Lincoln's Assassination - in 1861

[Beck Reilly]

Abraham Lincoln was travelling by train to the capital for the inaugural ceremonies in 1861. A guard assigned to the president-elect, Allan Pinkerton, uncovered a plot to kill Lincoln when the train arrived at the Calvert Street Station in Baltimore. He convinced Lincoln to leave the train early and continue to Washington by horseback; thus no incident occurred at the Station. Pinkerton later formed the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.

What if, for one reason or another, Pinkerton never discovered the plot, and Lincoln was assassinated in February of 1861...?

 

[Grey Wolf]

Abraham Lincoln was travelling by train to the capital for the inaugural ceremonies in 1861. A guard assigned to the president-elect, Allan Pinkerton, uncovered a plot to kill Lincoln when the train arrived at the Calvert Street Station in Baltimore. He convinced Lincoln to leave the train early and continue to Washington by horseback; thus no incident occurred at the Station. Pinkerton later formed the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.

What if, for one reason or another, Pinkerton never discovered the plot, and Lincoln was assassinated in February of 1861...?

It might turn out there was no plot and Pinkerton made it up to further his career ?

Grey Wolf

 

[Beck Reilly]

It might turn out there was no plot and Pinkerton made it up to further his career?

Assuming there was a plot, obviously. It has never been proven that there wasn't...

 

[Ilta]

There's a short story by Harry Turtledove that has Lincoln killed by a sniper as he's overseeing the defense of Washington in 1864. The gist of it is that a Radical Republican is elected in his place, and as a result Reconstruction is essentially a military occupation that lasts into the present day. The story is called "Must and Shall" and it's in the excellent AH collection "Roads Not Taken":

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...ding=UTF8&no=283155&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER&st=books

I tend to think that if Lincoln wasn't around, that would be the most likely scenario.

 

[Beck Reilly]

There's a short story by Harry Turtledove that has Lincoln killed by a sniper as he's overseeing the defense of Washington in 1864.

His assassination BEFORE the first real fighting of the war had been fired, however, would have changed the entire course of the war, not just the course of the post-war years as in "Must and Shall."

 

[DuQuense]

Buchanan carries on.

As He is still just the President Elect The Supremes will have to rule on who takes his place. James Buchanan continues till the Supremes decide.
The best for the CSA would be for the Supremes to call for a new Election. This will allow The CSA more time to get Ready.
Part of Lincoln's Sucess was his ability to controll the great men he had in his Cabinet,[ Davis had trouble, one of the causes for the CSA losing]. Hannibal Hamlin, [VP] was supossily a rabid Abolinist, But I don't know how good a [Politician] he was.