Chasing Lincoln's Killer: Chapters 5–8

by James L. Swanson
Using trial manuscripts, archival materials, and interviews following President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, Swanson details the wild twelve-day chase to capture John Wilkes Booth.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Prologue–Chapter 4, Chapters 5–8, Chapter 9–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. incompetent
    showing lack of skill or aptitude
    Stanton weeded out unfit and incompetent officers; battled dishonest government contractors who sold the army low-quality uniforms, rotting equipment, and defective weapons; and endured an epidemic of officers who would not fight.
  2. impulsive
    characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
    The impulsive actor had to tell someone of his achievement or he would burst!
  3. accomplice
    a person who joins with another in carrying out some plan
    He attempted to recruit accomplices in New York City, a place where there were many Lincoln-haters and Confederate sympathizers.
  4. sympathizer
    someone who shares your feelings or opinions
    He attempted to recruit accomplices in New York City, a place where there were many Lincoln-haters and Confederate sympathizers.
  5. leverage
    strategic advantage; power to act effectively
    He would trade Lincoln for Confederate prisoners of war, or attempt to use his captive as leverage to give the South an advantage in peace negotiations.
  6. premeditated
    characterized by deliberate purpose and a degree of planning
    Stanton read it and recognized that it was full of clues: Booth had at least two coconspirators named “Sam” and “Mike”; Sam was in Baltimore; the assassination was premeditated, planned before March 27; and the Confederacy might be involved.
  7. inevitable
    incapable of being avoided or prevented
    At the Petersen house, a doctor recorded statistics in the notes he kept, tracking the sad and inevitable deterioration of Lincoln’s condition that night.
  8. succession
    the action or process of taking over an office or position
    Vice President Andrew Johnson was not present when Lincoln died, so the cabinet sent him an official notification of the president’s death and of his succession to the presidency.
  9. elude
    escape, either physically or mentally
    In Rome, Italy, he joined the pope’s army and eluded capture for a year.
  10. collateral
    a security pledged for the repayment of a loan
    He tried to raise some money: first by selling his watch, then by using his revolver as collateral for a ten-dollar loan.
  11. morbid
    suggesting the horror of death and decay
    Cutting open Abraham Lincoln’s brain and body served little scientific purpose. The surgeons already knew what had killed him —a single bullet through the brain. They hid their morbid curiosity behind the shield of scientific investigation.
  12. commandeer
    take arbitrarily or by force
    Lieutenant Dana had led his troops into Bryantown, a well-known place of Confederate intrigue, commandeered the tavern, and occupied the town.
  13. formidable
    inspiring fear or dread
    Powell was armed only with a pickax, but his incredible strength could turn that tool into a formidable weapon.
  14. dragnet
    a system of procedures for apprehending criminals
    The dragnet of the manhunters eventually rounded up more than one hundred suspects.
  15. tribunal
    an assembly to conduct judicial business
    He had to investigate the assassination, capture the conspirators, and organize a military tribunal to try them.
Created on Fri Mar 04 12:31:02 EST 2022 (updated Wed Jun 25 17:41:33 EDT 2025)

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