Abraham+Lincoln's+Assassination+8

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination Abraham Lincoln’s assassination was a tragic event. Many times the White House would receive threats that proposed that Lincoln would be killed, but nothing ever happened, until April 14, 1865. April 14, 1865 started out as a normal day for Lincoln. He went about his daily routine, had a few meetings, and then left with his wife to Ford’s Theater. Clara Harris, the New York Senator’s daughter, and her fiancé, Major Henry Rathbone went along with the Lincolns. The group was going to see //Our American Cousin//, a comical play. In the mean time, John Wilkes Booth was getting ready to complete his task, which was to kill the president. John Wilkes Booth was a well known actor at Ford’s Theater which allowed him to access the theater easily. Originally, Booth was going to kidnap President Lincoln with the help of Lewis Powell, Ned Spangler, Michael O’Laughlen, Mary Surratt, Samuel A. Mudd, David Herold, George Atzerodt, John H. Surratt, and Samuel Arnold but later decided that he should do something more intense. Only a few of these people decided to help Booth with his new plan. Booth had set his plan and on April 14, and was ready for action. In the morning, he went to a local stable to make sure that someone would have a horse at the theater in time for him to escape. After that he went to the theater, around 6:00 p.m., to start getting ready for that night. He went into the private hallway, where the door to the President’s box was located. Once he was in the hallway he cut a little hole in the wall, opposite the door, so he could put a pole across the door. The pole would make sure that no one would be able to get into the hallway after he shot Lincoln. After those few things were taken care of, Booth just had to wait until the time was right. The Lincolns and guests arrived at the theater after the show already began. They received a friendly welcome from the crowd and then took their seats. President Lincoln was sitting in a rocking chair, his wife was sitting in a black cane chair, and Miss Harris and Major Rothbone were sitting on a chair and sofa. Everyone was enjoying the play until Act 3. Booth entered the theater and went up the private hallway to get ready. He set the pole in place and then walked towards the President’s box. When the actors said their funny lines everyone started laughing, just as Booth knew. He then walked into the box, where Lincoln was laughing and holding his wife’s hand, and shot him in the back of the head. Everyone in the audience heard the shotand smelled the smoke, but wasn’t sure if it was part of the show. Major Rothbone then dashed for the man he saw but was stabbed in the arm. As Booth did this, he yelled, “The South is avenged!” Booth then jumped over the edge of the box onto the stage and broke his leg. Then he started hopping off the stage to get to the horse and start riding south.

A doctor came and checked Lincoln out and realized that he would probably die since he was shot in the head. No one thought that the theater was a good place for Lincoln to die so some men carried him to a small building across the street, since the ride back to the White House would be too rough and cause him to die on the way. The house belonged to William Petersen, a tailor. Many people came to pay their respects to the great president. And then finally, at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865 Abraham Lincoln passed away. While all of this was going on, Lewis Powell went to kill the Secretary of State, William H. Seward, but Seward survived. Vice President, Andrew Johnson, was also going to get killed but the man who was going to kill him never did. Eventually Booth was found and shot and lived a few hours after but eventually died. All of there people that helped him were also caught and put in prison.

code Holzer, Harold. __The President Is Shot! The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln__. Honesdale, Pennsylvania: Boyds Mills Press, 2004. code
 * Works Cited **