The Lincoln Assassination U.S. History and Constitution

The Conspirators John Wilkes Booth Lewis Payne (Powell) David Herold Michael O’Laughlen Kidnapping Plot John Surratt Edman Spangler (?) Accomplice of Booth’s—Held his horse Samuel Arnold George Atzerodt Kidnapping Plot/Assassination Mary Surratt Dr. Samuel Mudd (?) Set a broken leg 1 2 8 3 9 7 4 6 5 10

The Conspiracy Attempts on Lincoln’s life have been made several times before and Booth and his group originally decided to kidnap Lincoln. When Booth heard Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, he decided that Lincoln needed to die. He made plans to decapitate the Federal Government by killing the top three officials—the President, the Vice President, and the Secretary of State. Booth would take care of assassinating Lincoln, George Atzerodt was charged with the assassination of Andrew Johnson, and Lewis Payne (Powell) was charged with the assassination of William Seward.

The Events of the Day—Good Friday, April 14, 1865 The Lincolns spent the afternoon together in a ride around Washington, D.C. discussing what they would do after he completed his second term as President—the places they would like to go to, the things they would like to see, etc. Lincoln asks the Grants to accompany them to the theatre that evening, but Grant refused—Julia did not like Mary The tickets arrived that afternoon, Mary was not feeling well and would rather have not gone, but, seeing the elevated mood of her husband, she acquiesced and decided to attend the show with him.

At the Theatre Ford’s Theatre was a popular place for stage plays. The Booth family were well known and well respected actors at this theatre. The Lincoln’s arrived late to the show and were shown to the Presidential State box, with no security escort

The Assassination Booth approaches the door to the box that is unguarded and creeps into the box. He waits for the “punch line” of the play then draws his derringer and shoots the President in the back of his head and “escapes” between Lincoln and his wife. Major Henry R. Rathbone, who attended the play with his fiancé, Clara Harris, tries to stop Booth and is slashed on his arm for his effort. Booth jumps to the stage and breaks his leg while yelling, “Sic semper tyrannus.” (“Death to tyrants”—the Virginia state motto.) Major Henry R. Rathbone and Miss Harris never marry, he ends up going insane because he blames himself for the President’s death.

The Escape Booth escapes Ford’s Theatre and immediately leaves Washington, D.C. Headed to the Surratt Tavern to collect weapons and then to Dr. Samuel Mudd’s house to have his leg set. Booth keeps a diary as he runs and eventually learns that his assassination of Lincoln did not have the desired response that he had intended. 18 missing pages…?

Back in Washington, D.C. Lincoln is attended by several doctors who move him to Petersen’s Boarding House right across the street from Ford’s Theatre. Mary is with him and his son, Robert, is called to attend to his mother. There a vigil is undertaken. Mary is escorted from the room because of her intense and loud wailing and grieving. She asks for Tad, their youngest son, to be brought to Lincoln, he would always respond to Tad, this was never done. The doctors used a probe to discover the trajectory of the bullet in Lincoln’s brain. Some current doctors theorize that Lincoln may have survived if this had not been done.

“Now, he belongs to the ages.” Lincoln dies at 7:22 A.M. on April 15, 1865. Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War, is said to have made the statement that is still used to best describe Lincoln.

The Capture Booth is tracked down at Garrett’s farm. He and Herold are surrounded while in the tobacco barn. Herold surrenders. The army is given strict instructions to bring Booth back ALIVE!! Booth holds off the soldiers while he tries to decide what he is going to do. A soldier tries to shoot the weapon from Booth’s hand and “accidently” shoots Booth through the neck severing his spinal cord. Booth drops to the ground and the soldiers drag him out of the, by now, burning barn. Booth lingers on the porch of the Garrett farmhouse. Just before he dies, he asks to see his hands, they are held before him and he said his last words, “Useless, useless.”

Did Booth really die? Harold is supposed to have come out of the barn stating, “That man is not Booth!” Some believe that Booth may have survived. The physician who did Booth’s autopsy made rather suggestive statements such as, “This is Booth, although it does not look like the man I knew as Booth, but it is Booth.” The soldiers supposedly encouraged the physician’s cooperation in identifying the dead man as Booth. Some believe that Booth escaped to the West and confessed to a friend upon what he believed was his deathbed—he was ill and believed he would die, so he confessed who he was and what he had done. He survived his malady and left the area, never to be heard from again.

Execution of the Conspirators Four of the conspirators are tried and sentenced to be hung—David Herold, Mary Surratt, Lewis Payne (Powell), and George Atzerodt Old Arsenal Building in Washington, D.C. on July 07, 1865 There was a line of soldiers from the gallows to the White House in case a pardon came for Mary Surratt—she was the first woman in U.S. history to be hanged.

Fates of the Other Conspirators Three are given life sentences Michael O’Laughlen, Samuel Arnold, and Dr. Samuel Mudd O’Laughlen: Died at Ft. Jefferson in Dry Tortugas, Florida of yellow fever after serving two-years Arnold: Received a Presidential Pardon (Andrew Johnson) on March 01, 1869 Mudd: Served as prison doctor at Dry Tortugas, Florida after that person died. He received a Presidential Pardon (Andrew Johnson) on March 01, 1869 One is given a six year prison term Edman Spangler Received a Presidential Pardon (Andrew Johnson) in March of 1869 after serving a year and a half John Surratt escapes from the United States and is eventually returned to face trial. It ends in a hung jury and he goes free. Escaped to Canada, then to Liverpool, England, arrested in the Vatican where he was apart of the Pontifical Zouaves in Vatican City

Lincoln’s Burial Mary did not attend her husband’s funeral held in the White House—she was too distraught. Her son, Robert later tried to have her institutionalized, but Mary, represented by the first woman lawyer, Myra Bradwell, won her freedom and lived with her sister until her death. Her son, Tad died at the age of 18 from tuberculosis. Lincoln’s cortege rambles its way to Springfield, Illinois where he is laid to rest—under 6 feet of concrete (to keep his body from being taken by vandals). Robert asks to see his father one last time before he is buried and upon opening the casket, everyone is surprised to find the President well preserved due to the amount of embalming it took to get him to Springfield.

Questions to Consider What would have happened if Lincoln had lived to see the Confederacy brought back into the Union? How would things have been different for southerners—especially those who served in the Confederate government and/or army? What are some of the ramifications of Lincoln’s assassination that are still felt today?