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Asesinato de Abraham Lincoln
Parte de la Guerra Civil Estadounidense
Lincoln assassination slide c1900 - Restoration.jpg
John Wilkes Booth asesina a Abraham Lincoln en el Teatro Ford
LocalizaciónTeatro Ford , Washington, DC
Fecha14 de abril de 1865 ; Hace 156 años 10:15 pm (1865-04-14)
Objetivo
Tipo de ataque
  • Asesinato politico
  • tiroteo
  • puñalada
Armas
FallecidosAbraham Lincoln (murió el 15 de abril de 1865 a las 7:22 am por sus heridas)
Herido
John Wilkes Booth (el perpetrador)
PerpetradoresJohn Wilkes Booth y co-conspiradores
MotivoVenganza de los estados confederados

Abraham Lincoln , el decimosexto Presidente de los Estados Unidos , fue asesinado por el conocido actor de teatro John Wilkes Booth , el 14 de abril de 1865, mientras asistía a la obra primo Nuestra América en el teatro de Ford en Washington, DC disparo en la cabeza mientras observaba el juego, [2] Lincoln murió al día siguiente a las 7:22 am, en la Casa Petersen frente al teatro. [3] Fue el primer presidente de Estados Unidos en ser asesinado, [4] y su funeral y entierro marcaron un período prolongado de duelo nacional.

Ocurrido cerca del final de la Guerra Civil Estadounidense , el asesinato fue parte de una conspiración más grande que Booth pretendía revivir la causa Confederada al eliminar a los tres funcionarios más importantes del gobierno de los Estados Unidos . Los conspiradores Lewis Powell y David Herold fueron asignados para matar al secretario de Estado William H. Seward , y a George Atzerodt se le asignó la tarea de matar al vicepresidente Andrew Johnson.. Más allá de la muerte de Lincoln, el complot fracasó: Seward solo resultó herido y el posible atacante de Johnson perdió los nervios. Después de un dramático escape inicial, Booth fue asesinado en el clímax de una persecución de 12 días. Powell, Herold, Atzerodt y Mary Surratt fueron ahorcados más tarde por sus papeles en la conspiración.

Fondo

Plan abandonado para secuestrar a Lincoln

La última imagen conocida de alta calidad de Lincoln, tomada en el balcón de la Casa Blanca, 6 de marzo de 1865.
Stand de John Wilkes
La casa Surratt
Booth estuvo presente cuando Lincoln pronunció su segundo discurso inaugural un mes antes del asesinato.

John Wilkes Booth, nacido en Maryland en una familia de destacados actores de teatro , en el momento del asesinato se había convertido en un actor famoso y una celebridad nacional por derecho propio. También era un franco simpatizante de la Confederación ; a finales de 1860 fue iniciado en los Caballeros del Círculo Dorado, pro Confederados, en Baltimore . [5] : 67

En marzo de 1864, Ulysses S. Grant , comandante de los ejércitos de la Unión, suspendió el intercambio de prisioneros de guerra con el Ejército Confederado [6] para aumentar la presión sobre el Sur hambriento de mano de obra. Booth concibió un plan para secuestrar a Lincoln con el fin de chantajear al Norte para que reanudara los intercambios de prisioneros, [7] : 130–4 y reclutó a Samuel Arnold , George Atzerodt , David Herold , Michael O'Laughlen , Lewis Powell (también conocido como "Lewis Paine ") y John Surratt para ayudarlo. La madre de Surratt, Mary Surratt , dejó su taberna enSurrattsville, Maryland , y se mudó a una casa en Washington, DC , donde Booth se convirtió en un visitante frecuente.

Si bien Booth y Lincoln no se conocían personalmente, Lincoln había visto a Booth en Ford's en 1863. [8] : 419 [9] [10] Después del asesinato, el actor Frank Mordaunt escribió que Lincoln, quien aparentemente no albergaba sospechas sobre Booth, admiraba el actor y lo había invitado repetidamente (sin éxito) a visitar la Casa Blanca. [11] : 325–6 Booth asistió a la segunda toma de posesión de Lincoln el 4 de marzo de 1865, y luego escribió en su diario: "¡Qué oportunidad tan excelente tuve, si lo deseaba, de matar al presidente el día de la toma de posesión !" [7] : 174,437n41

El 17 de marzo, Booth y los otros conspiradores planearon secuestrar a Lincoln cuando regresaba de una obra de teatro en el Hospital Militar de Campbell. Pero Lincoln no asistió a la obra, sino que asistió a una ceremonia en el Hotel Nacional ; [7] : 185 Booth vivía en el Hotel Nacional en ese momento y, si no hubiera ido al hospital por el intento de secuestro abortado, podría haber atacado a Lincoln en el hotel. [7] : 185–6,439n17 [12] : 25

Mientras tanto, la Confederación estaba colapsando. El 3 de abril, Richmond, Virginia , la capital confederada, cayó ante el Ejército de la Unión. El 9 de abril, el General en Jefe de los Ejércitos de los Estados Confederados Robert E. Lee y su Ejército del Norte de Virginia se rindieron al Comandante General del Ejército de los Estados Unidos Ulysses S. Grant y su Ejército del Potomac después de la Batalla de Appomattox. Palacio de Justicia . El presidente confederado Jefferson Davis y otros funcionarios confederados habían huido. Sin embargo, Booth siguió creyendo en la causa confederada y buscó una forma de salvarla. [13] : 728

