Abraham Lincoln’s celebrity assassin John Wilkes Booth | ASSASSINS | ABC News In-depth

Key Concepts

• Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
• John Wilkes Booth (actor, assassin)
• American Civil War
• Confederate sympathies
• Kidnapping plot (failed)
• Conspiracy theory (Booth's escape and suicide)

1. The Assassination at Ford's Theater

• On an evening in 1865, John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor, entered Ford's Theater in Washington D.C.
• Booth timed his attack to coincide with a line in the play that always elicited laughter: "Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal. You sockdologizing old man-trap!"
• He shot President Abraham Lincoln in the back of the head with a small pistol.
• Booth shouted "Freedom! Freedom!" (or possibly "Sic semper tyrannis!"), leaped onto the stage, breaking his leg in the process, and escaped.
• Lincoln was accompanied by his wife Mary, an army major, and the major's fianceé. The major attempted to apprehend Booth, getting stabbed in the arm in the process.

2. Historical Context: Lincoln and the Civil War

• Abraham Lincoln was president from 1861 to 1865, during the American Civil War.
• The Civil War was fought between the Union (North) and the Confederacy (South), initially over preserving the Union, but later focused on abolishing slavery.
• Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing 3.5 million slaves.
• By March 1865, the North was victorious, and slavery was abolished.
• John Wilkes Booth attended Lincoln's second inauguration.

3. John Wilkes Booth: The Assassin

• Booth came from a family of famous actors; his father, Junius Booth, was a renowned actor, and his brother Edwin was a superstar Shakespearean actor.
• John Wilkes Booth was a popular actor known for his theatrical style.
• He was a staunch supporter of the Confederacy and opposed the abolition of slavery.
• In 1863, he was arrested for treasonous remarks but was released after paying a fine and swearing allegiance to the Union.
• Booth's obsession with Lincoln intensified in 1864.

4. The Conspiracy

• Booth initially planned to kidnap Lincoln and hand him over to Confederate forces.
• He assembled a crew of Confederate sympathizers.
• An initial kidnapping attempt failed when Lincoln changed his plans.
• After Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered, Booth decided to assassinate Lincoln, along with Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward.
• Only Booth succeeded in his part of the plot. Seward was stabbed but survived, and the assassin assigned to Johnson lost his nerve.

5. The Escape and Manhunt

• Booth fled the theater on horseback with accomplice David Herold, heading south.
• They sought refuge in the forests and swamps of Maryland, hoping to reach Virginia.
• They received supplies and newspapers from co-conspirators.
• Booth was surprised by the widespread condemnation of his actions, even in the South.
• A large reward was offered for their capture.
• They attempted to cross the Potomac River into Virginia but inadvertently rode upstream and ended up back in Maryland.
• They eventually crossed the river and reached a farm owned by Richard H. Garrett, where they were given shelter under the guise of being injured Confederate soldiers.

6. Capture and Death

• Union troops tracked Booth and Herold to the Garrett farm.
• Herold surrendered, but Booth refused.
• The barn where Booth was hiding was set on fire.
• A soldier shot Booth in the neck, paralyzing him.
• Booth died three hours later.
• His body was identified by a scar on his neck and a tattoo of his initials (JWB) on his left hand.

7. The Conspiracy Theory

• A conspiracy theory claims that the man killed at the Garrett farm was a lookalike, and Booth escaped to Texas and later Oklahoma, where he eventually committed suicide.
• A book by Finnis L. Bates, "The Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth," popularized this theory.
• Bates even toured with what he claimed was Booth's mummified body.
• Official counterarguments, including testimonies from people who knew Booth, refuted the theory.

8. Synthesis/Conclusion

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth was a pivotal moment in American history, driven by Booth's Confederate sympathies and hatred of Lincoln's policies. The event triggered widespread grief and anger, even in the South. While Booth was killed during his capture, conspiracy theories surrounding his escape and supposed later life continue to persist, highlighting the enduring fascination with this dark chapter in American history.