It’s April 14, 1865. The audience is quiet while watching “Our American Cousin.” This performance has to be perfect because the President’s Box is occupied by the one and only President Abraham Lincoln. The important punchline is said, and the audience laughs when, suddenly, during the show, a shot from a .44 caliber weapon goes off and strikes the President in the head. Nobody knows where it was, how it happened, who would do such a thing, or who was injured. As if in one quick motion, the once quiet audience is now yelling and screaming in terror.¹

The man behind the attack was none other than John Wilkes Booth, a man who never liked President Lincoln and often spoke out about his hatred. The plan to assassinate the President came from a previous plan to merely “capture” him. Booth decided to switch to murder when realizing that the war was coming to an end and that something dire needed to happen for the public to pay any attention to it. He planned the whole event and didn’t care what would happen to him after it.²

John Wilkes Booth was a well-known actor and knew his way around Ford’s Theatre. He had joined an “anti-immigrant” political party, known as the Know-Nothings. He had been rehearsing for a play in Richland County and joined a militia, and began to travel with them. He was known to hate President Lincoln and spoke out on multiple occasions regarding his opinions. Booth later formed a group of conspirators who plotted to kidnap President Lincoln. The group then spiraled out of control, leading to their plan shifting to assassinating President Lincoln.[3 American Battlefield Trust, “John Wilkes Booth,” Accessed November 8, 2025, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/john-wilkes-booth.]

Booths Events From April 14 ³

The night of April 14 will be long remembered. The events that happened in the theatre changed the world forever. Though the timeline of events isn’t confirmed, historians believe that they have figured out the approximate sequence of events through schedule books, diaries, journals, and other recordings.⁴

• Early on April 14, Booth is told that none other than the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, was going to be attending a performance at Ford Theatre. Booth knew that this was the perfect time to enact the plan that he and his fellow conspirators had formed. He believed that he would have a leg up because he knew the theatre rather well. ³
• At around 7 pm, Booth was located in room 228 at the National Hotel, finishing his preparation for the assassination. He prepared his two weapons: a .44 caliber pistol and a bowie knife.³
• At roughly 8 pm, Booth left the hotel to go and meet up with the other members of his group who had similar assignments. The three other men were Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt. Powell was supposed to assassinate the Secretary of State William Seward, with Herold being his guide. Booth and Atzerodt were tasked with the assassination of the President and Vice President; only one of them would succeed in their mission. During this time, President Lincoln and his guests were arriving at the theatre.³
• Between 9-10 pm, Booth set his horse outside the theatre in preparation for his escape. He then leaves and goes to the Star Saloon. He enjoys some drinks, then leaves to go to the theatre to enact his plan. By 10 pm, he is seen in the theatre’s lobby.³
• At 10:05 pm, Powell attacks the Secretary of State but is unsuccessful in killing him. Herold leaves him to fend for himself and be his own guide following the loud noise of the altercation.³
• Ten minutes later, located at the theatre, Booth climbs the stairs leading up to the President’s box. No guard is watching the door. Booth sneaks into the box and aims his pistol at the back of President Lincoln’s head. Booth, having timed it perfectly, waits to hear the punchline in the performance, “Don’t know the manners of good society, eh? Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal—you sockdologizing old mantrap!” While the audience laughs loudly, Booth takes his shot. Having hit President Lincoln in the back of the head, he then stabbed Major Henry Rathbone and jumped over the railing.³
• Following the stabbing, Booth then jumped over the railing and was caught on the fabric draped over it. This then caused him to land on the stage unevenly and potentially broke his leg in doing so. Once he landed, he shouted from the stage, “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” a Latin phrase that translates to “thus always to tyrants.” He then ran out the back door to the horse he had left in the back alley of the theatre, and rode off into the distance towards Maryland. Once in Maryland, he would meet up with his fellow assassins.³
• Seeing as there was no way to quickly alert everyone to the attack on President Lincoln, Booth talks his way over the Navy Yard Bridge, which still had people guarding it. He then ended up in modern-day Anacostia. At roughly 11-12 am, the Secretary of War began the initial stages of setting up a manhunt. At the same time, Booth has now met up with Herold, and the two head to a tavern to collect their weapons and Booth’s glasses. Booth is still in urgent need of medical treatment. The two begin their long ride to the home of Samuel Mudd, who they were hoping would help them with Booth’s leg. There, the two would get medical attention and be on their way. ³
• They were on the run for twelve days following the events on April 14. On April 26, John Wilkes Booth was found at a tobacco farm by Sergeant Boston Corbett, a Union soldier. After refusing to surrender, Booth was shot and killed. ³

President Abraham Lincoln’s Events After the Attack

The events that occurred for President Lincoln after Booth’s departure from the theatre were rather devastating. Mrs. Lincoln hadn’t realized what had happened. She believed that he was merely in deep thought and that the shot that she heard was somehow part of the show. She reached out to feel her love’s head, and he did not move. She was unsure why her hand had appeared to be wet after touching his head. She then looked and saw the blood. She sat there in shock for a second and then felt something brush her arm; it was the man who had shot her love and stabbed her friend. That was when she began to scream. She later stated that she had no other memories from being in the theatre. It is believed that she was in shock and traumatized and that she blocked it all out.¹⁴

As the screams grew louder and louder throughout the theatre, those in the box with President Lincoln were rushing to his side while simultaneously trying to tend to Major Henry Rathbone. They were in dire need of medical assistance.¹⁵

“A Surgeon was called for and Charles S Taft a Surgeon being present was lifted up from the Stage to the Box by those present. Before this the bar had been removed by Maj Rathbone and several men had reached the Box. When Cha reached the Box the President was lying upon the floor” – Horatio  Nelson Taft ¹⁶

Through the chaos, President Lincoln was moved from the theatre to the Peterson House across the street. They had attempted to use water and stimulants, but both were unsuccessful. If they had attempted to move him to the White House, it could have been fatal for him, and he likely would have died due to the uneven roads. A famous painting was done by Carl Bersch, who was sitting on a balcony while illustrating the torchlight parade.¹⁷

About a half hour after President Lincoln had been moved from the theatre, the President’s family physician had finally arrived. They did everything that they could to help him and bring him back, but they were unsuccessful. “His pulse ceased to beat at 22 minutes past seven.” Despite President Lincoln being shot in the head, he survived nearly nine hours, which is extremely rare.¹⁸

A Grieving Nation

The public’s reaction to the president’s death, and specifically the way that he died, impacted the nation indefinitely. Not only was his death impactful to the US public, but it was also a test to see how stable the government was at the time. The world was in shock and showed its condolences. President Abraham Lincoln was well known and well loved, despite the militias. Government officials from all over the world spoke about their feelings of his death. A group of Freemasons in France “wish[ed] to express to you their sentiments of admiration, gratitude, and regret for [President] Lincoln, and their profound sympathy for the government of which you are the head. The blood of your martyred magistrate becomes a fecundating dew to give to liberty a new baptism throughout the entire universe.” ¹⁹

Despite his death being over 160 years ago, he is still known as one of the most influential presidents of the United States of America. His influence was buried deep; his legacy will never be forgotten. He advocated for the abolishment of slavery and treated people with the respect that they deserved. He was active in the community and showed his constant support. His death will remain in our history books for centuries to come. A monument was created to honor President Lincoln. The monumental memorial was created in 1922 and is located in Washington, D.C. Ford’s Theatre is open to the public to view. Across the street is the Peterson House, which is also open to the public. These locations are widely important to the history of the United States of America. ²⁰

IN THIS TEMPLE AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS ENSHRINED FOREVER – Lincoln Memorial