Motivo

Este artículo es parte de
una serie sobre
Abraham Lincoln
Personal
  • Vida temprana y carrera
  • Familia
  • Salud
Político
  • Carrera política, 1849-1861
  • Debates Lincoln-Douglas
  • Discurso de Cooper Union
  • Discurso de despedida
  • Puntos de vista sobre la esclavitud
  • Puntos de vista sobre la religión
  • Historia electoral
presidente de los Estados Unidos
  • Presidencia
Primer periodo
  • 1a inauguración
    • Habla a
  • Hannibal Hamlin
  • Guerra civil americana
    • La Union
    • Proclamación de Emancipación
    • Plan de diez por ciento
    • La direccion de Gettysburg
    • 13a enmienda
Segundo período
  • 2da inauguración
    • Habla a
  • Andrew Johnson
  • Reconstrucción
Elecciones presidenciales
  • 1860
    • Convención
  • 1864
    • Convención
Asesinato y legado
  • Asesinato
  • Funeral
  • Reputación histórica
  • Memoriales
  • Representaciones
  • Bibliografía
  • Guía temática


  • v
  • t
  • mi
Más información: John Wilkes Booth § Teorías de la motivación de Booth

Hay varias teorías sobre las motivaciones de Booth. En una carta a su madre, escribió sobre su deseo de vengar al Sur. [14] Doris Kearns Goodwin ha respaldado la idea de que otro factor fue la rivalidad de Booth con su conocido hermano mayor, el actor Edwin Booth , quien era un unionista leal. [15] David S. Reynolds cree que Booth admiraba mucho al abolicionista John Brown ; [16] La hermana de Booth, Asia Booth Clarke, lo citó diciendo: "¡John Brown fue un hombre inspirado, el personaje más grandioso del siglo!" [16] [17] El 11 de abril, Booth asistió al último discurso de Lincoln., en el que Lincoln promovió el derecho al voto de los negros; [18] Booth dijo: "Eso significa ciudadanía negra  ... Ese es el último discurso que dará". [19]

Enfurecido, Booth instó a Lewis Powell a que disparara a Lincoln en el acto. Se desconoce si Booth hizo esta solicitud porque no estaba armado o porque consideraba que Powell era mejor tirador que él (Powell, a diferencia de Booth, había servido en el Ejército Confederado y, por lo tanto, tenía experiencia militar). En cualquier caso, Powell se negó por miedo a la multitud, y Booth no pudo o no quiso intentar personalmente matar al presidente. Sin embargo, Booth le dijo a David Herold: "Por Dios, lo haré pasar". [20] [8] : 91

Las premoniciones de Lincoln

Según Ward Hill Lamon , tres días antes de su muerte, Lincoln relató un sueño en el que deambulaba por la Casa Blanca en busca de la fuente de sonidos tristes:

Seguí adelante hasta que llegué al East Room , al que entré. Allí me encontré con una espantosa sorpresa. Ante mí había un catafalco , sobre el que descansaba un cadáver envuelto en vestimentas funerarias. A su alrededor había soldados apostados que actuaban como guardias; y había una multitud que miraba con tristeza el cadáver, cuyo rostro estaba cubierto, otros llorando lastimeramente. "¿Quién ha muerto en la Casa Blanca?" Le pregunté a uno de los soldados, "El Presidente", fue su respuesta; "Fue asesinado por un asesino". [21]

Sin embargo, Lincoln continuó diciéndole a Lamon que "en este sueño no fui yo, sino otro tipo, el que fue asesinado. Parece que este asesino fantasmal probó suerte con otra persona". [22] [23] El investigador paranormal Joe Nickell escribe que los sueños de asesinato no serían inesperados en primer lugar, considerando el complot de Baltimore y un intento de asesinato adicional en el que se hizo un agujero en el sombrero de Lincoln. [22]

Durante meses, Lincoln se había visto pálido y demacrado, pero la mañana del asesinato le dijo a la gente lo feliz que estaba. La Primera Dama Mary Todd Lincoln sintió que tal conversación podría traer mala suerte. [24] : 346 Lincoln le dijo a su gabinete que había soñado con estar en un "barco singular e indescriptible que se movía con gran rapidez hacia una costa oscura e indefinida", y que había tenido el mismo sueño antes "casi todos los grandes y acontecimiento importante de la guerra "como las victorias en Antietam , Murfreesboro , Gettysburg y Vicksburg . [25]

Preparativos

Anuncio de Our American Cousin (Washington Evening Star , 14 de abril de 1865)

El 14 de abril, la mañana de Booth comenzó a la medianoche. Le escribió a su madre que todo estaba bien pero que tenía "prisa". En su diario, escribió que "Casi perdida nuestra causa, hay que hacer algo decisivo y grande". [13] : 728 [24] : 346

Mientras visitaba el Ford's Theatre alrededor del mediodía para recoger su correo, Booth se enteró de que Lincoln y Grant iban a ver a Our American Cousin allí esa noche. Esto le brindó una oportunidad especialmente buena para atacar a Lincoln ya que, después de haber actuado allí varias veces, conocía el diseño del teatro y estaba familiarizado con su personal. [12] : 12 [8] : 108–9 Fue a la pensión de Mary Surratt en Washington, DC y le pidió que le llevara un paquete a su taberna en Surrattsville, Maryland. También le pidió que le dijera a su inquilino Louis J. Weichmann que preparara las armas y municiones que Booth había almacenado previamente en la taberna. [12] : 19

Teatro Ford

Los conspiradores se reunieron por última vez a las 8:45  pm Booth asignó a Lewis Powell para que matara al secretario de Estado William H. Seward en su casa, a George Atzerodt para matar al vicepresidente Andrew Johnson en el hotel Kirkwood y a David E. Herold para guiar a Powell. (que no estaba familiarizado con Washington) a la casa de Seward y luego a una cita con Booth en Maryland.

