John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
Born	May 10, 1838(1838-05-10) Bel Air, Maryland, U.S.A.
Died	April 26, 1865 (aged 26) Port Royal, Virginia, U.S.A.
Occupation	Actor
Known for	Abraham Lincoln assassination
Parents	Junius Brutus Booth and Mary Ann Holmes

See also: Abraham Lincoln assassination

John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who, as part of a conspiracy plot, assassinated Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 1838 ( MDCCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Bel Air is the county seat of Harford County, Maryland, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Port Royal is an Incorporated town in Caroline County, Virginia, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works 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 Junius Brutus Booth (May 1 1796&ndashNovember 30 1852 was an English Actor. 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 Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 1838 ( MDCCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. 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 United States of America —commonly referred to as the An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal 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 Ford's Theatre is a historic Theatre in Washington DC, used for various Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D 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 Lincoln died the next day from the single gunshot wound to the back of the head, becoming the first American president to be assassinated.

Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth family of actors from Maryland. The Booth family were an English - American theatrical family of the 19th century He was also a Confederate sympathizer and expressed vehement dissatisfaction with the South's defeat in the Civil War. The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861 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 He opposed Lincoln's proposal to extend voting rights to recently emancipated slaves. Suffrage (from the Latin suffragium, meaning "voting tablet" and figuratively "right to vote" probably from suffrago "hough" and originally Slavery in the United States began soon after English colonists first settled Virginia in 1607 and lasted until the passage of the Thirteenth

Booth and a group of co-conspirators led by him planned to kill Abraham Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson, Secretary of State William Seward, and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton in a desperate bid to help the tottering Confederacy's cause. 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 The United States Secretary of State (commonly abbreviated as SecState) is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with Foreign affairs This article is about the New York Governor and Secretary of State 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 Although Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia had surrendered four days earlier, Booth believed the war was not yet over since Confederate General Joseph Johnston's army was still fighting the Union Army under General William Tecumseh Sherman. Robert Edward Lee (January 19 1807 &ndash October 12 1870 was a career United States Army officer, an Engineer, and among the most celebrated 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. Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3 1807 &ndash March 21 1891 was a career U The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. Of the conspirators, only Booth was successful in carrying out his part of the plot.

Following the shooting, Booth fled by horseback to southern Maryland and eventually to a farm in rural northern Virginia, where he was tracked down and killed by Union soldiers twelve days later. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Several of the other conspirators were tried and hanged shortly thereafter. 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 In later years, some have suggested that Booth escaped his pursuers and subsequently died many years later under a pseudonym. A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias)

Background and early life

His parents, the noted British Shakespearean actor Junius Brutus Booth and his actress wife Mary Ann Holmes, immigrated to the United States from England in 1821, purchasing a farm known as "Tudor Hall" near Bel Air, Maryland, where John Wilkes Booth was born in 1838. Numerous performances of William Shakespeare's plays have occurred since the end of the 16th century Junius Brutus Booth (May 1 1796&ndashNovember 30 1852 was an English Actor. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Bel Air is the county seat of Harford County, Maryland, United States. ^[1][2] He was named after the British revolutionary John Wilkes, who the family claimed was a distant relative. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 John Wilkes ( 17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) was an English radical, journalist and politician ^[3]

Booth was educated in the classic literature, particularly Shakespeare. William Shakespeare ( baptised He attended the Bel Air Academy, where his headmaster described him as "Not deficient in intelligence, but disinclined to take advantage of the educational opportunities offered him. Each day he rode back and forth from farm to school, taking more interest in what happened along the way than in reaching his classes on time". ^[4]

In 1850-1851, he attended Milton Boarding School for Boys located in Sparks, Maryland. Sparks is an unincorporated community that is located in northern Baltimore County Maryland, United States. ^[5] As recounted by Booth's sister, Asia Booth Clarke, in her book entitled "The Unlocked Book," the future actor met an old Gypsy woman in the woods near the school who gave him a grim assessment of his life and said he would die young. Asia Frigga (Booth Clarke ( November 19, 1835 in Bel Air Maryland - May 16, 1888 in Bournemouth England) was the youngest ^[6] In 1851, at age 13, Booth attended St. Timothy's Hall, a military academy in Catonsville, Maryland. Catonsville is an Unincorporated community and a Census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Following in the footsteps of their father (who had died in 1852), Booth and his brothers Edwin and Junius Brutus, Jr. would become well-known actors in mid-nineteenth century America. Edwin Thomas Booth (13 November 1833 &ndash 7 June 1893 was a famous 19th century American Actor. Junius Brutus Booth Jr (1821-1883 American actor and theatre manager ^[7]

