John Wilkes Booth, AKA That Guy Who Killed Lincoln

John Wilkes Booth was a very careful, precise man when it came to his duty, whether that meant his job, taking care of his family or even assassinating the President of the United States. Booth rode his horse to the Ford Theater on the morning of April 14th to find that President Lincoln would be attending the evening performance of “Our American Cousin.” After one more meeting with his co-conspirators he decided that he himself would assassinate Lincoln, Atzerodt would kill Vice-President, Andrew Johnson, at the Kirkwood House where he stayed. It was also agreed upon that Herold and Powell would eradicate Secretary of State William Seward and that all attacks would take place at approximately 10:15 PM. Booth’s ultimate goal in the assassination was that the resulting uproar and weakness in the government would lead to a comeback for the south.

The presidential party arrived at the theater at around 9:30 PM with Booth showing up about an hour later, armed with a single shot derringer and a carefully sharpened hunting knife. After having a boy, Joseph Burroughs, hold his horse John Wilkes Booth made his way to the saloon to have a drink. About 40 minutes later, at 10:07 PM, John entered Ford’s Theater and made his way casually towards the State Box where Lincoln and his company were located, luckily for Booth, Lincoln’s bodyguard was no where to be seen. At 10:15 PM, Booth shot Lincoln in the back of the head from just 5 feet away, as planned, and then began a struggle with Rathbone. Before fleeing and jumping over 11 feet to the stage beneath them, Booth was able to stab Rathbone in the arm. Unfortunately for John Wilkes Booth he broke the fibula bone in his left leg as a result from the fall. Booth made his escape through the back door, jumped on his horse and made his way out of the city using the Navy Yard Bridge.

Atzerodt had made no attempt to kill Johnson and Powell had stabbed Secretary of State William Seward. Herold had escaped from the scene through the same route as Booth. The two fugitives later met in Maryland and then stopped briefly at Mary Surratt’s tavern in Surrattsvile to pick up a pre arranged package that contained Booth’s field glasses. Later, at about 4 AM Booth and Herold stopped at Dr. Mudd’s home where Booth’s leg was splinted and no questions were asked.

Booth and Herold left Dr. Mudd’s home on the afternoon of April 15th and went south where the authorities caught up with them on Garrett’s farm near Port Royal, Virginia, early in the morning of April 26th. Booth and Herold had been hiding in a barn and after being called out, Herold surrendered but Booth refused so the barn was set into ablaze. Thick-headed Booth still did not come out and was, against orders, shot to death by Sergeant Boston Corbett. Unfortunately, Lincoln had passed away at 7:22 AM the day before.