The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War

A Presentation by author Daniel Stashower and actor Scott Sedar

In February of 1861, on the eve of Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration as president, an audacious assassination plot was taking shape in Baltimore.  Over a period of thirteen days, as the president-elect traveled by train from Springfield to Washington for his inauguration, America’s top lawman -- Allan Pinkerton of the legendary Pinkerton Detective Agency -- raced to uncover hard evidence of the looming murder conspiracy before time ran out.  The “Baltimore Plot,” as it came to be known, would prove to be a defining and controversial chapter in the march toward Civil War, testing Lincoln with a grim preview of the challenges he would face as president, and presenting Allan Pinkerton with the most challenging case of his storied career -- and one on which he worked with America’s first female private eye.

Author Daniel Stashower and actor Scott Sedar offer a narrative presentation that includes fascinating historical images and dramatic readings from primary sources.  Copies of Daniel Stashower’s bestselling nonfiction book are available here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250042668