Lincoln's Assassination
All was good; the war just ended a few days before, peace reigned throughout the nation. Parties were held, people celebrated, and Abraham Lincoln, too, was overjoyed. But for the past few nights, the president had been having the same dream over and over again. It was a dream that he had had before, and everytime he seemed to have it, he learned big war news. He was sure that something big would happen today; could it be that General Sherman had captured the remaining Confederate army? At that meeting, the cabinet members talked about the Reconstruction: how the South would be brought back into the Union, what should be done to help the recently freed people become useful citizens, and how the defeated white Southern leaders were to be handled. They had created a horrendous 4 year was, and the North was not ready to forgive them; many wanted the leaders to be hung. There was lots of talk, but no descicions; he would announce his plans later on.
During the cabinet session, Grant received a not from his wife, telling him to go to Philadelphia to be with his sons. Lincoln was disappointed, for he was looking forward to the evening with Grant. The Grants and Lincolns were going to go together to watch a play, Our American Cousin, at Ford's Theatre, located between the White House and the capitol. Lincoln didn't want to go without Grant, but knew that his wife wanted to go, and didn't want to disappoint her. So they went along with some other guests, sitting in a flag-covered president's box. It was a small, separate balcony, protruding above the stage. The audience couldn't quiet see Lincoln behind the curtains and flags.
But all of a sudden, there was a small thunder-boom and some smoke. People didn't know if this was part of the play or not. Then a wild man leaped out of the president's box, clambered on stage, and yelled something believed to be "Sic semper tyrannis." This means "thus ever to tyrants," or "this is the way tyrants are treated." (This is currently Virginia's state motto.) But others heard him say "The South shall live!" He then left. Then a woman screamed out "The president had been shot!" and everyone within the theater realized that this was real, very real.
Lincoln was carried to a small house, the Petersen House, across the street from the theater. They next day, he died from his wounds. That same day, Andrew Johnson was sworn in as president. A month and a half earlier, on Lincoln's second inauguration, while named vice president, he showed up drunk.
A man, Gideon Welles, who visited Lincoln on his deathbed described Lincoln's dying position as the following: "The giant sufferer lay extended diagonally across the bed, which was not long enough for him...Robert, his song, stood at the head of the bed. He bore himself well, but on two occasions gave way...and sobbed aloud...leaning on the shoulder of Senator Sumner."
During the cabinet session, Grant received a not from his wife, telling him to go to Philadelphia to be with his sons. Lincoln was disappointed, for he was looking forward to the evening with Grant. The Grants and Lincolns were going to go together to watch a play, Our American Cousin, at Ford's Theatre, located between the White House and the capitol. Lincoln didn't want to go without Grant, but knew that his wife wanted to go, and didn't want to disappoint her. So they went along with some other guests, sitting in a flag-covered president's box. It was a small, separate balcony, protruding above the stage. The audience couldn't quiet see Lincoln behind the curtains and flags.
But all of a sudden, there was a small thunder-boom and some smoke. People didn't know if this was part of the play or not. Then a wild man leaped out of the president's box, clambered on stage, and yelled something believed to be "Sic semper tyrannis." This means "thus ever to tyrants," or "this is the way tyrants are treated." (This is currently Virginia's state motto.) But others heard him say "The South shall live!" He then left. Then a woman screamed out "The president had been shot!" and everyone within the theater realized that this was real, very real.
Lincoln was carried to a small house, the Petersen House, across the street from the theater. They next day, he died from his wounds. That same day, Andrew Johnson was sworn in as president. A month and a half earlier, on Lincoln's second inauguration, while named vice president, he showed up drunk.
A man, Gideon Welles, who visited Lincoln on his deathbed described Lincoln's dying position as the following: "The giant sufferer lay extended diagonally across the bed, which was not long enough for him...Robert, his song, stood at the head of the bed. He bore himself well, but on two occasions gave way...and sobbed aloud...leaning on the shoulder of Senator Sumner."
The Conspirators
Surratt, Herold, Powell, and
Atzerodt, July 7, 1865
Many people associate the killing of Lincoln with only John Wilkes Booth, but he wasn't the only one. There were 7 others.
Booth's plan was to capture Lincoln and to turn him in for Confederate prisoners. But plans were changed after he found out that Lincoln wasn't going to see the play along with the Grants. Instead, he decided to kill him. He assigned his comrades jobs as well. George Atzerodt was ordered to kill Vice-President Andrew Johnson at Kirkwood House where he was located at. Lewis Powell was told to murder Secretary of State William Seward, with David Herold accompanying him. All attacks were to be performed at 10:15 P.M. sharp that night.
The presidential party arrived at Ford's Theatre at 8:30 P.M. Booth was an actor and had taken part in the play before, and knew the basic area of most stages. He was 26 years old, and did not fight in the war; he felt like a coward, and wanted to be important. He believed that if he captured Lincoln and traded him in for hundreds of Confederate prisoners, the South would cheer for him and call him a hero. He thought that maybe the South would have another chance at defeating the Union.
John Booth arrived at the theater at 9:30 P.M. Joseph Burroughs, a man working for the theater, kept John's horse safe while he went to the next door saloon to get a drink. At 10:07, he entered the theater, and slowly and quietly made his way towards the presidential box. At 10:15, he shot Lincoln in the head at point-blank range, and struggled with Henry Rathbone. Booth stabbed him in the arm, and jumped 11 feet to the stage below. Hitting the floor, he broke his fibula bone in his left leg above his ankle. It all happened so fast, no one stopped him, thinking that it was a joke or something of the like. But after realizing what happened, Booth was escaping over the Navy Yard Bridge.
