Lincoln’s Assassination

America’s Sixteenth President: giving the Gettysburg Address

Visiting the soldiers

2 nd Inauguration

This is the last known photograph of Lincoln before his assassination.

Clara Harris, Major Rathbone and Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln were in the presidential box with Abraham Lincoln during the assassination.

Ford’s Theater: The President’s box

Renovation of Ford’s Theatre shows what it would have looked like.

Flag from presidential box: rediscovered in 2001

Outside of Ford’s Theater * Notice the Black crepe Paper…this picture was taken after the death of Lincoln.

Matthew Brady took photographs of the theatre as it was at the time of the assassination under orders of Edwin M. Stanton.

Lincoln’s beaver top hat: worn to the theater.

Artist rendition of the assassination.

April 14, 1865

If you visit Ford’s Theater today, you can see many artifacts, including Lincoln’s clothing from the night of the assassination and the door from the theater box.

The Derringer pistol and knife Booth used during the assassination.

The rocking chair used by President Lincoln the night of his assassination. * The top still has bloodstains.

Dr. Charles Leale

Laura Keene and cuff from her costume.

The Peterson home where Lincoln was taken in his final moments.

Room where Lincoln died. Bloodstains are visible on the pillows. Taken by a boarder in the home who snuck into the room after Lincoln’s body was removed.

Bloodstained pillow. Bullet, probe and skull Fragments.

From a painting by Alexander Hay Ritchie. Although historically inaccurate as to the size of the bedroom, this depicts many of the dignitaries who visited the dying President at various times during the night of April 14-15, These coins are said to be the ones placed over Lincoln's eyes after he died.

President Abraham Lincoln lies in state at the top of a circular staircase beneath the rotunda of the City Hall. This, the only known photograph of Lincoln after death, was taken by New York photographer Jeremiah Gurney, Jr. It remained undiscovered until 1952.

Flag at half-mast in front of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Funeral procession for Lincoln. Also, a photograph of the carriage that carried the president’s casket.

Lincoln's horse, Old Bob. The Reverend Henry Brown, who led the horse in the funeral procession is standing on the left.

This artist rendition is said to have been drawn from a photo. If so, the photo did not survive. Notice how The Capitol Building is draped in flags for the funeral.

This train was used to transport the presidents body from city to city for people to pay their respects. Lincoln and William H. Herndon, his last law partner, had an office on the second floor rear of this building shown on the day of the Springfield funeral.

More of the funeral procession.

Swearing in of Vice President Johnson (above). Lincoln’s tomb (right). The public receiving tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery, where Lincoln's remains were originally interred

The Manhunt

John Wilkes Booth acting in Julius Caesar with his brothers. (Booth is on the left)

“Sic semper tyrannis! The South is avenged!” (Thus always to tyrants!)

Edman Spangler- arrested for holding Booth’s horse.

Mary Surratt Surratt’s Tavern

Booths comp Booth’s diary where he wrote his life history and reasons for the assassination.

Booth’s boot (removed by Dr. Samuel Mudd in order to reset his leg), and compass,. and spur that caught on the flag as he jumped from the balcony.

Some of Booth’s girlfriends, and the Samuel Mudd farm.

Edwin M. Stanton

Lafayette C. Baker (middle)

David Herold: on the run with Booth

George Atzerodt: supposed to kill Vice President Johnson

Lewis Powell: arrested for the attempted assassination of William H. Seward.

John Surratt: believed to be a part of the assassination

Sam Arnold and Michael O’Laughlen

Infamous “Sam” letter: excerpt “I told my parents I had ceased with you. Can I, then, under existing circumstances, come as you request? You know full well that the G—t suspicions something is going on there; therefore, the undertaking is becoming more complicated. Why not, for the present, desist, for various reasons, which, if you look into, you can readily see, without my making any mention thereof. You, nor any one, can censure me for my present course. You have been its cause, for how can I now come after telling them I had left you? Suspicion rests upon me now from my whole family, and even parties in the county. I will be compelled to leave home any how, and how soon I care not. None, no not one, were more in favor of the enterprise than myself, and to-day would be there, had you not done as you have—by this I mean, manner of proceeding.”