Apr 9, 1865
Lee surrenders at Appomattox, reshaping the stakes around Lincoln
Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox effectively ended the Confederacy’s main military resistance and intensified the political meaning of Lincoln’s public appearances in the war’s final days.
View sequence of events
News of Lee’s surrender triggered public celebration across the North and made Lincoln the living symbol of Union victory.
For Confederate sympathizers like Booth, the collapse at Appomattox sharpened the sense that Lincoln had to be struck as both a political and symbolic target.
Apr 11, 1865
Booth’s plot hardens from kidnapping to assassination
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.
View sequence of events
Booth had previously pursued schemes to kidnap Lincoln, but the Union victory and Lincoln’s public rhetoric made assassination the new objective.
He began aligning accomplices around a broader plan that would also target Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H. Seward.
Apr 14, 1865
Booth organizes coordinated attacks after learning of Lincoln’s theater plans
Booth learned Lincoln would attend Ford’s Theatre that evening and directed his accomplices to target top officials.
View sequence of events
afternoon
After learning that Lincoln would attend Ford’s Theatre, Booth treated the evening as the best chance to strike multiple senior officials at once.
late afternoon
He assigned Powell to Seward, Atzerodt to Johnson, and arranged to meet Herold during the southern escape after the attacks.
Apr 14, 1865
Lincoln shot at Ford’s Theatre during Our American Cousin
Booth entered the State Box at Ford’s Theatre and shot the President; he wounded Major Rathbone while escaping.
View sequence of events
about 8:30 p.m.
The Lincolns arrive at Ford’s Theatre and take seats in the State Box.
about 10:15 p.m.
Booth shoots the President at close range with a derringer and stabs Major Rathbone before leaping to the stage and fleeing.
shortly after
Doctors in the audience render aid and advise moving Lincoln to the Petersen House.
Apr 14, 1865
Lewis Powell attacks William H. Seward at his home
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.
View sequence of events
about 10:10 p.m.
Powell arrives at Seward’s house posing as a messenger with medicine, then fights his way upstairs after being challenged.
moments later
Powell slashes and stabs the bedridden Seward, who is recovering from a carriage accident, and injures others before fleeing into the night.
Apr 14, 1865
Booth flees Washington via the Navy Yard Bridge
Booth rode south and crossed the Anacostia River on the Navy Yard (11th Street) Bridge, linking up with David Herold outside the city.
View sequence of events
late evening
After leaving Ford’s Theatre, Booth escaped on horseback and cleared the city before military controls fully tightened.
before midnight
He crossed the Navy Yard Bridge and joined Herold, setting the larger manhunt in motion.
Apr 15, 1865
President Lincoln dies at the Petersen House
After overnight care at the Petersen House, Lincoln was pronounced dead in the morning.
Apr 15, 1865
Andrew Johnson sworn in as President
Following Lincoln’s death, Vice President Andrew Johnson took the presidential oath in Washington, D.C.
Apr 19, 1865
Funeral ceremonies held in Washington
A funeral service and procession honored Lincoln in the nation’s capital before the body began a multi-city journey west.
Apr 20, 1865
War Department issues large rewards for conspirators
Officials publicly offered major rewards for the capture of Booth and accomplices as the manhunt intensified.
Apr 26, 1865
Booth cornered at Garrett’s Farm; Herold surrenders; Booth killed
Cavalry surrounded the tobacco barn at Garrett’s Farm; after Herold surrendered, the barn was set ablaze and Sergeant Boston Corbett shot Booth.
View sequence of events
Troops surround the barn and call for surrender.
David Herold exits and is taken prisoner.
Barn is set on fire to force Booth out.
Boston Corbett fires, mortally wounding Booth, who dies shortly after.
May 4, 1865
Lincoln buried in Springfield, Illinois
After a 1,600-mile funeral train journey, Lincoln was interred at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield.
May 9, 1865
Military commission trial of conspirators begins
A military commission convened in Washington to try the alleged conspirators, including Powell, Herold, Atzerodt, and Surratt.
Jul 7, 1865
Four conspirators executed by hanging
Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt were executed at the Old Arsenal Penitentiary.