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Lincoln Delivers His Second Inaugural Address
On March 4th, President Abraham Lincoln delivers his second inaugural address to a crowd of 50,000 in front of the newly completed iron dome of the U.S. Capitol. Nationally known stage actor John Wilkes Booth and several other Confederate sympathizers are among the crowd. Booth will later claim he had “a splendid chance... to kill the president where he stood.” -
Booth Plots To Kidnap Lincoln
Booth plots to kidnap Lincoln and hold him ransom for Confederate Army prisoners. Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, David Herold, Samuel Arnold, Michael O’Laughlen and John Surratt conspire with Booth, but their plot will not be carried out -
Lincoln's Assassination
Lincoln is shot in the head at Fords Theatre by John Wikes Booth -
The Nation Grieves
On this Easter Sunday, church services are packed with mourners dressed in black. Preachers compare the deaths of Lincoln and Jesus Christ.Booth and Herold spend the first of five days hiding in a pine thicket, two miles east of the Potomac River in southern Maryland. Searching for the fugitives, Union troops come so close Booth can hear them. -
Five Conspirators Arrested
Investigators receive a tip that leads to the arrest of Lewis Powell, Seward’s attacker. The same day, police also arrest Michael O’Laughlen, Edman Spangler, Samuel Arnold and Mary Surratt -
Civil War Ends
Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrenders at the Appomattox Courthouse and the Civil War ends. -
Lincoln's Funeral
A funeral service is held for Lincoln at the White House. Thousands of Americans line the streets to watch the procession. -
Atzerodt Arrested, Booth, and Herold Still At Large
Five days after Lincoln’s death, authorities still have not found Booth. In northwest Maryland, police arrest George Atzerodt. Still hiding in the pine thicket, Booth has been given newspapers and is shocked at the nation’s response to his crime. He had been expecting to be revered as a great liberator.Around 10:30 p.m., Booth and Herold attempt to row across the Potomac to Virginia, but in the dark they lose their way and are still in Maryland by morning. -
Lincoln's Funeral Train Departs
Lincoln's Funeral Train Departsdeparts Washington and travels the country for 12 days while people mourn. -
Booth and Herald in Virginia
Booth and Herold finally get to Virginia. Three Confederate soldiers help them cross the Rappahannock River, and the fugitives find shelter in a barn owned by Richard Garrett.In Maryland, authorities arrest Samuel Mudd, the doctor who set Booth’s broken leg. -
Closing in on Booth
Acting on tips, Union troops pursue the fugitives to the Garrett farm. -
Herold Surrender, Booth Killed
Soldiers surround the Garrett barn in the early morning hours. Herold surrenders, but Booth refuses and troops light the barn on fire. Booth is shot in the neck, and he dies at sunrise -
Conspirators Stand Trial
Eight defendants stand trial for President Lincoln's murder. Four will be found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. The remaining four will serve prison sentences at remote Fort Jefferson, in the Dry Tortugas off of Florida, a Union prison during the Civil War. -
Execution Day
Execution day. Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold and George Atzerodt are hanged at the Old Arsenal Prison in Washington, D.C. -
John Surratt Captured
A ninth conspirator, fugitive John Surratt, is captured in Alexandria, Egypt. He will be tried but acquitted with a hung jury, and survive another 50 years until 1916.
