Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
From left to right: Major Henry Rathbone, Clara Harris, Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln, and John Wilkes Booth. Please see " Major " for other countries that use this rank In the United States, Major is a Military rank denotes Henry Reed Rathbone ( July 1, 1837 &ndash August 14, 1911) was a United States military officer and diplomat This article is about Senator Ira Harris' daughter from New York Mary Ann Todd Lincoln ( December 13, 1818 &ndash July 16, 1882) was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal Abraham Lincoln assassination John Wilkes Booth (May 10 1838 – April 26 1865 was an American stage actor who assassinated Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the

The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, one of the last major events in the American Civil War, took place on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, when President Abraham Lincoln was shot while attending a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre with his wife and two guests. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday ("Pascha" Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal Our American Cousin is a play in three acts by Tom Taylor. The play is a farcical comedy whose plot is based on the introduction of an awkward boorish Ford's Theatre is a historic Theatre in Washington DC, used for various Mary Ann Todd Lincoln ( December 13, 1818 &ndash July 16, 1882) was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln died the following day, April 15, 1865, in the home of William Petersen. Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English

Lincoln's assassin, actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth, had also ordered a fellow conspirator, Lewis Powell, to kill William H. Seward (then Secretary of State). AssassiNation is the sixth album by Krisiun, released in 2006 on Century Media. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861 Abraham Lincoln assassination John Wilkes Booth (May 10 1838 – April 26 1865 was an American stage actor who assassinated Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the Lewis Thornton Powell ( April 22, 1844 &ndash July 7, 1865) also known as Lewis Paine or Payne, attempted unsuccessfully This article is about the New York Governor and Secretary of State The United States Secretary of State (commonly abbreviated as SecState) is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with Foreign affairs Booth hoped to create chaos and overthrow the Federal government by assassinating Lincoln, Seward, and Vice President Andrew Johnson. During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death Andrew Johnson (December 29 1808 – July 31 1875 was the seventeenth President of the United States (1865-69 succeeding to the Presidency upon the assassination Although Booth succeeded in killing Lincoln, the larger plot failed. Seward was attacked, but recovered from his wounds, and Johnson's would-be assassin, George Atzerodt, fled Washington, D.C. upon losing his nerve. George Andreas Atzerodt ( June 12, 1835 &ndash July 7, 1865)[http//www Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D

Original kidnapping plot

John Wilkes Booth

Ulysses S. Grant, the commanding general of all the Union's armies, suspended the exchange of prisoners-of-war in March of 1864. Abraham Lincoln assassination John Wilkes Booth (May 10 1838 – April 26 1865 was an American stage actor who assassinated Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the Ulysses S Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27 1822 &ndash July 23 1885 was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States ^[1] This decision cut off a badly needed source of reinforcement for the outnumbered, manpower-starved South. John Wilkes Booth's initial plot was to kidnap Lincoln and take him south, to hold him hostage and force his government to resume its earlier policy of exchanging prisoners. Abraham Lincoln assassination John Wilkes Booth (May 10 1838 – April 26 1865 was an American stage actor who assassinated Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the ^[2] Booth had organized a circle of conspirators to help him in attempting this. He recruited Samuel Arnold, George Atzerodt, David Herold, Michael O'Laughlen, Lewis Powell a. Samuel Bland Arnold ( September 6, 1838 &ndash September 21, 1906) was involved in the group to kidnap President Abraham George Andreas Atzerodt ( June 12, 1835 &ndash July 7, 1865)[http//www David Edgar Herold ( June 16, 1842 &ndash July 7, 1865) conspired with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln Michael O'Laughlen Jr (June 1840 in Baltimore Maryland &ndash September 23, 1867 in Dry Tortugas National Park) was a conspirator in the Lewis Thornton Powell ( April 22, 1844 &ndash July 7, 1865) also known as Lewis Paine or Payne, attempted unsuccessfully k. a. "Lewis Paine" and John Surratt. John Surratt ( April 13, 1844 &ndash April 21, 1916) son of Mary Surratt, was accused of plotting to kidnap U Dr. Samuel Mudd also set Booth's broken leg and was imprisoned for life as a conspirator following the incident, but was likely not involved in the plot. Samuel Alexander Mudd I ( December 20, 1833 &ndash January 10, 1883) was a Maryland physician implicated and imprisoned for (see below). In time, Surratt's mother, Mary, left her tavern in Surrattsville, Maryland, and moved to a house in Washington, where Booth became a frequent visitor. Mary Elizabeth Eugenia Jenkins Surratt (May/June 1823 in Waterloo Maryland, USA &ndash July 7, 1865 in Washington D Prosecutors would later point out that this move coincided with Booth's need to have a base of operations in the city.