John Wilkes Booth fue el único miembro conocido de la conspiración. Es probable que supusiera razonablemente (pero en última instancia, incorrectamente) que la entrada del palco presidencial estaría vigilada y que sería el único conspirador con una posibilidad plausible de acceder al presidente, o al menos de acceder al palco. sin ser registrado primero en busca de armas. Booth planeaba dispararle a Lincoln a quemarropa con su Deringer de un solo disparo y luego apuñalar a Grant en el Ford's Theatre . Todos iban a atacar simultáneamente poco después de las diez. [8] : 112 Atzerodt trató de retirarse del complot, que hasta ese momento sólo había implicado secuestro, no asesinato, pero Booth lo presionó para que continuara. [7] :212

Asesinato de Lincoln

Caja de Lincoln

Lincoln llega al teatro

A pesar de lo que Booth había escuchado ese mismo día, Grant y su esposa, Julia Grant , se habían negado a acompañar a los Lincoln, ya que Mary Lincoln y Julia Grant no se llevaban bien. [26] : 45 [b] Otros en sucesión también rechazaron la invitación del Lincoln, hasta que finalmente el mayor Henry Rathbone y su prometida Clara Harris (hija del senador de Nueva York Ira Harris ) aceptaron. [12] : 32 En un momento, Mary Lincoln desarrolló un dolor de cabeza y estaba inclinada a quedarse en casa, pero Lincoln le dijo que debía asistir porque los periódicos habían anunciado que lo haría. [28] Lacayo de Lincoln,William H. Crook , le aconsejó que no fuera, pero Lincoln dijo que se lo había prometido a su esposa. [29] Lincoln le dijo al presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, Schuyler Colfax , "Supongo que es hora de irme, aunque prefiero quedarme" antes de ayudar a Mary a subir al carruaje.

El partido presidencial llegó tarde y se acomodó en su palco (dos palcos contiguos sin una partición divisoria). La obra fue interrumpida y la orquesta tocó " Hail to the Chief " mientras la casa llena de unos 1.700 aplausos se alzó. [30] Lincoln se sentó en una mecedora que había sido seleccionada para él entre los muebles personales de la familia Ford. [31] [32]

Filadelfia Deringer de Booth

El elenco modificó una línea de la obra en honor a Lincoln: cuando la heroína pidió un asiento protegido del draft, la respuesta, escrita como "Bueno, no eres el único que quiere escapar del draft ", fue entregado en su lugar como "¡El borrador ya ha sido detenido por orden del presidente!" [33] Un miembro de la audiencia observó que Mary Lincoln a menudo llamaba la atención de su esposo sobre aspectos de la acción en el escenario y "parecía disfrutar mucho al presenciar su disfrute". [34]

En un momento, Mary Lincoln le susurró a Lincoln, que le sostenía la mano: "¿Qué pensará la señorita Harris de que me aferre a ti?". Lincoln respondió: "Ella no pensará nada al respecto". [12] : 39 En los años siguientes, estas palabras se consideraron tradicionalmente las últimas de Lincoln, aunque NW Miner, un amigo de la familia, afirmó en 1882 que Mary Lincoln le dijo que las últimas palabras de Lincoln expresaban un deseo de visitar Jerusalén . [35]

Booth dispara a Lincoln

Este grabado de Currier & Ives (1865) implica que Rathbone ya se estaba levantando cuando Booth disparó; de hecho, Rathbone no estaba al tanto de Booth hasta que escuchó el disparo.

Con Crook fuera de servicio y Ward Hill Lamon fuera, se asignó al policía John Frederick Parker para vigilar el palco del presidente. [36] En el intermedio fue a una taberna cercana junto con el ayuda de cámara de Lincoln, Charles Forbes, y el cochero Francis Burke. También era la misma taberna que Booth esperaba tomando varios tragos para preparar su tiempo. No está claro si regresó al teatro, pero ciertamente no estaba en su puesto cuando Booth entró al palco. [37]En cualquier caso, no hay certeza de que se le haya negado la entrada a una celebridad como Booth. Booth había preparado una abrazadera para bloquear la puerta después de entrar en la caja, lo que indica que esperaba un guardia. Después de pasar un tiempo en el salón, Booth entró al Ford's Theatre por última vez alrededor de las 10:10 pm, esta vez, a través de la entrada principal del teatro. Pasó por el círculo de vestimentas y se dirigió a la puerta que conducía al Palco Presidencial después de mostrarle a Charles Forbes su tarjeta de visita. El cirujano de la Armada George Brainerd Todd vio llegar a Booth: [38]

Alrededor de las 10:25 pm, un hombre entró y caminó lentamente por el lado donde estaba la caja "Pres" y escuché a un hombre decir, "Ahí está Booth" y giré la cabeza para mirarlo. Seguía caminando muy lento y estaba cerca de la puerta de la caja cuando se detuvo, sacó una tarjeta de su bolsillo, escribió algo en ella y se la dio al acomodador que la llevó a la caja. En un minuto se abrió la puerta y entró.