Theatrical career and Civil War

John Wilkes Booth, Edwin Booth and Junius Brutus Booth, Jr. in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in 1864. William Shakespeare ( baptised Julius Caesar is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599

At the age of 17, Booth played the Earl of Richmond in Shakespeare's Richard III, but did not act again until 1857, when he joined the stock company of the Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia. Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591 Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə At his request he was billed as "J. B. Wilkes", a pseudonym meant to divert attention away from his famous thespian family. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works In 1858 he was accepted as a member of the Richmond Theatre, Virginia, stock company, and became increasingly popular, called "the handsomest man in America" by reviewers. He stood 5 feet 8 inches (1. 7 m) tall, had jet-black hair, and was lean and athletic. He was also an excellent swordsman. His performances were often characterized by his contemporaries as acrobatic and intensely physical. ^[8] A fellow actress once recalled that he occasionally cut himself with his own sword.

On December 2, 1859, Booth attended the hanging of militant abolitionist John Brown, who was executed for leading a raid on the Federal armory at Harpers Ferry (in present-day West Virginia). Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire Year 1859 ( MDCCCLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Abolitionism was a political movement of the 18th and 19th century which sought to make Slavery illegal particularly in the United States and British West Indies John Brown (May 9 1800 December 2 1859 was an American Abolitionist who advocated and practiced armed Insurrection as a means to end all Slavery An armory (Armoury is a Military depot used for the storage of Weapons and Ammunition. Harpers Ferry redirects here For other uses see Harpers Ferry (disambiguation. West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by ^[8] Booth bought a uniform from a member of the Richmond Grays militia unit, which was heading for Charles Town, and he joined the Grays, who stood guard for Brown's trial. Not to be confused with the state capital Charleston West Virginia. When Brown was hanged, Booth stood at the foot of the scaffold. ^[1]

Abraham Lincoln was elected president on November 6, 1860, and the following month Booth wrote a long speech that decried Northern abolitionism and made clear his strong support of the South and the institution of slavery. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting Abolitionism was a political movement of the 18th and 19th century which sought to make Slavery illegal particularly in the United States and British West Indies As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another On April 12, 1861, the Civil War erupted, and eventually 11 Southern states seceded from the Union. Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Secession (derived from the Latin term secessio is the act of withdrawing from an organization union or especially a political entity Booth's family was from Maryland, a border state which remained in the Union during the war despite a slaveholding portion of the population that favored the Confederacy. Because Maryland shared a border with Washington, D.C., Lincoln declared martial law in Maryland and ordered the imprisonment of pro-secession Maryland political leaders at Ft. McHenry to prevent the state's secession, a move that many, including Booth, viewed as unconstitutional. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect when the military takes control of the normal administration of justice Fort McHenry, in Baltimore Maryland, is a star shaped fort best known Constitutionality is the status of a law, a procedure or an act's accordance with the laws or guidelines set forth in the applicable Constitution. ^[9]

Although Booth was pro-Confederate, his family, like many Marylanders, was divided, and to preserve harmony among his brothers, Booth promised his mother that he would not enlist in the Confederate Army. The War Department was established by the Confederate Congress in an act on February 21, 1861. As a popular actor in the 1860s, he travelled extensively to perform in both North and South, and as far west as New Orleans. New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana ^[8] Booth was outspoken in his love for the South, and equally outspoken in his hatred for Lincoln. In early 1862, Booth was arrested by a provost marshal in St. Louis for making anti-government remarks.

