Lincoln’s Assassination

Lincoln Before the War

Lincoln before the war

Lincoln at the end of the war

Before and After

The Plot to Kidnap Lincoln Originally, he was to be kidnapped and used in prisoner exchange Once it was clear the war was over, the plan changed to the assassination of several northern leaders

John Wilkes Booth Ringleader Famous Shakespearean actor Well-known, recognizable Father, Junius and Mother, Mary also actors, immigrants from England Brothers Edwin and Junius Jr. were also actors Family was from Maryland— supported the Union Booth was a southern sympathizer but promised his mother he would not join the southern army

More on John Wilkes Booth Booth and his brothers Booth and Lincoln had actually crossed paths before Lincoln saw Booth perform Booth was at Lincoln’s second inauguration

Lincoln’s 2 nd Inauguration

The Assassination Plot Booth would kill Lincoln George Azerodt would kill Vice- President Johnson Lewis Powell would kill Secretary of State Seward David Herold would assist in the escape Grant was also to be killed, but he was not in Washington, D.C. at the time

The Assassination Plot The goal was to kill northern leadership and inspire/encourage the Confederate Army to continue the war Other conspirators include John Surratt, Mary Surratt

Surratt’s Involvement Mary Surratt owned a boardinghouse in Washington, D.C. where the conspirators met

Lincoln and his assassin

Johnson and his would- be assassin Andrew Johnson George Atzerodt

Seward and his would- be assassin

Surratt’s Involvement Surratt also owned a tavern in Maryland where Booth and Herold stopped after the assassination to pick up weapons that Mary left for them

Mary Surratt and son John

April 14 th, 1865 Lincoln decides to attend Ford’s Theater to see a play called “Our American Cousin” He was celebrating the end of the war Grant was to be his guest but could not attend Henry Rathbone and his fiancé take his place

April 14 th, 1865 Booth spends time at the hotel next door and then enters the theater without question Since he is a well-known actor, he is very knowledgeable about the theater and the play He waits for a moment during the dialogue when there would be laughter

Ford’S Theater Today

Ford’s Theater in 1865

The scene of the crime

The Scene of the Crime Today

Artist’s Rendering

At the exact moment Booth pulled the trigger, Lincoln turned his head to the left/downward, as if looking to the crowd This led to the bullet lodging in his head in a particular position that limited bleeding Many in the theater had no idea what had happened until…

Booth Leaps off of the stage and breaks his leg

As he stands on the stage he shouts “Sic Semper Tyrannis” This is the state motto of Virginia It means, “Thus forever to tyrants” It was attributed to Brutus at the death of Caesar and was chosen by Virginia as a message to King George

Before jumping, Booth and Rathbone struggled for a few seconds before Booth stabbed the Major in the shoulder and arm After making his statement, he exits the theater in the back, where he has a horse waiting for him He should not have been allowed to leave the city due to curfews during the war A guard, not aware of the news or the identity of Booth, lets him pass into Maryland All 3 assassins were to meet, along with accomplice David Herold, but not everything went according to plan

The Vice President George Atzerodt was assigned to kill Johnson Atzerodt checked in to the same hotel as Johnson and actually had a room just above the VP, but after sitting at the hotel bar for a few hours, left and never carried out the assassination

Secretary of State William Seward Seward was in a carriage accident days before the assassination attempt He was bedridden in his Washington home He children, a butler, and guard were home with him

The Seward Attempt Pretending to deliver medicine, Lewis Powell knocked on the door of the Seward home with a revolver and knife on him The butler was suspicious, but let him in Once inside, he attacked Seward’s 2 sons and daughter—Frederick first He has major head injuries, but survives

Fred Seward

The Seward Attempt Seward’s other son and daughter are injured, as well as the butler, and a delivery man who was stabbed in the back The worst injuries were suffered by Seward himself, who was bedridden and unable to move or defend himself

The Seward Attempt Powell enters his dark bedroom and stabs repeatedly into the bed Seward was wearing a metal neck brace because of his carriage accident—this probably saved his life He is stabbed/slashed across his cheek He falls off the bed and rolls underneath it to save himself

The Seward Attempt Powell escapes from the house and shouts “I’m mad, I’m mad!” as he gets on his horse (provided by David Herold, who ran away when he heard screams) and rides away

Seward Before & After

William Seward After the attack, Seward preferred to be photographed with only his left side showing

Lincoln After being shot, several doctors examined him Because of the location of the wound, it did not bleed much and doctor’s were unsure of his injury He was carried next door to the Petersen House

Where Lincoln Died

The Aftermath Immediately, the nation goes on alert to look for Booth and his conspirators Booth and Herold had passed into Maryland and stopped first at the Surratt Tavern to get weapons and supplies They next moved on the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd Mudd offered medical assisstance Mudd claimed he did know Booth or that he had committed the crime He would later be arrested and imprisoned

The Aftermath Booth and Herold hide in a swamp for several days The are given food and supplies from a southern sympathizer On April 20, in darkness, they attempt to row across the Potomac to Virginia The end up landing in Maryland again