Una vez dentro del pasillo, Booth bloqueó la puerta colocando un palo entre ella y la pared. Desde aquí, una segunda puerta conducía al palco de Lincoln. Hay evidencia de que, más temprano en el día, Booth había perforado una mirilla en esta segunda puerta, aunque esto no es seguro. [39] [40] : 173

Documento del Departamento de Policía Metropolitana de Washington para el 14 de abril (cuarto inferior de la página): "A esta hora, la melancólica inteligencia del asesinato del Sr. Lincoln  ... fue traída a esta oficina  ... el asesino es un hombre llamado J. Wilks [ sic ] Booth ".

Booth se sabía la obra de memoria y esperó a cronometrar su disparo alrededor de las 10:15 p. M., Con la risa de una de las divertidas líneas de la obra, pronunciada por el actor Harry Hawk : "Bueno, supongo que sé lo suficiente para darte la vuelta. fuera, vieja; te disculpas, viejo, trampa! ". Lincoln se estaba riendo de esta línea [41] : 96 cuando Booth abrió la puerta, dio un paso adelante y le disparó a Lincoln por detrás con una derringer . [2]

La bala entró en el cráneo de Lincoln detrás de su oreja izquierda, atravesó su cerebro y se detuvo cerca de la parte frontal del cráneo después de fracturar ambas placas orbitales . [c] [44] Lincoln se desplomó en su silla y luego cayó hacia atrás. [46] [47] Rathbone se volvió para ver a Booth de pie en medio de una pistola a menos de cuatro pies detrás de Lincoln; Booth gritó una palabra que Rathbone pensó que sonaba como "¡Libertad!" [48]

La cabina se escapa

Daga de Booth

Rathbone saltó de su asiento y luchó con Booth, quien dejó caer la pistola y sacó un cuchillo, con el que apuñaló a Rathbone en el antebrazo izquierdo. Rathbone volvió a agarrar a Booth mientras Booth se preparaba para saltar de la caja al escenario, una caída de tres metros y medio; [49] La espuela de montar de Booth se enredó en la bandera del Tesoro que decoraba la caja , y aterrizó torpemente con el pie izquierdo. Cuando comenzó a cruzar el escenario, muchos en la audiencia pensaron que él era parte de la obra.

Booth sostuvo su cuchillo ensangrentado sobre su cabeza y gritó algo a la audiencia. Si bien tradicionalmente se sostiene que Booth gritó el lema del estado de Virginia , Sic semper tyrannis ! ("Así siempre a los tiranos") ya sea desde el palco o desde el escenario, los relatos de los testigos entran en conflicto. [13] : 739 ¡ La mayoría recuerda haber escuchado Sic semper tyrannis! pero otros, incluido el propio Booth, dijeron que solo gritó ¡ Sic semper! [50] [51] (Algunos no recordaban que Booth dijera nada en latín.) Existe una incertidumbre similar acerca de lo que Booth gritó a continuación, en inglés: "¡El sur está vengado!", [12] : 48 "Revenge for the South!", or "The South shall be free!" (Two witnesses remembered Booth's words as: "I have done it!")

Immediately after Booth landed on the stage, Major Joseph B. Stewart climbed over the orchestra pit and footlights and pursued Booth across the stage.[49] The screams of Mary Lincoln and Clara Harris, and Rathbone's cries of "Stop that man!"[12]:49 prompted others to join the chase as pandemonium broke out.

Booth ran across the stage and exited through a side door, en route stabbing orchestra leader William Withers, Jr.[52][53]He had left a horse in the alleyway. As he leapt into the saddle Booth pushed away Joseph Burroughs,[d] who had been holding the horse, striking Burroughs with the handle of his knife.[54][55][56][1]

Death of Lincoln

Surgeon Charles Leale

Charles Leale, a young Army surgeon, pushed through the crowd to the door of Lincoln's box, but could not open it until Rathbone, inside, noticed and removed the wooden brace with which Booth had jammed the door shut.[8]:120

Leale found Lincoln seated with his head leaning to his right[43] as Mary held him and sobbed: "His eyes were closed and he was in a profoundly comatose condition, while his breathing was intermittent and exceedingly stertorous."[57][58] Thinking Lincoln had been stabbed, Leale shifted him to the floor. Meanwhile, another physician, Charles Sabin Taft, was lifted into the box from the stage.

After bystander William Kent and Leale cut away Lincoln's collar while unbuttoning Lincoln's coat and shirt and found no stab wound, Leale located the gunshot wound behind the left ear. He found the bullet too deep to be removed but dislodged a clot, after which Lincoln's breathing improved;[8]:121–2 he learned that regularly removing new clots maintained Lincoln's breathing. After giving Lincoln artificial respiration, Dr. Leale allowed actress Laura Keene to cradle the President's head in her lap, and he pronounced the wound mortal.[12]:78

Skull fragments and probe used.

