Bloody Times: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis

The Final Journeys of Lincoln and Davis

Bloody Times is a fast-moving and exciting narrative of the final days of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, the leaders of the North and South in the Civil War, respectively. Two storylines are told simultaneously: the first one is the death and funeral train of Abraham Lincoln as well as the capture of John Wilkes Booth; the other is the pursuit, capture, imprisonment, release, and final years of Jefferson Davis. We also learn a great deal about Mary Todd Lincoln and Varina Howell Davis, the First Ladies of the North and South, respectively. Numerous illustrations accompany the narrative; however, I would have liked a few maps to better follow the events. While the author is objective in telling the stories of Lincoln and Davis in their final days/years, he does have sympathy for both of his subjects; he does not favor one over the other and has achieved a good balance in portraying his subjects in a way that is unbiased. If you teach the Civil War (as I do) this is surely a book you will want to read; I also recommend it to secondary teachers and readers.