Booth and Lincoln crossed paths on several occasions. Lincoln was an avid theater-goer and especially loved Shakespeare. On November 9, 1863, Lincoln saw Booth in Charles Selby's The Marble Heart at Ford's Theatre in Washington. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Ford's Theatre is a historic Theatre in Washington DC, used for various Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D At one point during the performance, Booth was said to have shaken his finger in Lincoln's direction as he delivered a line of dialogue. Lincoln sat in the same "presidential box" in which he would later be assassinated. ^[1]

Booth made a final appearance at Ford's on March 18, 1865, when he played Duke Pescara in The Apostate in what was the last appearance of his career. Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year However, Booth's family were long time friends with John T. Ford, the theater's owner, and Booth was in and out of the theater so often during the war that he even had his mail sent there. John Thomson Ford ( April 16, 1829  &ndash March 14, 1894) was a American theater manager in the nineteenth century ^[8] This granted Booth complete access to Ford's Theatre, day and night.

Plotting to kidnap Lincoln

Booth's plan was to kidnap Lincoln from the Old Soldiers Home

By 1864, the tide of the war had shifted in the North's favor. The North halted prisoner exchange in an attempt to diminish the size of the Confederate Army, and because the Confederates refused to exchange captured African-American soldiers. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Booth began devising a plan to kidnap Lincoln from his summer residence at the Old Soldiers Home three miles (5 km) from the White House and smuggle him across the Potomac and into Richmond. President Lincoln's Cottage at the Soldiers' Home preserves historic structures of the United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home (now part of the Armed Forces Retirement The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand This article is about the city of Richmond the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. He would be exchanged for the release of around 10,000 Southern soldiers held captive in Northern prisons. He successfully recruited his old friends Samuel Arnold and Michael O'Laughlin as accomplices. ^[10]

In the summer of 1864, Booth met with several well-known Confederate sympathizers at The Parker House in Boston, Massachusetts. The Omni Parker House Hotel is a Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, currently owned by Omni Hotels and named the Omni Parker House. In October 1864, he made an unexplained trip to Montreal. Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec At the time, Montreal was a well-known center of clandestine Confederate activities. He spent ten days in the city and stayed for a time at St. Lawrence Hall, a meeting place for the Confederate Secret Service, and met at least one blockade runner there. Confederate Secret Service is an umbrella term for a number of official and semi-official Secret service operations conducted by the Confederate States of America It is possible that it was here that he also met Confederate Secret Service director James D. Bulloch as well as George Nicholas Sanders, a one-time U. James Dunwoody Bulloch ( 25 June[[ 823]] &ndash 7 January[[ 901]] was the Confederate States of America 's chief foreign agent in Great Britain George Nicholas Sanders ( February 22, 1812 &ndash August 13, 1873) was a former official of the United States who was believed to S. ambassador to Britain. Booth is believed to have been active in the "Knights of the Golden Circle", described as a "nest of 'Secesh' spies" (that is, pro-secessionist). The Knights of the Golden Circle ( KGC) was a Secret society originally founded to promote the interests of the Southern United States. Secession (derived from the Latin term secessio is the act of withdrawing from an organization union or especially a political entity ^[1]

There has been much scholarly attention devoted to why Booth was in Montreal at this time, and what he was doing there. No solid evidence has ever linked Booth's kidnapping or assassination plot to a conspiracy involving any elements of the Confederate government, although this possibility had been explored at some length in two books; Nathan Miller's Spying For America and William Tidwell's Come Retribution: the Confederate Secret Service and the Assassination of Lincoln.

Booth began to devote more and more of his energy and money to his plot to kidnap Lincoln after his re-election in early November 1864. He assembled a loose-knit band of Southern sympathizers, including David Herold, George Atzerodt, John Surratt, and Lewis Powell (also known as Lewis Payne). David Edgar Herold ( June 16, 1842 &ndash July 7, 1865) conspired with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln George Andreas Atzerodt ( June 12, 1835 &ndash July 7, 1865)[http//www John Surratt ( April 13, 1844 &ndash April 21, 1916) son of Mary Surratt, was accused of plotting to kidnap U Lewis Thornton Powell ( April 22, 1844 &ndash July 7, 1865) also known as Lewis Paine or Payne, attempted unsuccessfully They began to meet routinely at the boarding-house of Surratt's mother, Mrs. Mary Surratt. Mary Elizabeth Eugenia Jenkins Surratt (May/June 1823 in Waterloo Maryland, USA &ndash July 7, 1865 in Washington D