Booth attended Lincoln's second inauguration on March 4, 1865, as the invited guest of his secret fiancée Lucy Hale, the daughter of John P. Hale, soon to be United States Ambassador to Spain. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year John Parker Hale ( March 31, 1806 &ndash November 19, 1873) was an American politician and lawyer from New Hampshire This is a list of United States Ambassadors to Spain from 1779 to the present day Booth remarked afterwards, "What an excellent chance I had, if I wished, to kill the President on Inauguration day!"^[3] On March 17, 1865, Booth told his conspirators that Lincoln would be attending a play, Still Waters Run Deep, at Campbell Military Hospital. Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year He assembled his team in a restaurant at the edge of town, evidently intending that they should soon join him on a stretch of road nearby and ambush the president on his way back from the hospital. But after going out to check on Lincoln, Booth returned with the news that Lincoln had not gone there after all. Instead, the president was at the National Hotel attending a ceremony in which the officers of the 142nd Indiana were presenting their governor with a captured Confederate Battle Flag. Ironically, Booth lived at the National. ^[4][5]

On April 11, 1865, Booth attended a speech outside the White House in which Lincoln gave support for the idea of voting rights for black people. Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Furious at the prospect, Booth changed to a plan for assassination: "That is the last speech he will ever give. "^[6]

From kidnapping to assassination

The Presidential Box at Ford's Theatre, as it appears today

The Confederacy began to fall apart shortly after Booth's kidnapping plan failed. Ford's Theatre is a historic Theatre in Washington DC, used for various On April 3, Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital, fell to the Union army. This article is about the city of Richmond the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. On April 9, the Army of Northern Virginia, the first army of the Confederacy, surrendered to the Army of the Potomac at Appomatox Court House. The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. Appomattox Court House is a village located three miles (5 km east of Appomattox, Virginia, USA (25 miles east of Lynchburg Virginia, in the Confederate President Jefferson Davis and the rest of his government were in full flight. Jefferson Finis Davis ( June 3, 1808 &ndash December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as President of the Although many Southerners had given up hope, Booth continued to believe in his cause, writing in his diary that "Our cause being almost lost, something decisive and great must be done. "^[7] On April 14th, sometime around noon while visiting Ford's to pick up his mail, Booth heard that the President and General Grant would be attending that night. It was a golden opportunity. Booth knew the theater well, having played there several times, the last time in March 1865. ^[8][9] Booth surmised that if he and his conspirators could simultaneously kill the President, Grant, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Secretary of State William Seward, he could throw the Union government into chaos for enough time that the Confederacy could mount a resurgence.

That afternoon Booth went to Maryland boarding house and asked her to deliver a package to her tavern in Surrattsville, Maryland. He also asked her to tell her innkeeper there to make ready the guns and ammunition that Booth had previously stored at the tavern. ^[10] This exchange would lead directly to Mary Surratt's execution three months later. At 7 o'clock that night Booth met with his fellow conspirators. Booth assigned Powell to kill Seward, Atzerodt to kill Johnson, and David E. Herold to guide Powell to the Seward house and then lead him out of the city to rendezvous with Booth in Maryland. David Edgar Herold ( June 16, 1842 &ndash July 7, 1865) conspired with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln Booth himself would shoot Lincoln with his single-shot derringer and stab Grant with his knife. They were all to strike simultaneously, shortly after 10 o'clock. ^[11] Atzerodt wanted nothing to do with it, saying he had signed up for a kidnapping, not a killing. Booth told him he was too far in to back out. ^[12]

