Lincoln's Last Days: Part 2

by Bill O'Reilly, Dwight Jon Zimmerman
After the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated while watching a play. This book explores the assassination and its aftermath from the perspectives of both the President and the conspirators against him.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Afterword
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. conspiracy
    a plot to carry out some harmful or illegal act
    They met at Barnum’s City Hotel in Baltimore, and after several drinks, Booth asked them if they would join his conspiracy.
  2. acknowledgment
    a statement admitting the existence of something or someone
    Lincoln comes to the window, smiling and holding up a hand in acknowledgment.
  3. rejoice
    feel happiness
    “I am very greatly rejoiced to find that an occasion has occurred so pleasurable that the people cannot restrain themselves,” he jokes.
  4. unison
    the act of occurring together or simultaneously
    He hears the cheers and the loud cry in unison of “Speech.”
  5. adversary
    someone who offers opposition
    Our adversaries over the way, I know, have attempted to appropriate it.
  6. derringer
    a pocket pistol of large caliber with a short barrel
    In his fist he cradles a derringer, the sort of pint-size pistol favored by ladies and card-sharps.
  7. flamboyant
    tending to attract attention; marked by ostentatious display
    John Wilkes Booth is one of twelve children born to his flamboyant actor father, Junius Brutus Booth.
  8. chaotic
    completely unordered and unpredictable and confusing
    Booth was often lost in the confusion of the chaotic household.
  9. hectic
    marked by intense activity or agitation
    His upbringing was hectic, to say the least.
  10. intrigue
    a crafty and involved plot to achieve your ends
    The Confederate president had set aside more than $1 million in gold to pay for acts of espionage and intrigue against the Union and kept a portion of the money in Canada.
  11. scheme
    an elaborate and systematic plan of action
    Booth is considering a new scheme.
  12. disarray
    untidiness, especially of clothing and appearance
    The “secesh” community—those Southern secessionist sympathizers living a secret life in the nation’s capital—is in disarray.
  13. motivate
    give an incentive for action
    That thought motivates Booth as he walks.
  14. qualm
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
    Pumphrey may be a Confederate sympathizer, but he has no qualms about making money off this night of Union celebration.
  15. instrumental
    serving or acting as a means or aid
    Pumphrey is an acquaintance of twenty-year-old John Surratt, the messenger instrumental in ensuring that Booth’s operation is fully funded by the Confederacy.
  16. prone
    having a tendency
    Washington, D.C., with its federal employees and Union loyalties, is a city whose citizens are all too prone to report any conversation that suggests pro-Confederate leanings, making it a dangerous place for people like Mary Surratt and John Wilkes
  17. sentry
    a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
    The only problem is that sentries man the bridge and no traffic is allowed in or out of Washington after nine P.M.
  18. efficient
    being effective without wasting time, effort, or expense
    Thirty-nine years old and described by friends as “a very good, efficient drudge,” the hard-drinking Spangler often sleeps in either the theater or a nearby stable.
  19. farce
    a comedy characterized by broad satire
    Inside the theater, rehearsals are under way for the final performance of the farce Our American Cousin.
  20. devastate
    overwhelm or overpower
    Spangler is devastated—a great deal of work has gone into modifying the theater’s storage space so that the carriage will fit.
  21. impassioned
    characterized by intense emotion
    Since then, Herold has been an impassioned and committed member of Booth’s team.
  22. revelry
    unrestrained merrymaking
    State of the Union address, designed to undercut the revelry and prepare the country for years of more pain and struggle.
  23. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    Booth seethes at the outrageous notion that slaves be considered equal citizens of the United States.
  24. elude
    escape, either physically or mentally
    In a strange twist, many newspapers mocked Lincoln for the way he eluded the assassins by wearing a cheap disguise as he snuck into Washington.
  25. veneer
    coating consisting of a thin layer of wood
    Since that day, he has adopted a veneer of unshakable courage.
  26. apprehension
    fearful expectation or anticipation
    “The first one or two made me a little uncomfortable,” Lincoln has admitted to an artist who came to paint his portrait, “but they have ceased to give me any apprehension.”
  27. dwell
    think moodily or anxiously about something
    Rather than dwell on death, Lincoln prefers to live life on his own terms.
  28. dread
    fearful expectation or anticipation
    “But to live in constant dread is to die over and over again.”
  29. weary
    physically and mentally fatigued
    I fell into a slumber, for I was weary.
  30. subdued
    quieted and brought under control
    Then I heard subdued sobs, as if a number of people were weeping.
  31. catafalque
    a decorated bier on which a coffin rests in state during a funeral
    Before me was a catafalque, on which rested a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments.
  32. throng
    a large gathering of people
    And there were a throng of people, some gazing mournfully upon the corpse
  33. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    “Well, it was only a dream, Mary,” he chides her.
  34. prism
    optical device used to deviate a beam or invert an image
    Booth frames every action through the prism of the dramatic, a trait that comes from being born and raised in an acting household.
  35. turncoat
    a disloyal person who betrays or deserts a cause
    Like all Confederate sympathizers, Booth views the Tennessee politician as a turncoat for siding with the Union and Lincoln.
  36. oppressive
    marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior
    Secretary of State William H. Seward, whose oppressive policies toward the South have long made him a target of Confederate anger, is on Booth’s list as well.
  37. blackmail
    exert pressure on someone through threats
    Should that be the case, Booth has a foolproof plan in mind to blackmail Atzerodt into cooperating.
  38. swathe
    wrap in or as if in strips of cloth
    all the bells rang out merry greetings, and the city was literally swathed in flags and bunting.”
  39. pandemonium
    a state of extreme confusion and disorder
    Just when the situation begins to border on pandemonium, the Metropolitan Police come to their rescue.
  40. cavalry
    troops trained to fight on horseback
    Grant and Porter are soon on their way again, this time inside a carriage, with a cavalry escort.
Created on Fri Sep 13 00:59:03 EDT 2013 (updated Wed Aug 15 17:03:25 EDT 2018)

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