On November 25, 1864, he performed for the first and only time with his two brothers, Edwin and Junius, in a single engagement production of Julius Caesar at the Winter Garden Theater in New York. Events 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies Donnchad, the Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Edwin Thomas Booth (13 November 1833 &ndash 7 June 1893 was a famous 19th century American Actor. Julius Caesar is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599 The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1634 Broadway in midtown- Manhattan. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The proceeds went towards a statue of Shakespeare for Central Park which still stands today. Central Park is a large public Urban park in New York City, with about twenty-five million visitors annually The performance was interrupted by a failed attempt by clandestine Confederate agents to burn down several hotels, and by extension the city of New York, with Greek fire. Greek fire was a burning-liquid weapon used by the Byzantine Empire. One of the hotels was next door to the theater, but the fire was quickly extinguished. The following morning, Booth argued bitterly with his brother, Edwin, about Lincoln and the war.

Three months later, Booth attended Lincoln's second inauguration on March 4, 1865 as the invited guest of his secret fiancée, Lucy Hale. 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 (Lucy's father, John P. Hale, was Lincoln's minister to Spain. John Parker Hale ( March 31, 1806 &ndash November 19, 1873) was an American politician and lawyer from New Hampshire Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. ) In the crowd below were Powell, Atzerodt, and Herold. There seems to have been no attempt to kidnap or assassinate Lincoln during the inauguration. Later, however, Booth remarked about "what a wonderful chance" he had to shoot Lincoln, if he had so chosen. ^[1]

On March 17, Booth learned at the last minute that Lincoln would be attending a performance of the play Still Waters Run Deep at a hospital near the Soldier's Home. Booth assembled his team on a stretch of road near the Soldier's Home in the attempt to kidnap Lincoln en route to the hospital, but the president never showed up. Booth later learned that the President had changed his plans at the last moment to attend a reception at the National Hotel in Washington, where Booth was staying at the time. ^[1]

The assassination

Currier and Ives depiction of Lincoln's assassination. Currier and Ives was an American Printmaking firm headed by Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888 and James Merritt Ives (1824–1895 and based in l-to-r: Maj. Rathbone, Clara Harris, Mary Todd Lincoln, Pres. Lincoln, and Booth

Main article: Abraham Lincoln assassination

On April 12, after hearing the news that Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Booth told Louis J. Weichmann, a friend of John Surratt, and a boarder at Mary Surratt's house that he was done with the stage and that the only play he wanted to present henceforth was Venice Preserv'd. 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 Robert Edward Lee (January 19 1807 &ndash October 12 1870 was a career United States Army officer, an Engineer, and among the most celebrated Appomattox Court House is a village located three miles (5 km east of Appomattox, Virginia, USA (25 miles east of Lynchburg Virginia, in the Louis J Weichmann (September 29 1842 &ndash June 5 1902 was one of the chief witnesses for the prosecution in the conspiracy trial of the Abraham Lincoln assassination. Venice Preserv'd is an English Restoration play written by Thomas Otway, and the most significant Tragedy of the English stage in Although Weichmann did not understand the reference, Venice Preserv'd is about an assassination plot.

The previous day, Booth was in the crowd outside the White House when Lincoln gave an impromptu speech from his window. When Lincoln stated that he was in favor of granting suffrage to the former slaves, Booth declared that it would be the last speech Lincoln would ever make. Suffrage (from the Latin suffragium, meaning "voting tablet" and figuratively "right to vote" probably from suffrago "hough" and originally ^[1] "Our cause being almost lost", Booth wrote in his journal, "something decisive and great must be done. "^[11]

On the morning of Good Friday, April 14, 1865, Booth learned that the President and Mrs. 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 Lincoln would be attending the play Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre. 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 He immediately set about making plans for the assassination, which included a getaway horse waiting outside, and an escape route. Booth informed Powell, Herold and Atzerodt of his intention to kill Lincoln. He assigned Powell to assassinate Secretary of State Seward and Atzerodt to assassinate Vice-President Johnson. Herold would assist in their escape into Virginia. ^[8]

Wanted poster for Booth, Surratt, and Herold

By targeting Lincoln and his two immediate successors to the office, Booth seems to have intended to decapitate the Union government and throw it into a state of panic and confusion. A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a Poster put up to let the public know of a Criminal whom authorities wish to apprehend Booth also planned to assassinate the Union commanding general, Ulysses S. Grant; however, Grant's wife had promised to visit family and so they were heading to New Jersey. 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 New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Booth had hoped that the assassinations would create sufficient chaos within the Union that the Confederate government could reorganize and continue the war.

