Lincoln on his journey to Washington to be sworn in as the new president of the United States. Books are filled with accounts of the successful assassination by John Wilkes Booth, but of the earlier plot I can remember having read nothing at all. Now, as to the location of that plot, I must say that my early home and education were in the American South, where many nuances concerning seceding and non-seceding states were not exactly emphasized. Knowing that Maryland was not among seceding states left me with the impression that it was firmly part of the North and filled with abolitionist Yankees. Only now do I understand, thanks to Jurmain's book, that the state was replete with pro-secession advocates, was far from being unified behind the Union cause, and that the new president-elect ran substantial risk by traveling through the state, much less the hotbed of secessionist advocates in Baltimore!
Yet another new fact that I gleaned from the book was the effort expended by Allan Pinkerton and his agents in confirming the existence of the rumored assassination plot, in identifying the plotters, and in devising actions that enabled Lincoln to avoid the trap. I don't believe that I had ever connected Pinkerton with the Lincoln presidency before. Oh yes, how did Pinkerton even learn of the plot and who engaged him to investigate? For that, we must thank a railroad company president, yet another small fact of history that I learned for the first time from Jurmain's book. I believe that these examples are enough to show that this book for young readers has a lot to teach even us old readers.
I appreciate the fact that the book does include an outlined timeline of major pertinent events beginning with the first slave sale in Virginia in 1619 through adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution in 1865, a list identifying the “principal characters” of this historical narrative, source notes, a bibliography, and an index.
Now, just to balance the scales, I must pick a few nits with the book. Let's begin with the title. There was no murder though one was certainly planned. Even that one was planned to occur in the city of Baltimore, not on any train, so we see that there was absolutely no “murder on the Baltimore Express.” The title is egregiously misleading.
The next nit is not an error but is rather a lament for a missed opportunity by the author. In mentioning the Electoral College on page 60, Jurmain notes that the U.S. voting “process is pretty automatic. In most cases the candidate who gets the most popular votes on Election Day also gets the most electoral votes. But sometimes problems occur.” This woefully understates the dangers implicit in the outmoded, undemocratic, and indeed “un-American” institution of the Electoral College. Five times has this obsolete holdover from the 18th Century imposed a loser on the country in spite of the will of the citizens as expressed through their popular vote. The nation has thus been presided over by five men who were actually rejected by the voters: John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. Jurmain could have put just a bit more emphasis on the potential danger of the outmoded Electoral College system. True, that was not the main focus of her book, but inasmuch as she brought it up, she could have shown the extent of the damage it has caused over the nation's history.
Moving on to the third nit, while describing Lincoln's flag raising in Philadelphia on Washington's birthday, Jurmain perhaps unwittingly falls into the common trap of patriotic blindness (and quite possibly Lincoln did, too). On page 154, the author tells us that Lincoln was intensely interested that there in Independence Hall in 1776, fifty-six men signed a document that “freed the thirteen American colonies from England.” Does Jurmain (and possibly Lincoln) not see the irony of celebrating the forceful separation of England's colonies from their lawful government in London while disapproving of several Southern states separating themselves from their lawful government in Washington? This is followed by citing the Declaration's statement that “all men are created equal,” though, at the time, slaves in the United States were legally defined as property, not as men. The realities of history are typically far more nuanced than flag-waving patriots care to comprehend or acknowledge. To achieve a more balanced presentation, Jurmain could have made some note of that fact.
The final nit is actually a plea for a little more information. By page 189, we learn that part of Pinkerton's plan to protect Lincoln required that the railroad car in which he and his small party were concealed be dragged by horses through the streets of Baltimore from one railroad's station to that of another railroad, which will then complete the trip to Washington. Considering that there is no way to steer a railroad car once it has been lifted off the rails of the track and that the flanges on the steel wheels would prove to be quite damaging to any sort of pavement (brick, perhaps?) over which they were dragged, a short paragraph explaining how these problems were overcome would have been greatly appreciated. For that matter, how was the car even removed from one track and then re-railed on another? There were surely several difficult technical problems in this transfer of a rail car to be worked out, but Jurmain does not seem to appreciate them, much less explain their solution.
