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Abraham Lincoln Assassination

Published June 22, 2026Updated August 15, 2026
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.

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  1. News of Lee’s surrender triggered public celebration across the North and made Lincoln the living symbol of Union victory.
  2. 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.

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  1. Booth had previously pursued schemes to kidnap Lincoln, but the Union victory and Lincoln’s public rhetoric made assassination the new objective.
  2. 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.

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  1. 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.
  2. 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.

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  1. about 8:30 p.m.
    The Lincolns arrive at Ford’s Theatre and take seats in the State Box.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

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  1. 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.
  2. 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.

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  1. late evening
    After leaving Ford’s Theatre, Booth escaped on horseback and cleared the city before military controls fully tightened.
  2. 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.

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  1. Troops surround the barn and call for surrender.
  2. David Herold exits and is taken prisoner.
  3. Barn is set on fire to force Booth out.
  4. 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.