As a famous and popular actor, Booth was a friend of the owner of Ford's Theatre, John T. Ford, and had free access to all parts of the theater. John Thomson Ford ( April 16, 1829  &ndash March 14, 1894) was a American theater manager in the nineteenth century Boring a spyhole into the presidential box earlier that day, the assassin could see if his intended victim had made it to the play. That evening, at around 10 p. m. , as the play progressed, John Wilkes Booth slipped into Lincoln's box and shot him in the back of the head with a . 44 caliber Derringer. The term derringer is a genericized misspelling of the last name of Henry Deringer, a famous maker of small Pocket pistols in the 1800s Booth's escape was almost thwarted by Major Henry Rathbone, who was present in the Presidential box with Mrs. Henry Reed Rathbone ( July 1, 1837 &ndash August 14, 1911) was a United States military officer and diplomat Mary Todd Lincoln. Mary Ann Todd Lincoln ( December 13, 1818 &ndash July 16, 1882) was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham ^[8]

Booth then jumped from the President's box and fell to the stage, injuring his leg when it snagged on a U. S. Treasury Guard flag used for decoration. ^[12] Witnesses said he shouted "Sic semper tyrannis" (Latin for "Thus always to tyrants", the Virginia state motto) from the stage, while others said he added, "The South is avenged. Sic semper tyrannis is a Latin phrase meaning "thus ever (or always to tyrants Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. "^[11][13]

Aftermath — pursuit and death

In the ensuing pandemonium inside Ford's Theatre, Booth fled by a stage door to the alley, where he had a horse waiting, and galloped into southern Maryland, arriving before dawn on April 15 at the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd, who treated the injured leg. Samuel Alexander Mudd I ( December 20, 1833 &ndash January 10, 1883) was a Maryland physician implicated and imprisoned for ^[14] Booth and Herold remained in hiding as they continued to travel through southern Maryland before secretly crossing the Potomac into Virginia in April 21.

Booth's escape route

A detachment of 25 Union soldiers from the 16th New York Cavalry Regiment, led by Lieutenant Edward P. Doherty and accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel Everton Conger, pursued Booth through Southern Maryland and across the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers to Richard H. Edward Paul Doherty (1840 &ndash April 3 1897 was an American Civil War officer who formed and led the detachment of soldiers that captured and killed John Wilkes Booth Everton Judson Conger ( April 25, 1834 &ndash July 12, 1918) was an American Civil War officer who was instrumental in the capture The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid- Atlantic coast of the United States. The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia in the United States, approximately 184 mi (294 km in length Garrett's farm, just south of Port Royal, Caroline County, Virginia. Port Royal is an Incorporated town in Caroline County, Virginia, United States. Caroline County is a county located in the US state — officially " Commonwealth " — of Virginia. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Booth and his companion, David E. Herold, had been led to the farm by William S. David Edgar Herold ( June 16, 1842 &ndash July 7, 1865) conspired with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln Jett, formerly a private in the 9th Virginia Cavalry, whom they had met before crossing the Rappahannock. ^[15]

Booth was surprised when he found little sympathy for his action, and wrote of his dismay in a journal entry on April 22, just before crossing the Potomac River into Virginia (see map, left), "[W]ith every man's hand against me, I am here in despair. And why; For doing what Brutus was honored for . . . And yet I for striking down a greater tyrant than they ever knew am looked upon as a common cutthroat". ^[16]

Conger tracked down Jett and interrogated him, learning of Booth's location at the Garrett farm. Early in the morning of April 26, 1865, the soldiers caught up with Booth there. Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Trapped in a tobacco barn, David Herold surrendered. Tobacco is an Agricultural product recognized as an addictive drug processed from the fresh Leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. David Edgar Herold ( June 16, 1842 &ndash July 7, 1865) conspired with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln Booth refused to surrender and the soldiers then set the barn ablaze. ^[13]