Despite the nits I have picked at here, Jurmain's book remains an interesting and generally well-narrated history of a relatively little known event in the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, and I feel that the time I spent with it to be quite adequately rewarded. I certainly agree with the School Library Journal that the book should be part of middle school libraries—and just possibly part of high school and public libraries, too. I also love this observation from pages 42 and 43: “Once, when he didn't want to reveal what he really thought about a book, Abraham Lincoln said, 'For those who like this sort of thing, this is exactly the sort of thing they would like.'” I believe that Jurmain's book is exactly the sort of thing that readers would indeed like.
July 23, 2021
When Abraham Lincoln was elected President, there was no Secret Service or FBI. But there was a plot to murder him on the way to Washington, D.C. for his inauguration. Detective Allan Pinkerton and his team worked in secret to foil the plot and come up with a scheme to get Mr. Lincoln safely sworn in. The narrative follows the presidential entourage and the spies across the country by train from Illinois. It isn't an easy job for the Pinker ton folks. At each stop, Mr. Lincoln made a short speech and shook hundreds of hands. Anyone could be the killer. There is plenty of documentation with notes and a long bibliography; also an appendix sharing details about the main characters. Black and white photos add to an intriguing tale of little known American history.
April 29, 2021
Narrative nonfiction at it's best! This is exactly what I think narrative nonfiction should be like! Well written and thrilling, this is about a plot by southerners to assassinate President Lincoln. I am typically not a nonfiction reader, but I found this book so engaging. This books reads just like a thriller/suspense novel instead of nonfiction and I learned things too.
September 5, 2021
I think middle grade readers will enjoy learning about this lesser-known part of history. The suspense builds (even though you know what will happen, it's about the journey getting there.) The book does not stop there, but breezes through the Civil War and the Lincoln Assassination.
September 6, 2021
Excellent descriptive account, for the young reader, of the plot to kill Abraham Lincoln on his journey through Baltimore in February 1861 to become the 16th President of the United States.
Allan Pinkerton and his agents, along with others, thwart this attempt.
Allan Pinkerton and his agents, along with others, thwart this attempt.
July 2, 2021
I loved this suspenseful story about a plot to kill the president. The author manages to keep us in suspense even though you know he lives to become president. There are enough twists and turns, plus all the suspense of train troubles in 1860. It's really crazy anyone got to go anywhere in all the confusion!
Introduces the Pinkerton Detectives including Kate Warne, which is very interesting. We need more books about the Pinkerton Detectives for kids.
Introduces the Pinkerton Detectives including Kate Warne, which is very interesting. We need more books about the Pinkerton Detectives for kids.
August 11, 2021
This was a really fantastic middle grade nonfiction. It mostly handled Lincoln prior to taking office, the plot surrounding an assassination attempt in Baltimore on his way to DC for the inauguration. I knew pretty much everything in this book thanks to learning about Kate Warne (The Detective’s Assistant), but I felt like it was well written and engaging and would highly recommend it. Would make a fantastic read aloud option as well as an independent reader option.
April 25, 2021
Good book for a reluctant reader because it is so fast paced.
June 3, 2021
Well written and accessible to the target audience. Eerie parallels to current events in terms of the polarization of the country at the time.
July 11, 2021
Fascinating history I never knew about! A great addition to a middle school library for ages 10 and up.
August 1, 2021
Excellent, timely read that will aid on the processing and understanding of our nation’s sharply divided past and present.
May 13, 2022
Wow. I had no idea that there was a plot to assassinate Lincoln before he was even inaugurated for his first term. Jurmain's book is a fast-paced, thriller. While I know my history, I was actually worried that Lincoln wouldn't make it through Baltimore to D.C. Harrowing.
