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Abraham Lincoln's Assassination
Timeline of the events that took place prior and the planning, execution, and after his death. -
Abraham Lincoln is born
In Hodgenville, Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln is the second child to be born for Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Named after his paternal grandfather, Lincoln's first home is a small, one-room cabin. -
Mary Surratt is born
There are conflicting reports on whether she was born in 1820 or 1823. Her birth took place in what is now Waterloo, Maryland. She owned the boarding house that would be frequented by Confederate agents during the time her son and Booth were conspiring on kidnapping Lincoln.
It is rumored that she enjoyed Booth's company and often requested he visit the boarding house that she and 5 other conspirators would later be caught and arrested in. -
George Atzerodt is born
In Anrode, Germany, a future-co-conspirator was born. During the making of the conspiracy, he would be assigned to assassinate Vice President Andrew Johnson. -
John Wilkes Booth is born
In Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland- British actor Junius Brutus Booth and his mistress Mary Ann Holmes give birth to a baby boy in their home. He was the ninth of ten children from his father and named after a distant relative and radical English politician, John Wilkes. -
David Herold is born
Like many of the other conspirators, Herold was rooted to Maryland (his birthplace). He came to meet Booth from his acquaintance and co-conspirator, John Surratt Jr.
He was also apart of the original plan to kidnap, and eventual plan to kill the President, Vice President, and Secretary of State in order to help the Confederacy. -
John Surratt Jr. is born
Born in Washington, D.C., Surratt would later pledge alligence to the Confederate States, and join the conspiracy with John Wilkes Booth. He brought his mother into his plans as well. While is mother would be executed later for her role, Surratt would die in 1916 of pnemonia- only receiving a prison sentence. -
Lewis Powell is born
One of the conspirators, Lewis Powell, sometimes called Lewis Payne, is born in Alabama. He was described as a simple boy, who was not very bright. He enlisted into the Confederate army when he lied about his age. -
Lincoln becomes a member of the Illinois House of Representatives
The only Whig in the House, Lincoln held his own by making speeches and voting at almost all opportunities for the side of his party. During his time in the House, he wrote a bill with another member to abolish slavery, but because it held little party support, was forced to drop it. -
Lincoln's First Day in Office
After a battle for the seat, Lincoln becomes the United States' 16th President. -
Emancipation Proclamation
After the Union victory of in Antietam, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. It stated that as of Janurary that following year, slaves in the states of rebellion were to be set "forever free." It transformed the tone of the war. It suddenly made the war about slavery, instead of states rights. It became a war for basic human freedom. In doing so, Lincoln prevented England from interfering, and positioned the South to be the "wrong" side of the war. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
This was the bloodiest battle in the war, and up until that point, in the United States history. Ironically, one of the conspirators who would later attack Secretary Seward (Lewis Powell) was wounded in the battle. He was captured by the Union soldiers, taken to a hospital, and with the help of a befriended nurse, escaped. -
The Gettysburg Address is made
After a deadly battle and Union victory, Lincoln presents, arguably, his most famous speech. It lasted only 3 minutes, which confused the crowd. Essentialy, he addressed that this nation was made and strove for liberty, which he believes slavery is not supporting these founding beliefs. -
Lincoln's second Inaugural Address
Lincoln delivers his speech to 50,000 people after a landslide and surprising victory against McClellan. Delegate counts were 212 for Lincoln and 21 for McClellan. John Wilkes Booth is present, and is later known to regret the fact that he had a clear shot on the President. -
Booth plots to kidnap Lincoln
The initial plan was for Booth to kidnap Lincoln for the Confederacy. The plan was to hold him for ransom in exchange for prisoners of war. Six other men conspire with Booth, with the plan also including other members of Lincoln's cabinet.
The plan was to take place on this day, when Lincoln was supposed to attend a play. However, the President changed his mind last minute and the kidnapping plans were forced to be pushed back. -
Booth abruptly changes plans
John Wilkes Booth attends a speech being made by President Lincoln. His original plan is still in place until he hears the President speak and encourage the right to vote for blacks. This greatly upsets Booth and he changes his mind that day to kill Lincoln, instead of his original plan to just kidnap him. -
Lincoln Attends "Our American Cousin"
At the Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C, the President relaxes with the First Lady for a night at the play. They sit through half the play peacefully and the intermission begins. Lincoln's security guard takes this as an opporutinity to grab a drink at the bar.
The 16th President sits unguarded in the balcony seating and waits for the play to resume. John Wilkes Booth sees this as an opportunity and makes his way upstairs to the box. -
Lincoln is Shot
At 10:13 p.m., Booth aims his gun and fires at point-blank range to the back of Lincoln's head. Major Henry Rathbone, who is sitting in the balcony with the President at the time, clutches at Booth for a moment, but Booth stabs him and is able to escape. -
George Atzerodt chickens out on his orders to kill the Vice President
Atzerodt had been staying at the same hotel of Andrew Johnson. His orders in the conspiracy were to kill him. However, the morning of Lincoln's assassination, he could not find the courage to do so. Instead, he stayed at the hotel bar and got drunk. He could have possibly avoided any trouble, but inevitably raised suspicions when he was persistent on knowing Johnson's whereabouts. A worker at the hotel reported his behavior to the police after news of the President's assassination. -
Secretary William H. Seward is attacked but survives
As a part of the plan, Lewis Powell and David Herold make their way to Secretary Seward's home. Powell enters the home while Herold stays with the get-away horses. After being denied entry, Powell pushes past a servent and bolts to the third floor of the home. He is met by Seward's son. He attempts to shoot, but his gun misfires and hits another son. After a scuffle with the bodyguard and nurse, Powell makes his way and stabs Seward in his bed. His oldest son stops him, and he narrowly escapes. -
Lincoln's funeral is held in Washington D.C.
On Easter Sunday, the nation grieves for the loss of their leader. Thousands show up wearing black to show their respects for the procession. -
Five conspirators are caught and arrested
Investigators receive a tip that leads them to the Surratt residence. Lewis Powell, Secretary Seward's attacker, is promptly arrested. During that same day, the arrests of Michael O’Laughlen, Edman Spangler, Samuel Arnold and Mary Surratt are also made. Police are also becoming hot on Booth's trail. -
Funeral train departs
Lincoln's funeral train departs for it's 12-day journey around the Union. It departs from Washington D.C. and stops in places such as New York, Chicago, Indianapolis, and ended in Springfield. The nation mourns and many wait along the tracks to get a glimpse of the train and pay their respects. Booth is still on the loose. -
Booth is found and killed
Just before dawn, soldiers tracked down Booth's location at the Garrett farmhouse in Virginia. Another co-conspiriator, David Herold was at the scene and surrendered. Booth, however, did not want to. Instead, he said he "would rather come out and fight."
The soldiers then took this opportunity to set the barn on fire, making Booth move about fantically. One of the Sergents shot him in the neck, fatally wounding him. They dragged him out of the barn and he died three hours later. -
Lincoln is finally laid to rest
In Springfield, Illinois, the fallen President is laid to rest after a 12-day journey around the Union. His body now lays in a tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery, along with his wife and children. -
Execution day of four conspirators
After being tried in May, Mary Surratt, David Herold, George Atzerodt, and Lewis Powell are sentenced to death by hanging. Four other conspirators are sentenced to prison.
The execution takes place at Fort McNair in Washington D.C. Mary Surratt is the first woman to be executed by the federal government of the United States. Around 1,000 people were there to witness the executions, and the bodies hung for about 25 minutes after hanging before being cut down and buried.