The porch of the Garrett farmhouse, where Booth died in 1865

Sergeant Boston Corbett fired at Booth — whether orders to shoot were given is uncertain — fatally wounding him in the neck. Thomas P "Boston" Corbett (1832 &ndash presumed dead 1894 was the Union Army soldier who shot and killed Abraham Lincoln 's assassin Booth was dragged from the barn and died three hours later, at age 26, on the porch of the Garrett farmhouse. The bullet had severed his spinal cord, paralyzing him. The spinal cord is a long thin tubular bundle of Nerves that is an extension of the Central nervous system from the brain and is enclosed in and protected Paralysed redirects here For other uses see xx Paralysed (disambiguation Paralysis is the complete loss of Muscle function In his last dying moments, he reportedly whispered "tell my mother I did it for my country," and asked for both his hands to be raised to his face so he could see them. He looked at them and uttered his final words, "Useless, useless," and died as dawn was breaking. ^[15][17][18]

Booth's body was taken to the ironclad USS Montauk at the Washington Navy Yard for identification and an autopsy. An ironclad was a steam-propelled Warship of the later 19th century protected by Iron or Steel armor plates The Washington Navy Yard is the former Shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Washington D An autopsy, also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy, or obduction, is a Medical procedure that consists of a thorough Examination The body was then buried in a storage room at the Old Penitentiary at the Washington Arsenal. When the prison was razed in 1867, the body was moved to a warehouse on the Arsenal grounds. In 1869, the remains were once again identified before being released to the Booth family, where they were buried in the family plot at Greenmount Cemetery in Baltimore. Green Mount Cemetery is a historic Cemetery located in Baltimore Maryland, United States. ^[19]

"Booth escaped" theories

The Historic Site marker on Route 301, near Port Royal

Some individuals and writers have advanced theories that Booth escaped his pursuers and died years later under a pseudonym. A historical marker or historic marker is an indicator such as a plaque or Sign to commemorate an event or person of Historic interest In the US state of Virginia, US Route 301 exists in two independent sections joined by a concurrency with U A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) An early popularizer of these "Booth Escape" theories was Finis L. Bates who claimed to have met Booth in Granbury, Texas in 1871 and later to have taken possession of Booth's body after his suicide in Enid, Oklahoma in 1903. Finis Langdon Bates (August 1848 - November 29, 1923) was a Memphis Tennessee, lawyer who wrote The Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth Granbury is a city in Hood County, Texas, in the United States. Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. The Population was 47045 at the 2000 census. He toured the mummified body in carnival sideshows and wrote The Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth (1907) in order to authenticate the mummy.

The Lincoln Conspiracy ^[20] details the assassination, the Boyd plot, and Booth's escape to the swamps. The Lincoln Conspiracy is a Book by David W Balsiger and Charles E The Curse of Cain: The Untold Story of John Wilkes Booth. ^[21] continues with the claim that Booth escaped, sought refuge in Japan and eventually returned to the United States where he died in Enid, Oklahoma in 1903. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. The Population was 47045 at the 2000 census. Another is that a man claiming to be Booth lived into the 1900s in Missouri. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee In the mid-1990s, an attempt was mounted to force the exhumation of Booth's presumed remains in order to conduct a photo-superimposition study. ^[22] This was blocked by Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Joseph H. H. Kaplan, who cited, among other things, "the unreliability of petitioners' less-than-convincing escape/cover-up theory" as a major factor in his decision. The Maryland Court of Special Appeals upheld the ruling. ^[23] Records made public by the FBI give no information to support the escape theory. ^[24]

