On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., by John Wilkes Booth; Lincoln died the next morning. Booth and co-conspirators also targeted Secretary of State Seward and Vice President Johnson as part of a broader plot.
Abraham Lincoln — Credit: Wikimedia Commons — Lincoln O-77 portrait (one of the last photographs of Lincoln, Feb 1865) · Public domain (PD-pre-1930 (1865))
On the evening of April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, attended a performance of *Our American Cousin* at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., with his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, Major Henry Rathbone, and Rathbone's fiancée Clara Harris. During the play, John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Confederate sympathizer, entered the presidential box and shot Lincoln in the head at close range. Lincoln was carried to the Petersen House across the street, where he died the following morning, April 15, 1865, at 7:22 am, without regaining consciousness.
The shooting was part of a coordinated plot by Booth and several associates, including Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt, who had originally conspired to kidnap Lincoln to aid the Confederate cause before shifting to a plan to assassinate Lincoln, Secretary of State William H. Seward, and Vice President Andrew Johnson simultaneously. Powell attacked and seriously wounded Seward at his Washington home, though Seward survived. Atzerodt, assigned to kill Johnson at the Kirkwood Hotel, lost his nerve, became drunk, and never carried out the attack.
After shooting Lincoln, Booth leapt to the stage, breaking his leg, and fled the theater, crossing into Maryland with Herold. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton directed a large manhunt involving thousands of troops. Booth and Herold hid at various locations, including the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd, before being located at the tobacco farm of Richard H. Garrett in King George County, Virginia, on April 26, 1865. Herold surrendered; Booth refused and was fatally shot by Sergeant Boston Corbett after soldiers set fire to the barn where he was hiding.
The remaining conspirators were captured by the end of April 1865, with the exception of John Surratt, who fled overseas and was ultimately captured in Egypt in November 1866. A military tribunal tried the accused conspirators over seven weeks, hearing testimony from 366 witnesses. All defendants were found guilty on June 30, 1865. Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt were sentenced to death and hanged at the Old Arsenal Penitentiary on July 7, 1865; Mary Surratt was the first woman executed by the U.S. federal government. Samuel Mudd, Samuel Arnold, and Michael O'Laughlen received life sentences, and Edmund Spangler received six years. John Surratt was tried in civil court in 1867; the jury could not reach a verdict, and he was released without retrial.
Vice President Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the 17th president on April 15, 1865. Lincoln's state funeral was held on April 19, followed by a funeral train that carried his remains through several states for burial in Illinois. The assassination drew condemnation from governments and public figures around the world and marked the first assassination of a sitting U.S. president.
Lincoln issued General Order 252 regarding prisoner exchanges, a grievance later cited in accounts of Booth's motives.
1865-03-04
Booth attended Lincoln's second inauguration.
1865-03-17
Booth and conspirators attempted an unsuccessful plan to kidnap Lincoln near Campbell General Hospital.
1865-04-03
Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital, fell to Union forces.
1865-04-09
General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House.
1865-04-11
Booth attended Lincoln's speech advocating voting rights for emancipated slaves and reacted with anger.
1865-04-14
Booth shot Lincoln at Ford's Theatre; Lewis Powell attacked Secretary of State William H. Seward; George Atzerodt failed to attempt an attack on Vice President Andrew Johnson.
1865-04-15
Lincoln died at 7:22 am at the Petersen House; Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the 17th president.
1865-04-17
Lewis Powell and Mary Surratt were arrested.
1865-04-19
Lincoln's state funeral was held in Washington, D.C.
1865-04-20
George Atzerodt was arrested at his cousin's farm in Germantown, Maryland.
1865-04-26
Booth was located and fatally shot by Sergeant Boston Corbett at the Garrett farm in King George County, Virginia; David Herold surrendered.
1865-06-30
All defendants in the military tribunal trial were found guilty.
1865-07-07
Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt were hanged at the Old Arsenal Penitentiary.
1866-11
John Surratt was captured by a U.S. agent in Egypt.
1867
John Surratt was tried in civil court; the jury could not reach a verdict and he was released.
1869-02
Samuel Mudd, Samuel Arnold, and Edmund Spangler were pardoned by President Johnson.
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People
Mary Surratt
CONVICTED
Convicted by military tribunal; hanged July 7, 1865, the first woman executed by the U.S. federal government.
Samuel Arnold
CONVICTED
Sentenced to life in prison by military tribunal; pardoned by President Johnson in February 1869.
George Atzerodt
CONVICTED
Convicted by military tribunal for planned attack on Vice President Johnson; hanged July 7, 1865.
Samuel Mudd
CONVICTED
Sentenced to life in prison by military tribunal for aiding Booth; pardoned by President Johnson in February 1869.
William H. Seward
VICTIM
Secretary of State, attacked and wounded by Lewis Powell on the night of the assassination.
David Herold
CONVICTED
Convicted by military tribunal for role in the conspiracy; hanged July 7, 1865.
John Surratt
CHARGED
Charged in connection with the conspiracy; captured in Egypt in November 1866, tried in civil court in 1867, and released after a mistrial.
Boston Corbett
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Union Army sergeant who fatally shot John Wilkes Booth at the Garrett farm on April 26, 1865.
John Wilkes Booth
CHARGED
Actor and Confederate sympathizer who shot Lincoln; killed by Sergeant Boston Corbett on April 26, 1865, before facing trial.
Edmund Spangler
CONVICTED
Sentenced to six years in prison by military tribunal; pardoned by President Johnson in February 1869.
Abraham Lincoln
VICTIM
16th President of the United States, shot at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865, and died April 15, 1865.
Michael O'Laughlen
CONVICTED
Sentenced to life in prison by military tribunal; died in prison in 1867.
Edwin Stanton
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Secretary of War who directed the manhunt for Booth and the other conspirators.
Lewis Powell
CONVICTED
Convicted by military tribunal for attacking Secretary Seward; hanged July 7, 1865.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
portrait victim
Abraham Lincoln
Credit: Wikimedia Commons — Lincoln O-77 portrait (one of the last photographs of Lincoln, Feb 1865) · Public domain (PD-pre-1930 (1865)) · Source
wanted poster
John Wilkes Booth wanted poster new
Credit: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · Source
On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., by John Wilkes Booth; Lincoln died the next morning. Booth and co-conspirators also targeted Secretary of State Seward and Vice President Johnson as part of a broader plot.
Where did the crime happen?
Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C.
Who was convicted?
Mary Surratt (Convicted by military tribunal; hanged July 7, 1865, the first woman executed by the U.S. federal government.), Samuel Arnold (Sentenced to life in prison by military tribunal; pardoned by President Johnson in February 1869.), George Atzerodt (Convicted by military tribunal for planned attack on Vice President Johnson; hanged July 7, 1865.), Samuel Mudd (Sentenced to life in prison by military tribunal for aiding Booth; pardoned by President Johnson in February 1869.), David Herold (Convicted by military tribunal for role in the conspiracy; hanged July 7, 1865.), Edmund Spangler (Sentenced to six years in prison by military tribunal; pardoned by President Johnson in February 1869.), Michael O'Laughlen (Sentenced to life in prison by military tribunal; died in prison in 1867.), and Lewis Powell (Convicted by military tribunal for attacking Secretary Seward; hanged July 7, 1865.).
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