Booth shoots President Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln and wife Mary Todd Lincoln were going to attend Laura Keene's performance in Our American Cousin. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal Laura Keene (1826 &ndash November 4, 1873) was an Anglo-American actress and manager whose real name was Mary Frances Moss. Our American Cousin is a play in three acts by Tom Taylor. The play is a farcical comedy whose plot is based on the introduction of an awkward boorish ^[8] The Lincolns were under much stress, put on them by both the war and the death of their son in 1862. Also, President Lincoln had been made nervous due to dreams which concerned his own death. Contrary to the information Booth read in the newspaper, General and Mrs. Grant had declined the invitation to see the play with the Lincolns. ^[13] Several other people were invited to join them, until finally Major Henry Rathbone and his fiancée Clara Harris (daughter of Senator Ira Harris) accepted the invitation. Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country Henry Reed Rathbone ( July 1, 1837 &ndash August 14, 1911) was a United States military officer and diplomat This article is about Senator Ira Harris' daughter from New York Ira Harris ( May 31, 1802 &ndash December 2, 1875) was an American jurist and senator from New York. ^[14]

The President and First Lady arrived at Ford's Theatre after the play began, Lincoln had been delayed at the White House by Missouri Senator John B. Henderson who successfully appealed for a pardon for George S.E. Vaughn who had thrice been convicted of espionage for the Confederates and was sentenced to die. John Brooks Henderson ( November 16, 1826 &ndash April 12, 1913) was a United States Senator from Missouri and a co-author A pardon is the forgiveness of a crime and the penalty associated with it George S E Vaughn (sometimes spelled George Vaughan or George E It was Lincoln's last official act as President. ^[15] The couple was led to the presidential box, where Lincoln was seated in a rocking chair on the left-hand side. The show was briefly paused to acknowledge the presence of the President and First Lady, who were applauded by the audience.

At about 9:00 p. m. on April 14, 1865, Booth arrived at the back door of Ford's Theatre, where he handed the reins of his horse over to a stagehand named Edman Spangler. Spangler was busy, so he asked Joseph Burroughs, known as "Peanuts," for the snacks he once sold in the theater, to hold the horse. As an actor at Ford's Theatre, Booth was well known there and he knew his way around. He entered a narrow hallway between Lincoln's box and the theatre's balcony, and barricaded the door. ^[16] At that point, Mrs. Lincoln whispered to her husband, who was holding her hand, "What will Miss Harris think of my hanging on to you so?" The president replied, "She won't think anything about it. "^[17] Those were the last words ever spoken by Abraham Lincoln. It was now a little after 10 p. m.

The gun Booth used to kill Lincoln, on display at the Ford's basement museum

Booth knew the play, and waited for the right moment, one where actor Harry Hawk would be onstage alone, where there would be laughter to muffle the sound of a gunshot. When Hawk said, "Don't know the manners of good society, eh? Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal—you sockdologizing old man-trap. . . ", Booth shot the president in the back of the head. ^[18] Lincoln slumped over in his rocking chair, unconscious. Rathbone jumped from his seat and tried to prevent Booth from escaping, but Booth stabbed the Major violently in the arm with a knife. Rathbone quickly recovered and tried to grab Booth as he was preparing to jump from the sill of the box. Booth again stabbed at Rathbone, and then attempted to vault over the rail and down to the stage. His riding spur caught on the Treasury flag decorating the box, and instead of gracefully leaping to the stage, Booth came down full-face to the audience, landing awkwardly on his left foot, breaking his left fibula just above the ankle. For other uses see Fibula (disambiguation The fibula or calf bone is a Bone located on the lateral side of the Tibia He raised himself up and, holding a knife over his head, yelled, "Sic semper tyrannis,"^[19] the Virginia state motto, meaning "Thus always to tyrants. Sic semper tyrannis is a Latin phrase meaning "thus ever (or always to tyrants The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state " Other accounts state that he also uttered "The South is avenged!"^[20] He then ran across the stage, and went out the door onto the horse he had waiting outside. Some of the men in the audience chased after him, but failed to catch him. Booth struck "Peanuts" Burroughs in the forehead with the handle of his knife, leaped onto the horse, kicked Burroughs in the face, and rode away. He galloped hard for the Navy Yard Bridge and his meet up with Herold and Powell.

