A coordinated plot · twelve days of pursuit · a nation transformed
John Wilkes Booth's attack at Ford's Theatre was one part of a coordinated plot against national leaders, followed by a twelve-day pursuit across Maryland and Virginia.
On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot by actor John Wilkes Booth while attending a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. He was carried to the Petersen House across the street and died there at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, while a coordinated plot also targeted Secretary of State William H. Seward and, unsuccessfully, Vice President Andrew Johnson. Booth fled through Maryland into Virginia and was killed on April 26, 1865; several co-conspirators were tried by a military commission, with four executed on July 7, 1865. The assassination was the first of a U.S. president and profoundly shaped the nation’s path during Reconstruction.
Ford's Theatre
The presidential box where the attack occurred
Recent developments
Recent reporting and official developments, labeled by source and verification status.
Apr 6, 2026 · History / Apple TV
A History's Greatest Mysteries episode reconstructs the planning around Lincoln's assassination and examines the evidence that John Wilkes Booth's attack formed part of a broader conspiracy rather than an isolated act.
Context
The existence of a conspiracy involving Booth's convicted associates is established; broader claims vary in evidentiary support.
The scale
Key figures are drawn from the published case record.
The plot and pursuit
Booth coordinated attacks on national leaders, escaped Washington, and remained at large for twelve days while the government pursued the wider conspiracy.
See all 9 mapped locations →Apr 11, 1865
In the final days after Appomattox, Booth’s earlier kidnapping conspiracy evolved into a murder plot aimed at destabilizing the Union government through simultaneous attacks.
Apr 14, 1865
Booth learned Lincoln would attend Ford’s Theatre that evening and directed his accomplices to target top officials.
Apr 14, 1865
Booth entered the State Box at Ford’s Theatre and shot the President; he wounded Major Rathbone while escaping.
Apr 14, 1865
As part of Booth’s coordinated conspiracy, Lewis Powell forced his way into Seward’s home and severely wounded the secretary of state, along with several others in the household.
Apr 14, 1865
Booth rode south and crossed the Anacostia River on the Navy Yard (11th Street) Bridge, linking up with David Herold outside the city.
Apr 26, 1865
Cavalry surrounded the tobacco barn at Garrett’s Farm; after Herold surrendered, the barn was set ablaze and Sergeant Boston Corbett shot Booth.
How the plot connects
Booth shifted an earlier kidnapping scheme into a coordinated assassination plan after the Confederacy's collapse.
The simultaneous attack on Secretary Seward demonstrates that the plan extended beyond Lincoln.
The escape route, arrests, military trial, and executions established a prosecuted conspiracy rather than an isolated act.
Booth's flight through Maryland and Virginia links the theater attack to the people, places, and decisions that sustained his escape.
Trace the visual record →Where certainty changes
Open each layer to see what the archive treats as core, contested, or unresolved.
Go deeper
This overview is the map. The case tabs hold the underlying events, people, media, locations, and source material.