Leale, Taft, and another doctor, Albert King, decided that Lincoln must be moved to the nearest house on Tenth Street because a carriage ride to the White House was too dangerous. Carefully, seven men picked up Lincoln and slowly carried him out of the theater, where it was packed with an angry mob. After considering Peter Taltavull's Star Saloon next door, they concluded that they would take Lincoln to one of the houses across the way. It was raining as soldiers carried Lincoln into the street,[59]where a man urged them toward the house of tailor William Petersen.[60] In Petersen's first-floor bedroom, the exceptionally tall Lincoln was laid diagonally on a small bed.[8]:123–4

Lincoln's deathbed[e]

After clearing everyone out of the room, including Mrs. Lincoln, the doctors cut away Lincoln's clothes but discovered no other wounds; finding that Lincoln was cold, they applied hot water bottles and mustard plasters while covering his cold body with blankets. Later, more physicians arrived: Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes, Charles Henry Crane, Anderson Ruffin Abbott, and Robert K. Stone (Lincoln's personal physician). All agreed Lincoln could not survive. Barnes probed the wound, locating the bullet and some bone fragments. Throughout the night, as the hemorrhage continued, they removed blood clots to relieve pressure on the brain,[62]and Leale held the comatose president's hand with a firm grip, "to let him know that he was in touch with humanity and had a friend."[8]:14[63]

Lincoln's older son Robert Todd Lincoln arrived at about 11 p.m., but twelve-year-old Tad Lincoln, who was watching a play of “Aladdin” at Grover's Theater when he learned of his father's assassination at Ford's Theater, was kept away. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton arrived. Stanton insisted that the sobbing Mary Lincoln leave the sick room, then for the rest of the night, he essentially ran the United States government from the house, including directing the hunt for Booth and the other conspirators.[8]:127–8Guards kept the public away, but numerous officials and physicians were admitted to pay their respects.[62]

The Last Hours of Abraham Lincoln (Alonzo Chappel, 1868)[f]

Initially, Lincoln's features were calm and his breathing slow and steady. Later, one of his eyes became swollen, and the right side of his face discolored.[64] Maunsell Bradhurst Field wrote in a letter to The New York Times that the President then started "breathing regularly, but with effort, and did not seem to be struggling or suffering."[65][66] As he neared death, Lincoln's appearance became "perfectly natural"[65] (except for the discoloration around his eyes).[67]Shortly before 7 a.m. Mary was allowed to return to Lincoln's side,[68] and, as Dixon reported, "she again seated herself by the President, kissing him and calling him every endearing name."[69]

Lincoln died at 7:22 a.m. on April 15.[3] Mary Lincoln was not present.[70][71] In his last moments, Lincoln's face became calm and his breathing quieter.[72] Field wrote there was "no apparent suffering, no convulsive action, no rattling of the throat ... [only] a mere cessation of breathing".[65][66]According to Lincoln's secretary John Hay, at the moment of Lincoln's death, "a look of unspeakable peace came upon his worn features".[73]The assembly knelt for a prayer, after which Stanton said either "Now he belongs to the ages" or "Now he belongs to the angels."[8]:134[74]

On Lincoln's death, Vice President Johnson became the 17th president, and was sworn in by Chief Justice Salmon Chase between 10 and 11 a.m.[75]

Powell attacks Seward

An artist's depiction of Lewis Powell attacking William Seward's son, Frederick W. Seward

Booth had assigned Lewis Powell to kill Secretary of State William H. Seward. On the night of the assassination, Seward was at his home in Lafayette Park, confined to bed and recovering from injuries sustained April 5 from being thrown from his carriage. Herold guided Powell to Seward's house. Powell carried an 1858 Whitney revolver (a large, heavy, and popular gun during the Civil War) and a Bowie knife.

William Bell, Seward's maître d’, answered the door when Powell knocked 10:10 pm, as Booth made his way to the presidential box at Ford's Theater. Powell told Bell that he had medicine from Seward's physician and that his instructions were to personally show Seward how to take it. Overcoming Bell's skepticism, Powell made his way up the stairs to Seward's third-floor bedroom.[12]:54[13]:736[76] At the top of the staircase he was stopped by Seward's son, Assistant Secretary of State Frederick W. Seward, to whom he repeated the medicine story; Frederick, suspicious, said his father was asleep.

William and Fanny Seward in 1861

Hearing voices, Seward's daughter Fanny emerged from Seward's room and said, "Fred, Father is awake now" – thus revealing to Powell where Seward was. Powell turned as if to start downstairs but suddenly turned again and drew his revolver. He aimed at Frederick's forehead and pulled the trigger, but the gun misfired, so he bludgeoned Frederick unconscious with it. Bell, yelling "Murder! Murder!", ran outside for help.

Fanny opened the door again, and Powell shoved past her to Seward's bed. He stabbed at Seward's face and neck, slicing open his cheek.[12]:58 However, the splint (often mistakenly described as a neck brace) that doctors had fitted to Seward's broken jaw prevented the blade from penetrating his jugular vein.[13]:737 He eventually recovered, though with serious scars on his face.