Powell attacks Secretary Seward

Frederick Seward and Lewis Powell. Frederick William Seward ( July 8, 1830 &ndash April 25, 1915) was the Assistant Secretary of State during the American Lewis Thornton Powell ( April 22, 1844 &ndash July 7, 1865) also known as Lewis Paine or Payne, attempted unsuccessfully

Booth assigned Lewis Powell to kill Secretary of State William H. Seward. This article is about the New York Governor and Secretary of State At this time, Seward was bedridden due to a carriage accident. On April 5th, Seward was thrown from his carriage, suffering a concussion, a jaw broken in two places, and a broken right arm. He was wearing a metal neck brace to support his jaw. ^[21] He was at his home in Lafayette Park in Washington, not too far from the White House. President's Park, located in Washington DC, United States, includes the White House a visitor center Lafayette Park, and The Ellipse Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence

Herold guided Powell to Seward's residence on Booth's orders. Powell was carrying an 1858 Whitney revolver which was a large, heavy and popular gun during the Civil War. Additionally, he carried a huge silver-mounted bowie knife. Bowie knife specifically refers to a style of knife popularized by Colonel James "Jim" Bowie and first made by James Black, although its common use refers

Powell knocked at the front door of the house a little after 10:00 p. m. ; William Bell, Seward's butler, answered the door. Powell told Bell that he had medicine for Seward from Dr. Verdi, and that he was to personally deliver and show Seward how to take the medicine. Having gained admittance, Powell made his way up the stairs to Seward's third floor bedroom. ^[22][23][24] At the top of the staircase, he was approached by Seward's son and Assistant Secretary of State Frederick W. Seward. The Assistant Secretary of State, from 1853 until 1913 was the second-ranking official within the American Department of State. Frederick William Seward ( July 8, 1830 &ndash April 25, 1915) was the Assistant Secretary of State during the American Powell told Frederick the same story that he had told Bell at the front door. Seward was suspicious of the intruder, and told Powell that his father was asleep.

After hearing voices in the hall, Seward's daughter Fanny opened the door to Seward's room and said, "Fred, father is awake now," and then returned to the room which allowed Powell to now know where Seward was located. Powell started down the stairs when suddenly he jolted around again and drew his revolver, placing it upon Frederick's forehead. He pulled the trigger, but the gun misfired. Panicking, Powell smashed the gun over Frederick's head continuously until Frederick collapsed. Fanny, wondering what all the noise was, looked out the door again. She saw her brother bloody and unconscious on the floor and Powell running towards her. Powell ran to Seward's bed and stabbed him repeatedly in the face and neck. He missed the first time he swung his knife down, but the third blow sliced open Seward's cheek. ^[25] Seward's neck brace was the only thing that prevented the blade from penetrating his jugular. The jugular veins are Veins that bring deoxygenated blood from the Head back to the heart via the Superior vena cava. ^[26] Sergeant Robinson and Seward's son Augustus tried to drive Powell away. Augustus had been asleep in his room, but was awakened by Fanny's screams of terror. Outside, Herold also heard Fanny's screaming. He became frightened and ran away, abandoning Powell. ^[27]

Secretary Seward had rolled off the bed and onto the floor by the force of the blows where he could not be reached by Powell. Powell fought off Robinson, Augustus, and Fanny, stabbing them as well. When Augustus went for his pistol, Powell ran downstairs and headed to the front door. ^[28] Just then, a messenger named Emerick Hansell arrived with a telegram for Seward. Powell stabbed Hansell in the back, causing him to fall to the floor. Before running outside, Powell exclaimed, "I'm mad! I'm mad!" and untied his horse from the tree where Herold left it and rode away alone.