The Search for Booth

Map of the Escape Route

the Escape Fortunately for Booth, he and Herold encounter southern sympathizers in Maryland and are able to stay safe another night before crossing over to Virginia In Virginia, they stay at the home of Mrs. Elizabeth Quesenberry The next night, they forcibly remove a free African-American from his home and stay there Next, he and Herold were taken to Garrett farm, where Booth spent 2 nights, and Herold, 1

the Escape During this time, the US Army was one step behind After questioning some of those who had helped Booth escape, a cavalry unit from NY tracked him down at Garrett’s Farm He refused to come out of the tobacco barn where he was hiding Herold surrendered and was captured

Garrett’s Farm and the man who killed Booth Boston Corbett

Booth is Killed When Booth refuses to leave the barn, it is set on fire Suddenly, a shot is fired Boston Corbett shoots Booth in the neck He is alive, but paralyzed He dies within hours His last words are “Useless, Useless”

The Other Conspirators David Herold was captured when Booth was killed George Atzerodt, Lewis Powell, and Mary Surratt are arrested Other lesser conspirators, such as Dr. Mudd, and others who helped with Booth’s escape, are also arrested Aztzerodt, Powell, Herold, and SUrratt are sentenced to hang

The Execution

Notice the person on the left is wearing a dress—she was the 1 st woman executed by the US government

Lincoln’s Funeral

Lincoln?

Henry Rathbone He and his fiance, Clara Harris, were Lincoln’s guests at Ford’s Theater Major Rathbone tried to fight off Booth but was stabbed and severely injured Rathbone later recovers and marries Harris but becomes mentally unstable He shoots his wife and stabs himself, some say he never got over the Lincoln assassination and was re-enacting it

Henry Rathbone He spends the remainder of his life in an institution

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities

Lincoln elected to Congress in 1846 Lincoln elected President in 1860 Lincoln lost a child while living in the White House Kennedy elected to Congress in 1946 Kennedy elected President in 1960 Kennedy lost a child while living in the White House

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities Lincoln was killed on a Friday Lincoln was shot in the back of his head in the presence of his wife Kennedy was killed on a Friday Kennedy was shot in the back of the head in the presence of his wife

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities Lincoln was directly concerned with civil rights Lincoln’s assassin was killed before going to trial Kennedy was directly concerned with civil rights Kennedy’s assassin was killed before going to trial

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities Lincoln has a secretary named Kennedy who told him not to go to the theater Lincoln was shot in the Ford Theater Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln who told him not to go to Dallas (where he was shot) Kennedy was shot while riding in a Lincoln, made by Ford

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities Lincoln’s assassin— John Wilkes Booth— was known by 3 names, comprised of 15 letters Kennedy’s assassin— Lee Harvey Oswald— was known by 3 names, comprised of 15 letters

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and was captured in a warehouse (tobacco barn) Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and was captured in a theater

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities Lincoln’s successor was Andrew Johnson, born in 1808 Kennedy’s successor was Lyndon Johnson, born in 1908

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities Both presidents had 7 letters in their names Both were over 6 feet tall, were athletic Both liked to quote Shakespeare & the Bible Both had genetic diseases Both served in the military as boat captains Both received many death threats

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities Both were shot on a Friday before a holiday Both were in the company of another couple when they were shot (Rathbone & Harris with Lincoln and the Connollys with Kennedy Both died in a place with the intitials PH— Lincoln in the Petersen House and Kennedy at Parkland Hospital

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities Both were buried in mahogany coffins Both were carried on the same caisson Mrs. Kennedy ordered that her husband’s funeral mirror Lincoln’s as closely as possible

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities Both presidents were related to senators After the assassination, Lincoln’s son moved to 3014 N St. in Georgetown After the assassination, Kennedy’s son moved to 3017 N St. in Georgetown Both presidents were related to Democratic Attorneys General from Harvard

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities Both wives were known for fashion and spending money Both renovated the White House Each couple had 4 children, two of whom died before becoming a teen Lincoln had sons named Robert and Edward Kennedy had brothers named Robert and Edward

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities Both were named for their grandfathers Both were second children Both lost a sister before becoming President Both were in their thirties when the married dark- haired women in their twenties Both wives were from socially prominent familes Both wives spoke French

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities Both presidents knew men named Adlai Stevenson Both were related to British Ambassadors Both knew a doctor named Charles Taft Both presidents knew a Billy Graham Both won the presidency will less than a majority of voters Both were involved in famous debates Both had the legality of their election challenged

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities The concession operator at Ford’s Theater was Joseph “Peanuts” Burroughs The concession operator at the Texas theater where Oswald was caught was Butch Burroughs Men named Oswald and Payne (sometimes spelled Paine) helped Booth to escape or plan L.H. Oswald got his job from a woman named Paine

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities The Vice Presidents Both were southern Democrats named Johnson Both were born in the ’08 year Both had 6 letters in their first names Both were large, athletic men Both had 2 daughters and were in the military Both became president in their mid-fifties

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities The Vice Presidents Both were distrusted by the dead president’s cabinet Both faced (or would have faced) re- election to opponents with a G—Grant and Goldwater Both decided not to run again in ‘68

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities Assassins Both were killed with a single shot by a Colt revolver in a blaze of light Both were shot before their version of events could be heard Both were killed by lone fanatics Both killers of the assassins had changed their names

The Lincoln/Kennedy Similarities The Assassins Both were in their mid-twenties Both lost their fathers at a young age Both had 2 brothers Both were privates in the military Both sympathized with enemies of the USA Both used an alias Both were detained by a man named Baker