Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln

The evening of April 14, 1865, unfolded with a deceptive air of normalcy in Washington D.C. The nation, weary from the long and brutal Civil War, was tentatively celebrating the recent Confederate surrender. President Abraham Lincoln, a figure who had steered the Union through its darkest hours, sought a moment of respite. He and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, decided to attend a performance of the comedic play Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre. Accompanying them were a young officer, Major Henry Rathbone, and his fiancée, Clara Harris, completing the small party that would soon be thrust into the annals of American tragedy.

Ford’s Theatre, a popular venue located in the heart of the capital, buzzed with anticipation. The play offered a lighthearted distraction from the grim realities of war, and the presence of the President added a layer of excitement to the evening. Little did the audience know, a dark plot was about to shatter the celebratory mood and plunge the nation into renewed grief.

As the play progressed, a shadowy figure stealthily made his way toward the presidential box. John Wilkes Booth, a celebrated actor with staunch Confederate sympathies, had meticulously planned his act of treason. He was a charismatic performer known for his theatrical flair, but on this night, he was consumed by a radical ideology that led him to believe that Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln was the only way to revive the defeated South.

Booth, armed with a single-shot Deringer pistol and a Bowie knife, reached the unguarded door of the presidential box. He paused, gathering his resolve, before stepping inside. The play’s laughter and applause masked his movements as he approached President Lincoln from behind. With calculated precision, Booth raised the pistol and fired a single shot at point-blank range.

The bullet struck President Lincoln behind his left ear, piercing his brain and lodging behind his right eye. The President slumped forward in his seat, mortally wounded. A collective gasp swept through the theater as the audience realized that the sound they had heard was not a theatrical effect but the report of a deadly firearm. Pandemonium erupted as realization dawned: the Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln was underway.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, chaos reigned in the presidential box. Major Rathbone, though unarmed, bravely lunged at Booth, attempting to prevent his escape. A struggle ensued, during which Booth slashed Rathbone’s arm with his Bowie knife. Despite his injury, Rathbone managed to force Booth toward the railing of the box.

Booth, desperate to escape, leaped from the balcony onto the stage below. However, his spur caught on a flag draped over the railing, causing him to fall awkwardly and shatter a bone in his left leg. Despite the injury, Booth managed to regain his footing and escape through a back door, disappearing into the darkness on horseback.

News of the Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln spread like wildfire throughout Washington D.C. and beyond. A doctor in the audience, Dr. Charles Leale, immediately rushed to the presidential box to provide medical assistance. He quickly assessed the severity of Lincoln’s wound, realizing that the President’s condition was dire. Lincoln was paralyzed and barely breathing.

Recognizing that the President needed immediate medical attention, those present carefully carried Lincoln across the street to the Petersen House, a modest boarding house. Doctors worked tirelessly through the night to save the President’s life, but their efforts were in vain. The bullet had inflicted irreparable damage.

At 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln succumbed to his wound. The nation mourned the loss of its leader, a man who had guided them through the Civil War and envisioned a future of unity and reconciliation. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, standing at Lincoln’s bedside, uttered the now-famous words: "Now he belongs to the ages."

While Booth carried out his deadly deed at Ford’s Theatre, a coordinated attack was simultaneously unfolding at the home of Secretary of State William Henry Seward. Lewis Paine, one of Booth’s co-conspirators, targeted Seward, who was recovering from a carriage accident in his bed.

Paine gained entry to the Seward residence by falsely claiming to have medicine for the Secretary from his doctor. When Seward’s son, Frederick, attempted to block Paine’s access to his father’s room, he was brutally beaten. Paine then forced his way into Seward’s room and slashed his throat twice with a knife.

Despite the severity of the attack, Seward survived. A metal surgical collar he was wearing to support his injured neck deflected the blade, preventing a fatal wound. Paine, believing he had succeeded in his mission, fled into the night. Seward went on to recover and served in the Johnson administration, famously orchestrating the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867.

In the wake of the assassination and attempted assassination, a massive manhunt was launched to apprehend Booth and his co-conspirators. The pursuit led to a tobacco barn near Bowling Green, Virginia, where Booth was cornered. After refusing to surrender, Booth was shot and killed by Union soldier Boston Corbett on April 26, 1865.

The surviving conspirators, including Lewis Paine, George Atzerodt, David Herold, and Mary Surratt, were captured and brought to trial before a military commission. They were found guilty of conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln and were sentenced to death. On July 7, 1865, they were hanged at the gallows of the Old Penitentiary in Washington D.C., on the site of present-day Fort McNair.

The Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln marked a turning point in American history. Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated, and his death sent shockwaves through the nation. Booth’s motive was rooted in his fervent support for the Confederacy and his belief that Lincoln’s death would somehow revive the Southern cause. However, his actions had the opposite effect, undermining Lincoln’s plans for a generous and conciliatory peace.

The nation mourned the loss of President Lincoln with profound grief. As the nine-car funeral train carried his body home to Springfield, Illinois, people lined the tracks and gathered at train stations along the 1,700-mile route to pay their respects. The funeral procession became a symbol of national mourning, as Americans from all walks of life came together to honor the fallen leader. The impact of the Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln on the course of Reconstruction cannot be overstated.

Timeline – 1865:

• March 17: A plot to kidnap President Lincoln, conceived by John Wilkes Booth, fails when the President does not attend a scheduled visit to a soldiers’ hospital. This event reinforces the idea of assassination in Booth’s mind.

• April 14: John Wilkes Booth shoots President Lincoln while he attends the performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre. Dr. Charles Leale examines Lincoln, and he is taken to a bedroom in the nearby Petersen House. Booth and David Herold escape Washington into southern Maryland. Lewis Paine attempts to assassinate Secretary of State William Seward. George Atzerodt fails to assassinate Vice President Johnson.

• April 15: President Lincoln dies at 7:22 a.m. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton remarks, “Now he belongs to the ages.” Booth, having broken his right fibula, stops at Dr. Samuel Mudd’s house near Bryantown, Maryland, to have his leg treated.

• April 21: Lincoln’s body departs Washington in a nine-car funeral train for Illinois. The train travels the same tracks Lincoln took east in 1861. Funeral processions are held in Philadelphia, New York City, Buffalo, Cleveland, and Chicago.

• April 26: Booth and Herold are apprehended in a tobacco barn near Bowling Green, Virginia, by a cavalry detachment. Herold surrenders, and Booth is killed by Corporal Boston Corbett.

• May 4: Abraham Lincoln’s body is laid to rest in a tomb at Springfield’s Oak Ridge Cemetery.

• May 10: A military commission is convened to try Mary Surratt, David Herold, Lewis Paine, George Atzerodt, Edman Spangler, Michael O’Laughlin, Samuel Arnold, and Dr. Samuel Mudd for their roles in the assassination conspiracy.

• July 7: George Atzerodt, David Herold, Lewis Paine, and Mary Surratt are executed by hanging for their involvement in the Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

The Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln remains a pivotal moment in American history, a stark reminder of the fragility of leadership and the enduring consequences of political violence.