Fanny Seward cried "Oh my God, father's dead!" Sergeant Robinson lifted the Secretary off the floor and back onto the bed. Secretary Seward spat the blood out of his mouth and said "I am not dead; send for a doctor, send for the police. Close the house. "^[29] Seward's wounds were ugly, but Powell's wild stabs in the dark room did not hit anything vital. The Secretary survived the attacks.

Atzerodt fails to attack Andrew Johnson

Booth assigned George Atzerodt to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson who was staying at the Kirkwood Hotel in Washington. Atzerodt was to go to the Vice President's room at 10:15 p. m. and shoot him. ^[30] On April 14, 1865, Atzerodt rented room 126 at the Kirkwood directly above the room where Johnson was staying. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year He arrived at the Kirkwood at the appointed time and went to the bar downstairs. He was carrying a gun and a knife. Atzerodt asked the bartender, Michael Henry, about the Vice President's character and behavior. After spending some time at the hotel saloon, Atzerodt got drunk and wandered away down the streets of Washington. Nervous, he tossed his knife away in the street. He made his way to the Pennsylvania House Hotel by 2 a. m. , where he checked into a room and went to sleep. ^[31][32]

Earlier that day, Booth stopped by the Kirkwood Hotel and left a note for Johnson that read "I don't wish to disturb you. Are you at home? J. Wilkes Booth. "^[22] This message has been interpreted in many different ways throughout the years. ^[33] One theory is that Booth, afraid that Atzerodt would not be successful in killing Johnson, or worried that Atzerodt would not have the courage to carry out the assassination, tried to use the message to implicate Johnson in the conspiracy. ^[34]

Death of President Lincoln

Ford's Theatre in 1865

Mary Lincoln's screams and Rathbone's cries of "Stop that man!"^[21] caused the audience to understand that this was not part of the show, and pandemonium broke out in Ford's Theatre. Charles Leale, a young Army surgeon on liberty for the night and attending the play, made his way through the crowd to the door at the rear of the Presidential box. Charles Augustus Leale (March 26 1842 – June 13 1932 was an American Civil War union army medical surgeon It would not open. Finally Rathbone saw a notch carved in the door and a wooden brace jammed there to hold the door shut. Booth had carved the notch there earlier in the day and noiselessly put the brace up against the door after entering the box to kill Lincoln. Rathbone shouted to Leale, who stepped back from the door, allowing Rathbone to remove the brace and open the door. ^[35]

Leale entered the box to find Rathbone bleeding profusely from a deep gash that ran the length of his upper arm. Nonetheless, he passed Rathbone by and stepped forward to find Lincoln slumped forward in his chair, held up by Mary. Lincoln had no pulse and Leale believed him to be dead. Leale lowered the President to the floor. A second doctor in the audience, Charles Taft, was lifted bodily from the stage over the railing and into the box. Taft and Leale cut off Lincoln's collar and opened his shirt, and Leale, feeling around by hand, discovered the bullet hole in the back of the head by the left ear. Leale removed a clot of blood in the wound and Lincoln's breathing improved. ^[36] Still, Leale knew it made no difference: "His wound is mortal. It is impossible for him to recover. "^[37]

Leale, Taft, and another doctor from the audience named Albert King quickly consulted and decided that while the President must be moved, a bumpy carriage ride across town to the White House was out of the question. After briefly considering Tartavul's Saloon next door, they chose to carry Lincoln across the street and find a house. The three doctors and some soldiers who had been in the audience carried the President out the front entrance of Ford's. Across the street, a man was holding a light and calling "Bring him in here, bring him in here. " The man was Henry Safford, a boarder at William Petersen's boarding house opposite Ford's. The men carried Lincoln into the house and into the first-floor bedroom, where they laid him diagonally on the bed because he was too tall to lie straight. ^[38]