Booth in Film and Pop Culture

• Booth's story, along with those of 8 other presidential assassins and would-be assassins, was the basis of Sondheim's and Weidman's Broadway musical Assassins. Stephen Joshua Sondheim (born March 22 1930 is an American musical and film composer and lyricist winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards (seven John Weidman (born September 25 1946 is an American librettist. Assassins is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman, based on an idea by Charles Gilbert Jr His story is told in the song The Ballad of Booth, and he is one of the main characters in the musical.
• John Wilkes Booth is portrayed by Christian Camargo in National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Christian Camargo (born July 7, 1971) is an American actor perhaps best known for his role of Rudy Cooper in the Showtime drama National Treasure 2 Book of Secrets is a 2007 Adventure film and is the second movie in the National Treasure franchise.
• Booth is portrayed by T. V. actor Reg Rogers in an episode of the series Touched by an Angel. Touched by an Angel is an American Drama Television series that chronicles the missions of a group of Angels sent by God Opposite him, David Selby plays Abraham Lincoln. David Lynn Selby (born February 5, 1941 in Morgantown, West Virginia) is an American character and stage actor primarily in
• In the novel "Booth" by David Robertson, he is portrayed as a manipulative sneak who has an affair with Mary Surratt and has a son with Sarah Slater. David Robertson may refer to David Robertson (baseball ‎ Major League baseball player David Robertson (conductor (b Mary Elizabeth Eugenia Jenkins Surratt (May/June 1823 in Waterloo Maryland, USA &ndash July 7, 1865 in Washington D It also claims that John Surratt never fled the country, was captured, and forged Booth's diary so that evidence against senators and President of the United States Andrew Johnson. John Surratt ( April 13, 1844 &ndash April 21, 1916) son of Mary Surratt, was accused of plotting to kidnap U 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 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 The original was destroyed.
• The movie The Birth of a Nation (1915) depicts the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln and shows John Wilkes Booth jumping down to the stage and shouting "Sic semper tyrannis" and limping off. The Birth of a Nation (also known as The Clansman) a Silent film directed by D Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year 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 Sic semper tyrannis is a Latin phrase meaning "thus ever (or always to tyrants Booth is played by Raoul Walsh. Raoul Walsh (born March 11, 1887 in New York City, died December 31, 1980 in Simi Valley CA) was an American

See also

• Abraham Lincoln assassination
• Abraham Lincoln
• Civil War
• Bel Air, Maryland
• Ford's Theatre

External links

• A History of John Wilkes Booth, (National Park Service, Ford's Theatre). 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 Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal 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 Bel Air is the county seat of Harford County, Maryland, United States. Ford's Theatre is a historic Theatre in Washington DC, used for various The National Park Service ( NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation
• Trial of the Lincoln Conspirators – University of Missouri–Kansas City Law School.
• First Edition Report on the Lincoln Assassination, and Biography of John Wilkes Booth. The University of Missouri–Kansas City (often referred to as UMKC) is an institution of higher learning located in Kansas City, Missouri, USA
• Lieut. Doherty's report to the War Department recounting Booth's capture, dated April 29, 1865. Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans. Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year
• Lincoln Assassination Papers.
• "The Death of John Wilkes Booth, 1865", EyeWitness to History (1997).
• John Wilkes Booth at Find A Grave (unmarked)
• John Wilkes Booth's Autopsy. Find A Grave is a Website allowing its users to access maintain and expand an online Database of Burial records
• Booth Legend at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine - Oklahoma Historical Society page that describes the legend that Booth died in Oklahoma. The Internet Archive ( IA) is a Nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line Library and archive of Web and
• "The Murderer of Mr. Lincoln", The New York Times, April 21, 1865 — purportedly a letter by Booth describing his reasons for the assassination. Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year
• Eyewitness to History: A Cavalryman's Account of the Chase and Capture of John Wilkes Booth
• Gravesite pictures and information
• John Wilkes Booth; escape and wanderings until final ending of the trail by suicide at Enid, Oklahoma, January 12, 1903 (1922) Digitized by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library.
• The escape and suicide of John Wilkes Booth : or, The first true account of Lincoln's assassination, containing a complete confession by Booth (1907?) Digitized by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library.
• Abraham Lincoln and Boston Corbett, with personal recollections of each; John Wilkes Booth and Jefferson Davis, a true story of their capture (1914) Digitized by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library.
• The life, crime, and capture of John Wilkes Booth, with a full sketch of the conspiracy of which he was the leader, and the pursuit, trial and execution of his accomplices (1865) Digitized by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library.
• A Map and Timeline of the escape route of John Wilkes Booth
• samuelmudd.com

Notes and references

. 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 Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 1838 ( MDCCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Bel Air is the county seat of Harford County, Maryland, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Port Royal is an Incorporated town in Caroline County, Virginia, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the