Seward's son Augustus and Sergeant George F. Robinson, a soldier assigned to Seward, were alerted by Fanny's screams and received stab wounds in struggling with Powell. As Augustus went for a pistol, Powell ran downstairs toward the door,[77]:275 where he encountered Emerick Hansell, a State Department messenger.[78][79] Powell stabbed Hansell in the back, then ran outside exclaiming "I'm mad! I'm mad!". Screams from the house had frightened Herold, who ran off, leaving Powell to find his own way in an unfamiliar city.[12]:59

Atzerodt fails to attack Johnson

Andrew Johnson

Booth had assigned George Atzerodt to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson, who was staying at the Kirkwood House in Washington. Atzerodt was to go to Johnson's room at 10:15 p.m. and shoot him.[13]:735 On April 14, Atzerodt rented the room directly above Johnson's; the next day, he arrived there at the appointed time and, carrying a gun and knife, went to the bar downstairs, where he asked the bartender about Johnson's character and behavior. He eventually became drunk and wandered off through the streets, tossing his knife away at some point. He made his way to the Pennsylvania House Hotel by 2 am, where he obtained a room and went to sleep.[8]:166–7[77]:335

Earlier in the day, Booth had stopped by the Kirkwood House and left a note for Johnson: "I don't wish to disturb you. Are you at home? J. Wilkes Booth."[76] One theory holds that Booth was trying to find out whether Johnson was expected at the Kirkwood that night;[8]:111 another holds that Booth, concerned that Atzerodt would fail to kill Johnson, intended the note to implicate Johnson in the conspiracy.[80]

Reactions

Further information: Funeral and burial of Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln's funeral train

Lincoln was mourned in both the North and South,[77]:350and indeed around the world.[81] Numerous foreign governments issued proclamations and declared periods of mourning on April 15.[82][83]Lincoln was praised in sermons on Easter Sunday, which fell on the day after his death.[77]:357

On April 18, mourners lined up seven abreast for a mile to view Lincoln in his walnut casket in the White House's black-draped East Room. Special trains brought thousands from other cities, some of whom slept on the Capitol's lawn.[84]:120–3 Hundreds of thousands watched the funeral procession on April 19,[12]:213 and millions more lined the 1,700-mile (2,700 km) route of the train which took Lincoln's remains through New York to Springfield, Illinois, often passing trackside tributes in the form of bands, bonfires, and hymn-singing.[85]:31–58[41]:231–8

"The Apotheosis of Lincoln": Lincoln ascending to heaven, where George Washington embraces him and crowns him with laurels. (Unknown artist)

Poet Walt Whitman composed "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd", "O Captain! My Captain!", and two other poems, to eulogize Lincoln.[86][87]

Ulysses S. Grant called Lincoln "incontestably the greatest man I ever knew."[13]:747 Robert E. Lee expressed sadness.[88] Southern-born Elizabeth Blair said that "Those of Southern born sympathies know now they have lost a friend willing and more powerful to protect and serve them than they can now ever hope to find again."[13]:744African-American orator Frederick Douglass called the assassination an "unspeakable calamity".[88]

British Foreign Secretary Lord Russell called Lincoln's death a "sad calamity."[83] China's chief secretary of state for foreign affairs, Prince Kung, described himself as "inexpressibly shocked and startled".[82]Ecuadorian President Gabriel Garcia Moreno said, "Never should I have thought that the noble country of Washington would be humiliated by such a black and horrible crime; nor should I ever have thought that Mr. Lincoln would come to such a horrible end, after having served his country with such wisdom and glory under so critical circumstances."[82][83]The government of Liberia issued a proclamation calling Lincoln "not only the ruler of his own people, but a father to millions of a race stricken and oppressed."[83] The government of Haiti condemned the assassination as a "horrid crime."[83]

Flight and capture of the conspirators

Booth's escape route

Booth and Herold

Within half an hour of fleeing Ford's Theatre, Booth crossed the Navy Yard Bridge into Maryland.[12]:67–8 An army sentry questioned him about his late-night travel; Booth said that he was going home to the nearby town of Charles. Although it was forbidden for civilians to cross the bridge after 9 pm, the sentry let him through.[89] David Herold made it across the same bridge less than an hour later[12]:81-2 and rendezvoused with Booth.[12]:87 After retrieving weapons and supplies previously stored at Surattsville, Herold and Booth rode to the home of Samuel A. Mudd, a local doctor, who splinted the leg[12]:131,153 Booth had broken in his escape, and later made a pair of crutches for Booth.[12]:131,153

After a day at Mudd's house, Booth and Herold hired a local man to guide them to Samuel Cox's house.[12]:163 Cox, in turn, took them to Thomas Jones, a Confederate sympathizer who hid Booth and Herold in Zekiah Swamp for five days until they could cross the Potomac River.[12]:224 On the afternoon of April 24, they arrived at the farm of Richard H. Garrett, a tobacco farmer, in King George County, Virginia. Booth told Garrett he was a wounded Confederate soldier.