A vigil began at the Petersen House. Robert Lincoln arrived. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles and United States Secretary of War Edwin Stanton came. The United States Secretary of the Navy ( SECNAV) is the Civilian head of the Department of the Navy. Gideon Welles ( July 1, 1802 &ndash February 11, 1878) was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869 The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington 's administration Edwin McMasters Stanton ( December 19, 1814 &ndash December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer politician United States While Mary Lincoln wept in the front parlor, Stanton set up shop in the rear parlor, effectively running the United States government for several hours, sending and receiving telegrams, taking reports from witnesses, and issuing orders for the pursuit of Booth. ^[39] Nothing could be done for the President. At 7:22 a. m. on April 15th, Lincoln died. The crowd around the bed knelt for a prayer, and when they were finished, Stanton said "Now he belongs to the ages. "^[40]

Booth and Herold flee

Wanted poster

Booth jumped on his horse outside of Ford's and galloped away. Within half an hour he was over the Navy Yard Bridge and out of the city, riding into Maryland. ^[41] Herold made it across the same bridge less than an hour later. ^[42] Booth reunited with Herold after the assassination,^[43] but he was injured. After retrieving weapons and supplies previously stored at Surattsville, Herold and Booth went to Samuel A. Mudd, a local doctor and acquaintance of Booth, who determined that Booth's leg was broken, and put it in a splint. Clinton is a Census-designated place (CDP in Prince George's County Maryland, United States. Samuel Alexander Mudd I ( December 20, 1833 &ndash January 10, 1883) was a Maryland physician implicated and imprisoned for A splint is a medical device for the immobilization of limbs or of the spine. Later Mudd made a pair of crutches for the assassin. ^[44]

After spending a day at Mudd's house, Booth and Herold hired a local man to guide them to Samuel Cox's house. ^[45] Cox in turn led them to Thomas Jones, who hid Booth and Herold in a swamp near his house for five days until they could cross the Potomac River. The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid- Atlantic coast of the United States. ^[46] They remained on the run until April 26, when Union soldiers tracked them down. Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. They had been locked in a barn belonging to Richard Garrett and while Herold surrendered himself, Booth refused to come out. ^[47] The soldiers then set fire to the barn. ^[48] After that, a soldier named Boston Corbett crept up behind the barn, and shot Booth in the neck, paralyzing him. Thomas P "Boston" Corbett (1832 &ndash presumed dead 1894 was the Union Army soldier who shot and killed Abraham Lincoln 's assassin ^[49] Booth was dragged out on to the steps of the barn. A soldier dribbled water onto his mouth. He then told the soldier "Tell my mother I died for my country. " Writhing in agony, he asked a soldier to lift his hands and whispered "Useless. . . Useless. " Booth died on the porch of the Garrett farm, two hours after Corbett shot him. ^[22][50]

Conspirators' trial

Execution of Mary Surratt, Powell, Herold, and Atzerodt

Powell, unfamiliar with Washington and without David Herold's services as a guide, wandered the streets for three days before finding his way back to the Surratt house on April 17th. He found the detectives already there. Powell claimed to be a ditch-digger hired by Mary Surratt, but she denied knowing him. They were both arrested. ^[51] Atzerodt hid out in a farm in Georgetown but was tracked down and arrested on April 20. ^[52] The rest of the conspirators were arrested before the end of the month, except for John Surratt, who made his way to Europe and Africa before he was finally apprehended in November 1866. John Surratt ( April 13, 1844 &ndash April 21, 1916) son of Mary Surratt, was accused of plotting to kidnap U Surratt was later tried for Lincoln's murder, but an eyewitness placed him in Elmira, New York^[53] on the day of the assassination and the jury could not reach a verdict. Elmira is a City in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira New York Metropolitan Statistical Area Surratt was released and lived the rest of his life, until 1916, a free man. ^[54]

Eight of Booth's co-conspirators were tried by a military tribunal after his death. The fact that they were tried by a military tribunal provoked criticism from both Edward Bates and Gideon Welles, who believed that a civil court should have presided. Edward Bates ( September 4, 1793 &ndash March 25, 1869) was a U Gideon Welles ( July 1, 1802 &ndash February 11, 1878) was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869 Attorney General James Speed, on the other hand, justified the use of a military tribunal on grounds that included the military nature of the conspiracy and the existence of martial law in the District of Columbia. The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice (see) concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement James Speed ( March 11, 1812 &ndash June 25, 1887) was an American lawyer politician and professor Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect when the military takes control of the normal administration of justice (In 1866, in the Ex parte Milligan decision, the United States Supreme Court banned the use of military tribunals in places where civil courts were operational. Ex parte Milligan,, was a United States Supreme Court case that ruled suspension of Habeas Corpus when civilian courts are still operating as unconstitutional The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. )^[55] The odds were further stacked against the defendants by rules that required only a simple majority of the officer jury for a guilty verdict and a two-thirds majority for a death sentence. Nor could the defendants appeal to anyone other than President Johnson. ^[56]