Seward received serious knife wounds while at home, but recovered in office under President Johnson. No one tried to killed Johnson. Booth had hoped that the killing of the high positioned leaders would revive the Confederacy. Instead of being a hero, he was an enemy. He was worth $100,000, and so were Harold and Mary Surratt (whose contribution to the murder is still being debated today). Herold escaped from the capitol using the same bridge as booth did, and they met in Maryland and stopped at around midnight at Mary Surratt's home located in Surrattsville after her family (for she had built a post office and quite a bit of land). Surratt had earlier left a message to have supplies ready and had dropped off Booth's field glasses. At 4 A.M., Doctor Mudd welcomed Booth and Herold into his house and went on to set and split Booth's broken leg.
Back in Washington, Lincoln never regained consciousness and died at 7:22 that morning. That afternoon, Herold and Booth left Mudd's home, traveling south. Federal authorities caught them in Garrett's farm, a tobacco farm, near Port Royal, Virginia. It was 12 later. Herold surrendered, but Booth didn't. They set the barn on fire, but when the murderer didn't come out, Sergeant Boston Corbett shot him dead, even though he wasn't supposed to. The dead man's body was searched, and found his diary. His body was sent to Washington for an autopsy, and the results were positive that this was him.
Overall, 8 people were found guilty of being conspirators of the murder. Included were George Azterodt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, Mary Surratt, Dr. Mudd, O'Laughlen, Arnold, and of course John Wilkes Booth. Surrat, Powell, Azterodt, and Herold were all hung on July 7, 2011. The next three were given life terms in prison, and a man named Edman "ned" Spangler was given 6 years in prison for helping Booth escape the theater. O'Laughlen died in prison, but Dr. Mudd, Arnold, and Spangler were all pardoned by Johnson in 1869. John Surratt, Mary's son, escaped to Canada and then to Europe, where there he was captured abroad and in 1867 was brought to a civil trial; the jury ended deadlocked, and he was let go, free. The convictions or Mary Surratt and Dr. Mudd are still under debate today, and whether they were knowingly part of the problem or not may never be solved.
Booth's plan was to capture Lincoln and to turn him in for Confederate prisoners. But plans were changed after he found out that Lincoln wasn't going to see the play along with the Grants. Instead, he decided to kill him. He assigned his comrades jobs as well. George Atzerodt was ordered to kill Vice-President Andrew Johnson at Kirkwood House where he was located at. Lewis Powell was told to murder Secretary of State William Seward, with David Herold accompanying him. All attacks were to be performed at 10:15 P.M. sharp that night.
The presidential party arrived at Ford's Theatre at 8:30 P.M. Booth was an actor and had taken part in the play before, and knew the basic area of most stages. He was 26 years old, and did not fight in the war; he felt like a coward, and wanted to be important. He believed that if he captured Lincoln and traded him in for hundreds of Confederate prisoners, the South would cheer for him and call him a hero. He thought that maybe the South would have another chance at defeating the Union.
John Booth arrived at the theater at 9:30 P.M. Joseph Burroughs, a man working for the theater, kept John's horse safe while he went to the next door saloon to get a drink. At 10:07, he entered the theater, and slowly and quietly made his way towards the presidential box. At 10:15, he shot Lincoln in the head at point-blank range, and struggled with Henry Rathbone. Booth stabbed him in the arm, and jumped 11 feet to the stage below. Hitting the floor, he broke his fibula bone in his left leg above his ankle. It all happened so fast, no one stopped him, thinking that it was a joke or something of the like. But after realizing what happened, Booth was escaping over the Navy Yard Bridge.
Seward received serious knife wounds while at home, but recovered in office under President Johnson. No one tried to killed Johnson. Booth had hoped that the killing of the high positioned leaders would revive the Confederacy. Instead of being a hero, he was an enemy. He was worth $100,000, and so were Harold and Mary Surratt (whose contribution to the murder is still being debated today). Herold escaped from the capitol using the same bridge as booth did, and they met in Maryland and stopped at around midnight at Mary Surratt's home located in Surrattsville after her family (for she had built a post office and quite a bit of land). Surratt had earlier left a message to have supplies ready and had dropped off Booth's field glasses. At 4 A.M., Doctor Mudd welcomed Booth and Herold into his house and went on to set and split Booth's broken leg.
Back in Washington, Lincoln never regained consciousness and died at 7:22 that morning. That afternoon, Herold and Booth left Mudd's home, traveling south. Federal authorities caught them in Garrett's farm, a tobacco farm, near Port Royal, Virginia. It was 12 later. Herold surrendered, but Booth didn't. They set the barn on fire, but when the murderer didn't come out, Sergeant Boston Corbett shot him dead, even though he wasn't supposed to. The dead man's body was searched, and found his diary. His body was sent to Washington for an autopsy, and the results were positive that this was him.
Overall, 8 people were found guilty of being conspirators of the murder. Included were George Azterodt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, Mary Surratt, Dr. Mudd, O'Laughlen, Arnold, and of course John Wilkes Booth. Surrat, Powell, Azterodt, and Herold were all hung on July 7, 2011. The next three were given life terms in prison, and a man named Edman "ned" Spangler was given 6 years in prison for helping Booth escape the theater. O'Laughlen died in prison, but Dr. Mudd, Arnold, and Spangler were all pardoned by Johnson in 1869. John Surratt, Mary's son, escaped to Canada and then to Europe, where there he was captured abroad and in 1867 was brought to a civil trial; the jury ended deadlocked, and he was let go, free. The convictions or Mary Surratt and Dr. Mudd are still under debate today, and whether they were knowingly part of the problem or not may never be solved.