Reward broadside with photographs of John H. Surratt, John Wilkes Booth, and David E. Herold

An April 15 letter to Navy Surgeon George Brainerd Todd from his brother tells of the rumors in Washington about Booth:

Today all the city is in mourning nearly every house being in black and I have not seen a smile, no business, and many a strong man I have seen in tears – Some reports say Booth is a prisoner, others that he has made his escape – but from orders received here, I believe he is taken, and during the night will be put on a Monitor for safe keeping – as a mob once raised now would know no end.[38]

The hunt for the conspirators quickly became the largest in U.S. history, involving thousands of federal troops and countless civilians. Edwin M. Stanton personally directed the operation,[90] authorizing rewards of $50,000 (equivalent to $800,000 in 2019) for Booth and $25,000 each for Herold and John Surratt.[91]

Booth and Herold were sleeping at Garrett's farm on April 26 when soldiers from the 16th New York Cavalry arrived and surrounded the barn, then threatened to set fire to it. Herold surrendered, but Booth cried out, "I will not be taken alive!"[12]:326 The soldiers set fire to the barn[12]:331 and Booth scrambled for the back door with a rifle and pistol.

Sergeant Boston Corbett crept up behind the barn and shot Booth in "the back of the head about an inch below the spot where his [Booth's] shot had entered the head of Mr. Lincoln",[92] severing his spinal cord.[12]:335 Booth was carried out onto the steps of the barn. A soldier poured water into his mouth, which he spat out, unable to swallow. Booth told the soldier, "Tell my mother I die for my country." Unable to move his limbs, he asked a soldier to lift his hands before his face and whispered his last words as he gazed at them: "Useless ... useless." He died on the porch of the Garrett farm two hours later.[12]:336–40[76] Corbett was initially arrested for disobeying orders but was later released and was largely considered a hero by the media and the public.[41]:228

Others

The Garrett farmhouse, where Booth died April 26

Without Herold to guide him, Powell did not find his way back to the Surratt house until April 17. He told detectives waiting there that he was a ditch-digger hired by Mary Surratt, but she denied knowing him. Both were arrested.[8]:174–9 George Atzerodt hid at his cousin's farm in Germantown, Maryland, about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Washington, where he was arrested April 20.[8]:169

The remaining conspirators were arrested by month's end – except for John Surratt, who fled to Quebec where Roman Catholic priests hid him. In September, he boarded a ship to Liverpool, England, staying in the Catholic Church of the Holy Cross there. From there, he moved furtively through Europe until joining the Pontifical Zouaves in the Papal States. A friend from his school days recognized him there in early 1866 and alerted the U.S. government. Surratt was arrested by the Papal authorities but managed to escape under suspicious circumstances. He was finally captured by an agent of the United States in Egypt in November 1866.[93]

Conspirators' trial and execution

Trial of the conspirators, June 5, 1865

Scores of persons were arrested, including many tangential associates of the conspirators and anyone having had even the slightest contact with Booth or Herold during their flight. These included Louis J. Weichmann, a boarder in Mrs. Surratt's house; Booth's brother Junius (in Cincinnati at the time of the assassination); theater owner John T. Ford; James Pumphrey, from whom Booth hired his horse; John M. Lloyd, the innkeeper who rented Mrs. Surratt's Maryland tavern and gave Booth and Herold weapons and supplies the night of April 14; and Samuel Cox and Thomas A. Jones, who helped Booth and Herold cross the Potomac.[84]:186–8All were eventually released except:[84]:188

  • Samuel Arnold
  • George Atzerodt
  • David Herold
  • Samuel Mudd
  • Michael O'Laughlen
  • Lewis Powell
  • Edmund Spangler (a theater stagehand who had given Booth's horse to Burroughs to hold)
  • Mary Surratt

The accused were tried by a military tribunal ordered by Johnson, who had succeeded to the presidency on Lincoln's death:

  • Maj. Gen. David Hunter (presiding)
  • Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace
  • Brig. Gen. Robert Sanford Foster
  • Brev. Maj. Gen. Thomas Maley Harris
  • Brig. Gen. Albion P. Howe
  • Brig. Gen. August Kautz
  • Col. James A. Ekin
  • Col. Charles H. Tompkins
  • Lt. Col. David Ramsay Clendenin

The prosecution was led by U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt, assisted by Congressman John A. Bingham and Major Henry Lawrence Burnett.[94]

The use of a military tribunal provoked criticism from Edward Bates and Gideon Welles, who believed that a civil court should have presided, but Attorney General James Speed pointed to the military nature of the conspiracy and the facts that the defendants acted as enemy combatants and that martial law was in force at the time in the District of Columbia. (In 1866, in Ex parte Milligan, the United States Supreme Court banned the use of military tribunals in places where civil courts were operational.)[8]:213–4 Only a simple majority of the jury was required for a guilty verdict and a two-thirds for a death sentence. There was no route for appeal other than to President Johnson.[8]:222–3

Execution of Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt on July 7, 1865, at Fort McNair in Washington City

The seven-week trial included the testimony of 366 witnesses. All of the defendants were found guilty on June 30. Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt were sentenced to death by hanging; Samuel Mudd, Samuel Arnold, and Michael O'Laughlen were sentenced to life in prison.[95] Edmund Spangler was sentenced to six years. After sentencing Mary Surratt to hang, five jurors signed a letter recommending clemency, but Johnson refused to stop the execution; he later claimed he never saw the letter.[8]:227

Mary Surratt, Powell, Herold, and Atzerodt were hanged in the Old Arsenal Penitentiary on July 7.[12]:362,365 Mary Surratt was the first woman executed by the United States government.[96] O'Laughlen died in prison in 1867. Mudd, Arnold, and Spangler were pardoned in February 1869 by Johnson.[12]:367 Spangler, who died in 1875, always insisted his sole connection to the plot was that Booth asked him to hold his horse.