The trial lasted for about seven weeks, with 366 witnesses testifying. The verdict was given on June 30 and all of the defendants were found guilty. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt were sentenced to death by hanging and Samuel Mudd, Samuel Arnold, and Michael O'Laughlen were sentenced to life in prison. Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death Mudd escaped execution by a single vote, the tribunal having voted 5-4 to hang him (six votes required for hanging). Edmund Spangler, who had done nothing more than hold Booth's horse, was sentenced to imprisonment for six years. Edmund Spangler ( August 10, 1825 &ndash February 7, 1875) also known as Edman Edward and Ned Spangler was originally from York Oddly, after sentencing Mary Surratt to hang, five of the jurors signed a letter recommending clemency, but Johnson refused to stop the execution. (Johnson later claimed he never saw the letter). ^[57]

Surratt, Powell, Herold, and Atzerodt were hanged in the Old Arsenal Penitentiary on July 7, 1865. Fort Lesley J McNair is a United States Army post located on the point of land where the Potomac River and Anacostia River join in Washington Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year ^[58] Mary Surratt was the first woman to be hanged by the U. S. government. ^[59] O'Laughlen died in prison of yellow fever in 1867. Yellow fever (also called yellow jack, black vomit or sometimes American Plague) is an acute viral disease Mudd, Arnold, and Spangler were pardoned in February 1869 by President Johnson. Andrew Johnson (December 29 1808 – July 31 1875 was the seventeenth President of the United States (1865-69 succeeding to the Presidency upon the assassination ^[60]

Mudd's culpability

The degree of Dr. Mudd's culpability remained a controversy for over a century after his death. Some, including Mudd's grandson Richard Mudd, claimed that Mudd was innocent of any wrongdoing, that he had been imprisoned merely for treating a man who came to his house late at night with a fractured leg. Richard Dyer Mudd (b January 24 1901, Washington DC - d May 21 2002) was the grandson of Sarah Frances Dyer Mudd and Dr Over a century after the assassination, Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan both wrote letters to Richard Mudd agreeing that his grandfather committed no crime. James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr (born October 1 1924 was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981 and the recipient of the 2002 However others, including authors Edward Steers, Jr. and James Swanson, point out that Samuel Mudd visited with Booth three times in the months before the failed kidnapping attempt. Edward Steers Jr is an American Historian specializing in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The first time was November 1864 when Booth, looking for help in his kidnapping plot, was directed to Mudd by agents of the Confederate secret service. In December, Booth met with Mudd again and stayed the night at his farm. Later that December, Mudd went to Washington and introduced Booth to a Confederate agent he knew—John Surratt. Additionally, George Atzerodt testified that Booth sent supplies to Mudd's house in preparation for the kidnap plan. Mudd lied to the authorities who came to his house after the assassination, claiming that he did not recognize the man who showed up on his doorstep in need of treatment and gave false information about where Booth and Herold went. ^[61][62] He also hid the monogramed boot that he had cut off of Booth's injured leg behind a panel in his attic. A thorough search of Mudd's house soon revealed this further damning evidence against him. One hypothesis is that Dr. Mudd was active in the kidnapping plot, likely as the person the conspirators would turn to for medical treatment in case Lincoln were injured, and that Booth thus remembered the doctor and went to his house to get help in the early hours of April 15. ^[63][64]