Jurmain also reveals how tense the country was at that point - over the issue of slavery and the South seceding. Lincoln's staff had planned a twelve day train tour with 75 stops on his way to D.C. so Americans could meet and get to know the president-elect. This was exhausting beyond belief. And revealed how complex this critical moment in history was. New Yorkers did not turn out to greet Lincoln because they were angry about losing business from southern plantation owners. There were thousands and thousands of fans that rushed towards Lincoln at each stop and could have killed Lincoln despite their joy in seeing him. There were no official body guards to protect Lincoln. The police in Baltimore said they would not provide services. People wanted him to talk about the issues along the way but he skirted, knowing he'd address them in his inaugural speech, not wanting to get into "it" before then.
Highly recommend BOOK TALKING to 4-7th grade students. Read aloud the prologue that sets the narrative up and creates suspense and then leave for someone to grab up. OR read this aloud. I think it would read aloud as easily as some of our favorite read aloud novels.
GREAT ADDITION TO A TEXT SET ON LINCOLN!
Jurmain also reveals how tense the country was at that point - over the issue of slavery and the South seceding. Lincoln's staff had planned a twelve day train tour with 75 stops on his way to D.C. so Americans could meet and get to know the president-elect. This was exhausting beyond belief. And revealed how complex this critical moment in history was. New Yorkers did not turn out to greet Lincoln because they were angry about losing business from southern plantation owners. There were thousands and thousands of fans that rushed towards Lincoln at each stop and could have killed Lincoln despite their joy in seeing him. There were no official body guards to protect Lincoln. The police in Baltimore said they would not provide services. People wanted him to talk about the issues along the way but he skirted, knowing he'd address them in his inaugural speech, not wanting to get into "it" before then.
Highly recommend BOOK TALKING to 4-7th grade students. Read aloud the prologue that sets the narrative up and creates suspense and then leave for someone to grab up. OR read this aloud. I think it would read aloud as easily as some of our favorite read aloud novels.
GREAT ADDITION TO A TEXT SET ON LINCOLN!
August 5, 2025
This middle grade non-fiction about the assassination threat to newly-elected president Abraham Lincoln didn't totally work for me, and I'm not sure why. For sure, it's aimed at a elementary school audience and its shorter chapters and dramatic narration are attempts to keep the story lively and fast paced. Some of the tension is minimized by the very fact that we know that Lincoln isn't assassinated at this point in time, but also the players in this drama are all investigating by talking to people, not really being action heroes, which is very real, but not super interesting the way it's portrayed on the page. It's not a story that needs goosing to be interesting though, although most people, myself included, are probably not aware of how much danger Lincoln was in from the moment he was elected, nor are aware of this specific plot. I loved all the details about how the forces arrayed to protect the president-elect had to struggle to pass on information and also how they had to scheme to keep the would-be assassins from realizing that their plans were being thwarted (they cut the telegraph lines for an entire region!) Kate Warne, the famous female Pinkerton detective, plays an important role in this saga (and the picture book Hiding in Plain Sight: Kate Warne and the Race to Save Abraham Lincoln zeros in on her particular actions.) Overall, good but not great. Worthwhile for learning about a relatively unknown part of history that has some uncomfortable echoes of today's dangerous political atmosphere.
Read
August 9, 2022The infamous Allan pinkerton and his agents try to stop a new possible assasination attempt on the train to Baltimore. Murder on the Baltimore Express taks place in 1861, when newly elected Abraham Lincoln starts his fabulous 2,000 mile railroad trip visiting each state. What was amazing about this book is how we see Abraham Lincoln handle all of the constant threats and ignore them, which shows how the president's personality was cool and not bothered. On pg 137 Pinkerton was warning Lincoln abot the murder plot, But to Pinkerton, "Everything about him was cool, calm and collected." Another great thing about this book was the plot of this book, of how the first ever etective agency has to protect Lincoln from a murder plot. For example, in Chapter 7 when Harry Davies befriended Ferrandini, the man who was gonna kill Lincoln, to gain his trust and get information on the plot. The dialogue was near perfect in this book because of how realistic Lincoln and Allan pinkerton's agency talked. On pg. 118 when Kate Warne relayed an important message about the plot he asked for a cigar because he was alarmed. This book would not be the best for kids since it is more complex but would be perfect for teens and older who love presidential events.