John Surratt stood trial in Washington in 1867. Four residents of Elmira, New York,[12]:27[97]:125,132,136–7[98]:112–5 claimed they had seen him there between April 13 and 15; fifteen others said they either saw him or someone who resembled him, in Washington (or traveling to or from Washington) on the day of the assassination. The jury could not reach a verdict, and John Surratt was released.[8]:178[97]:132–3,138[99]:227

See also

  • Funeral and burial of Abraham Lincoln
  • Second-term curse
  • Baltimore Plot
  • Phineas Densmore Gurley
  • George A. Parkhurst
  • "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd"
  • List of assassinated American politicians
  • List of United States presidential assassination attempts and plots
  • List of incidents of political violence in Washington, D.C.
  • Joseph Hazelton, 12-year-old eyewitness
  • Samuel J. Seymour, 5-year-old eyewitness who in 1956 told his story as a television game-show contestant
  • List of Abraham Lincoln artifacts and relics

Notes

  1. ^ Burroughs was also known as "John Peanut", "Peanut John", John Bohran, and other aliases.[1]
  2. ^ There is evidence to suggest that either Booth or fellow conspirator Michael O'Laughlen – who resembled Booth – followed the Grants to Union Station late that afternoon and discovered that they would not be at the theater. The Grants later received an anonymous letter from someone who claimed to have boarded their train intending to attack them but was thwarted because the Grants' private car was locked and guarded.[27]
  3. ^ Though the steel ball Booth used as a bullet was of a .41 caliber, the derringer type was a small, easily concealable gun known to be inaccurate and usually just used in close quarters.[42] The bullet most probably passed mainly through the left side of the brain, causing massive damage including the skull fractures, hemorrhaging, and secondary severe edema (or swelling of the brain that occurred after the initial injury). While Dr. Leale's notes mention Lincoln's bulging right eye,[43] the autopsy only specifically states the damage to the left side of the brain.[44][45]
  4. ^ Burroughs was also known as "John Peanut", "Peanut John", John Bohran, and other aliases.[1]
  5. ^ Julius Ulke, who was a boarder at the Petersen House, took this photograph shortly after the President's body was removed.[61]
  6. ^ Designed by John B. Bachelder, this painting depicts the various people who visited Lincoln's room at different times throughout the night as he lay dying; they were not all present simultaneously.

References

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  2. ^ a b Abel, E. Lawrence (2015). A Finger in Lincoln's Brain: What Modern Science Reveals about Lincoln, His Assassination, and Its Aftermath. ABC-CLIO. p. 63. ISBN 9781440831195. Forensic evidence clearly indicates Booth could not have fired at point-blank range ... At a distance of three or more feet, the gunshot did not leave any stippling or any other residues on the surface of Lincoln's head ... Dr. Robert Stone, the Lincoln's' family physician, was explicit: "The hair or scalp (on Lincoln's head) was not in the least burn[t]."
  3. ^ a b Richard A. R. Fraser, MD (February–March 1995). "How Did Lincoln Die?". American Heritage. 46 (1).
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Further reading

  • Hodes, Martha. Mourning Lincoln (Yale University Press, 2015) 396 pp.
  • King, Benjamin. A Bullet for Lincoln, Pelican Publishing, 1993. ISBN 0-88289-927-9
  • Lattimer, John. Kennedy and Lincoln, Medical & Ballistic Comparisons of Their Assassinations. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York. 1980. ISBN 978-0-15-152281-1 [includes description and pictures of Seward's jaw splint, not a neck brace]
  • Steers Jr., Edward, and Holzer, Harold, eds. The Lincoln Assassination Conspirators: Their Confinement and Execution, as Recorded in the Letterbook of John Frederick Hartranft. Louisiana State University Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-8071-3396-5
  • Donald E. Wilkes, Jr., Lincoln Assassinated!, Lincoln Assassinated!, Part 2.
  • Bagehot, Walter, ed. (April 29, 1865). "The assassination of Mr Lincoln". The Economist. XXIII (1, 131).

External links

  • Abraham Lincoln's Physician's Observation and Postmortem Reports: Original Documentation Shapell Manuscript Foundation
  • First Responder Dr. Charles Leale Eyewitness Report of Assassination
  • Lincoln Papers: Lincoln Assassination: Introduction
  • Original Documents Online: Lincoln Assassination Papers
  • April 14th, 1865, Ford's Theatre Ticket
  • Ford's Theatre National Historic Site
  • Abraham Lincoln's Assassination
  • Abraham Lincoln: A Resource Guide from the Library of Congress
  • Lincoln Conspiracy Photograph Album at George Eastman museum
  • The Men Who Killed Lincoln – slideshow by Life magazine
  • Various articles on the conspirators and Lincoln assassination myths
  • Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Research Site
  • The official transcript of the trial (as recorded by Benn Pitman and several assistants – originally published in 1865 by the United States Army Military Commission)
  • Hanging the Lincoln Conspirators – detailed analysis and review of historic 1865 photograph