Aftermath

The Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial is a United States Presidential memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln was the first American President to be assassinated. His assassination had a long-lasting impact upon the United States and he was mourned around the country. As a result of his assassination, there were attacks in many cities against those who expressed support for Booth. ^[65] On the Easter Sunday after Lincoln's death, clergymen around the country praised him (Lincoln) in their sermons. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. ^[66] Millions of people came to Lincoln's funeral procession in Washington, D. C. on April 19, 1865,^[67] and as his body was transported 1,700 miles (2,700 km) through New York to Springfield, Illinois. Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Springfield is the capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 116482 (U His body and funeral train were viewed by millions along the route. A funeral train is a Train specially chartered in order to carry a Coffin or coffins to a Resting place. ^[68]

Lincoln's funeral procession in New York City

After Lincoln's death, Ulysses S. Grant called him, "Incontestably the greatest man I ever knew. Ulysses S Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27 1822 &ndash July 23 1885 was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States "^[69] Southern-born Elizabeth Blair said that, "Those of southern born sympathies know now they have lost a friend willing and more powerful to protect and serve them than they can now ever hope to find again. "^[70] The Lincoln Memorial was opened in 1922. The Lincoln Memorial is a United States Presidential memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.

Andrew Johnson was sworn in as President following Lincoln's death. Johnson became one of the least popular presidents in American history. ^[71] He was impeached by the House of Representatives in 1868 but the Senate failed to convict him by one vote. Impeachment in the United States is an expressed power of the Legislature which allows for formal charges to be brought against a civil officer of government for conduct The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives ^[72] William Seward recovered from his wounds and continued to serve as Secretary of State throughout Johnson's presidency. He later negotiated the Alaska Purchase, then known as Seward's Folly, by which the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. The Alaska Purchase (otherwise known as Seward's Folly or Seward's Icebox) by the United States from the Russian Empire occurred in 1867 at the behest Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending ^[73] The town of Seward, Alaska and Alaska's Seward Peninsula are named after him. Seward is a city in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the US state of Alaska. The Seward Peninsula is a large peninsula on the western coast of the U

Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris married two years after the assassination. Rathbone later went mad and, in 1883, shot Clara and then stabbed her to death. He spent the rest of his life in an asylum for the criminally insane. ^[74]

John Ford tried to reopen his theater a couple of months after the murder but a wave of outrage forced him to cancel. In 1866 the federal government purchased the building from Ford, tore out the insides, and turned it into an office building. In 1893 the inner structure collapsed, killing 22 clerks. It was later used as a warehouse, then it lay empty until it was restored to its 1865 appearance. Ford's Theatre reopened in 1968 both as a museum of the assassination and a working playhouse. The Presidential Box is never occupied. ^[75] The Petersen House was purchased in 1896 as the "House Where Lincoln Died;" it was the first ever piece of property acquired by the federal government as a memorial. Today Ford's and the Petersen House are operated together as the Ford's Theatre National Historic Site.

See also

• List of assassinated American politicians
• List of United States Presidential assassination attempts

References

Further reading

• Goodwin, Doris. Doris Kearns Goodwin (born January 4, 1943 in Brooklyn New York) is an award-winning American Author and Historian. Team of Rivals. Simon and Schuster, 2005.
• Kauffman, Michael. American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies. Random House, 2004.
• Sandburg, Carl. Carl August Sandburg ( January 6, 1878 &ndash July 22, 1967) was an American writer and editor best known for his Poetry Abraham Lincoln: The War Years IV. Harcourt, Brace & World, 1936.
• Steers, Edward: Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Edward Steers Jr is an American Historian specializing in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. 2001 University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813191513
• Swanson, James: Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. HarperCollins, 2006. ISBN 9780060518493
• Vowell, Sarah. Sarah Jane Vowell (born December 27, 1969) is an American Author, Journalist, Humorist, and Commentator. Assassination Vacation. Simon and Schuster, 2005. ISBN 0743260031

External links

• Lincoln Papers: Lincoln Assassination: Introduction
• Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy Theories
• Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
• A History of John Wilkes Booth
• Original Documents Online: Lincoln Assassination Papers
• Ford's Theatre National Historic Site
• samuelmudd.com
• Abraham Lincoln: A Resource Guide from the Library of Congress