Assassination of President Lincoln

**The Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln** took place on 15 April 1865 when John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln in Ford's Theater. Booth was a southern sympathizer who was unhappy of the recent surrender of the Confederacy on 9 April 1865, & he blamed the actions of president Lincoln for it.

## Background & Motive

John Wilkes Booth was a popular actor who supported the Confederacy during the Civil War. By 1865, the Confederacy had been severely weakened; the country was split in half due to the recent capture of the Mississippi River, Sherman's March to the Sea had invaded the deep south & destroyed over a billion dollars (in today's money) of southern infrastructure & the southern economy was crippling, causing protests against the Southern government. However, worst of all, President Lincoln had been confirmed as the winner of the 1864 election, meaning the war would continue. Booth blamed all of this on the President's refusal to surrender.

## Abandoned Kidnapping Plan

In March 1865, shortly after Lincoln was inaugurated for a second term, Booth thought of a plan to kidnap the president & hold him for ransom in exchange for captured Confederate soldiers, something the Confederacy crucially needed. He planned to do the kidnapping on 17 March 1865 when Lincoln would return from a play at Campbell General Hospital. He recruited Samuel Arnold, George Atzerodt, David Herold, Michael O'Laughlen, Lewis Powell & John Surratt to help him. However, the plan failed as Lincoln decided not to go to the play.

## Lincoln's Dream

On 12 April 1865, Lincoln told his secretary about a dream he had. Lincoln was walking around the White House when he heard sobbing from another room. After finally finding where the sobbing was coming from, Lincoln said, "I arrived at the East Room, which I entered. There I met with a sickening surprise. Before me was a catafalque, on which rested a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments. Around it were stationed soldiers who were acting as guards; and there was a throng of people, gazing mournfully upon the corpse, whose face was covered, others weeping pitifully. "Who is dead in the White House?" I demanded of one of the soldiers, "The President," was his answer; "he was killed by an assassin." Lincoln later said it was not him who had passed but another person. He said, "In this dream it was not me, but some other fellow, that was killed. It seems that this ghostly assassin tried his hand on someone else."

## Assassination

On 14 April 1865, Booth decided to assassinate Lincoln in Ford's Theater, where Lincoln would be attending a performance of *Our American Cousin.* He chose this location as he knew the layout of the theater & knew the staff well. At 8:45 PM, the conspirators met for the final time. Booth would enter the theater & shoot Lincoln point-blank with his single-shot pistol, & then stab Ulysses Grant. Powell was assigned to kill Secretary of State William Seward. Atzerodt would kill vice president Andrew Johnson in his hotel, & Herold to guide Powell to William Seward's house. Earlier in the day, the Grants decided not to go as Mary Todd Lincoln & Julia Grant were not fond of each other. Mary Todd had gotten a headache sometime before, & asked for Lincoln to stay home instead of going to the play. However, even despite Lincoln's footman advising him to stay, he still decided to go. The president's party arrived late, & the play was interrupted as *Hail to the Chief* was played. Lincoln's last words are considered to be "She won't think anything of it", a reply to Mary Todd telling him, "What will Miss Harris think of my hanging on to you so?" However, a family friend recalled in 1882 that his actual last words were him talking about a possible trip to Jerusalem. Lincoln's only guard had gone to a tavern during intermission, leaving the president's box unguarded. Booth entered the theater at 10:10 very slowly. He entered the first door in the president's box & sealed it off. Since Booth knew the play by heart, he waited for a part that would cause laughter. At 10:15, that scene came & the crowd filled with laughter, & Booth shot the president. The bullet went in his left ear, into his brain, before resting in his front forehead. Lincoln slumped forwards & then went backwards into his chair. Booth jumped out of the box, & yelled *Sic semper tyrannis!* (Thus always to tyrants) He then ran through the side door & escaped on his getaway horse.

### Attempt to kill Seward

Powell entered Seward's house, as Seward was bed-ridden after he was injured on 5 April. William Bell, who was Seward's maitr 'd, answered the door. Powell said he was entering to give Seward medicine & needed to instruct him how to use it. Powell was stopped at the top of the stairs by the Assistant Secretary of State, who was also Seward's son, Frederick Seward. He asked what he was doing, to which Powell gave the same medicine story. Seward said his father was asleep. However, his sister, hearing the conversation, said he was awake. This revealed the location of William Seward. Powell then shot his gun at Frederick but missed. He hit Fred with the gun, knocking him unconscious. He shoved Fanny, the sister, out of the way & entered the room where William Seward was. Bell went outside & yelled for help saying "Murder! Murder!" Powell sliced Seward's cheek, but the splint doctors had put on Seward's broken jaw prevented the jugular vein from being penetrated. Seward's son, Augustus, & George Robinson, an assigned soldier for Seward, struggled with Powell as they received stab wounds. Powell ran downstairs & stabbed a State Department Messenger in the back before escaping. Herold, who was supposed to guide Powell, got scared by the screams & ran away, leaving Powell by himself.

### Failure to kill Johnson

Atzerodt was supposed to shoot Johnson at his hotel. The next day, at 10:15, he entered the hotel & asked the bartender about Johnson. Eventually, he became drunk & wandered the streets. Earlier, Booth had left a note that said, "I don't wish to disturb you. Are you at home? J. Wilkes Booth."

## After-Math

### Public Reaction

Both the North & South mourned the loss of Lincoln, even some countries worldwide. A funeral carriage rode Lincoln back to his home, & a parade of people joined. Poems such as *O' Captain! My Captain!* were created in honor of the president.

### Capture & Trial of Conspirators

A reward was offered for capturing the conspirators: $50,000 for Booth, & $25,000 each for Surratt & Herold. Powell finally went to the Surratt house on April 17. He told detectives he was hired by Mary Surratt, but they were both arrested. Atzerodt hid in his cousin's farm, but was arrested on 20 April. On 26 April, Herold & Booth were hiding in a barn. Soldiers surrounded it & threatened to set it on fire. Booth yelled, "I will not be taken alive!" The barn was lit on fire, & a soldier crept up behind it & shot Booth around an inch below where he had shot Lincoln. He died two hours later. Remaining conspirators were arrested, except for John Surratt who fled from the country & was hidden by Roman Catholic priests. In November 1866, he was captured in Egypt by American officials. The conspirators were executed on 7 July.