December 14, 2021
This middle school read highlights a lesser-known fact about Abraham Lincoln: there was a plot to assassinate him before he even became president. Kids may not catch the pun in the title, but there's no doubt as to what the book is about.
The book is written for middle school students; I used it to supplement the unit we were studying on the Civil War. We read Russell Freedman's Lincoln in class, but this book goes into detail about one portion of Lincoln's life, instead of a broad overview.
I appreciated how it brought Lincoln's character to life. He didn't think he needed bodyguards, he didn't think anyone would really try to assassinate him. It is also amazing that not too long ago, the presidents (and presidents-elect) traveled freely throughout the country. Or that just anyone could walk into the White House and meet with the president. How times have changed!
Fast paced, non-fiction read for middle school students.
The book is written for middle school students; I used it to supplement the unit we were studying on the Civil War. We read Russell Freedman's Lincoln in class, but this book goes into detail about one portion of Lincoln's life, instead of a broad overview.
I appreciated how it brought Lincoln's character to life. He didn't think he needed bodyguards, he didn't think anyone would really try to assassinate him. It is also amazing that not too long ago, the presidents (and presidents-elect) traveled freely throughout the country. Or that just anyone could walk into the White House and meet with the president. How times have changed!
Fast paced, non-fiction read for middle school students.
April 29, 2021
I hadn't realized the extent to which Lincoln was reviled by so many people, and the extent to which states I had thought of as "northern" were virulently pro-slavery. And I now understand the Constitutional underpinnings of the Emancipation Proclamation and the constraints on Lincoln's ability to abolish slavery in non-rebelling states.
Two issues with this book: 1. The timeline seriously oversimplifies the abolition of slavery in the north, which was a slow, torturous process with people born into slavery having to age out of it. 2. If it would take too much time and was too risky to send a letter to Lincoln, why did the head of the railroad send a letter to Pinkerton, rather than a messenger? And why not a messenger to Lincoln, like Pinkerton did?
Two issues with this book: 1. The timeline seriously oversimplifies the abolition of slavery in the north, which was a slow, torturous process with people born into slavery having to age out of it. 2. If it would take too much time and was too risky to send a letter to Lincoln, why did the head of the railroad send a letter to Pinkerton, rather than a messenger? And why not a messenger to Lincoln, like Pinkerton did?
January 14, 2022
You know that President Lincoln was assassinated just after he began his second term, but did you know that he was almost assassinated just before his first term? And the story of how the conspiracy was unveiled is pretty wild.
Jurmain has written a nonfiction thriller that's perfect for middle-graders who love spy stories. Two thumbs up!
Jurmain has written a nonfiction thriller that's perfect for middle-graders who love spy stories. Two thumbs up!
April 7, 2022
This adventurous history is about the assassination that didn't happen before the assassination that did happen. As the book goes along, it reads even more like a straight-up thriller, and kids who like reading about dangerous historical events will eat this up. Perfect for fans of James Swanson and Neal Bascomb.
July 28, 2022
This book reminded me of Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin not just in content but in style. I enjoy how both books are historical but told in a narrative form. I learned a lot from this book, especially things that you don't read about in textbooks which is a huge bonus! I'm definitely going to be looking into getting more books like this to add to my classroom library.
December 30, 2021
Nonfiction narrative telling the true story of the attempted plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln on his way to his presidential inauguration. Includes photos, timeline, index, references, notes, additional information, and more.
Want to read
April 26, 2021Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through an ALA virtual conference.
May 23, 2021
3.5. Some issues with the writing.
August 8, 2021
3.75 starts for this narrative account of a little know (?) plot to assassinate President Elect Abraham Lincoln in Baltimore prior to his inauguration.
September 21, 2022
I knew nothing about this true story. Fascinating! I thoroughly enjoyed the photos throughout the book.
July 27, 2024
abe is my homie
September 26, 2024
Great late elementary to middle school read!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews