PDF Summary:Chasing Lincoln's Killer, by James L. Swanson

In Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, Lincoln history buff James L. Swanson draws on archival material and trial transcripts to create a vivid account of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and the 12-day pursuit of killer John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators through Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. This book is condensed from a longer book to adapt it for young readers, but the compelling storyline and many lesser-known historical details will interest adult readers as well. The book evokes the unique time of political division, grievance, and danger that threatened the Union in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War.

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For his part, Atzerodt abandoned his assignment to kill Vice President Johnson, spent the night in his hotel room, then fled to a cousin’s house in Maryland.

Booth and Herold both got out of the city unimpeded and met up in Maryland. Their plan was to continue fleeing south to Virginia, a Confederate state, where they hoped to find support and acclaim. Early on, they stopped at the Maryland farm of Confederate sympathizer Dr. Samuel Mudd, who splinted Booth’s leg.

12 Days on the Run

As Lincoln died and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton launched an investigation and manhunt for the killers, Booth and Herold’s flight from Washington continued as follows:

• April 15-19: Booth and Herold rested at Mudd’s farm, then left that evening to connect with an ex-Confederate officer who would help them get across the Potomac River to Virginia. To avoid troops searching for Booth, they hid in the woods until nightfall on April 20, rather than staying at the officer’s farm.
• April 20-21: That night, a Confederate sympathizer led them to the river and a fishing boat. He showed them how to steer a course in the darkness to the other side. Booth and Herold got turned around in the darkness and rowed in the wrong direction. Early on April 21, they landed back in Maryland, farther north than they had been before. They stayed that night with a friend of Herold’s.
• April 22-23: Late on the night of April 22, Booth and Herold got back on the Potomac and crossed to Virginia, and in the early morning hours, they met another Confederate agent who took them to a doctor recommended by Mudd to check Booth’s leg. However, the doctor suspected their identities and refused to help them. They stayed at a nearby cabin after threatening the African-American man who lived there. The next morning, they paid him for use of a wagon and team and drove to Port Conway on the Rappahannock River, planning to get a ride across the river to Port Royal and catch a train heading south.
• April 24-26: At the Rappahannock, Booth and Herold encountered three Confederate soldiers, who agreed to help them get across the river and assist them on the other side. After landing, the men came upon a farm owned by Richard Garrett and asked to stay the night, claiming that Booth was a wounded Confederate soldier. Garrett allowed Booth to stay at the farm, while Herold and their three Confederate companions rode into the town of Bowling Green for lodging. The Garretts soon became suspicious of Booth and Herold and refused their request to stay another night. When the fugitives promised to sleep in the barn and leave the next day, the Garretts agreed—but they bolted the barn doors from the outside after Booth and Herold went to sleep.

Meanwhile, Powell and Atzerodt were both caught and arrested. Powell was arrested when he showed up at the Washington boarding house of Confederate sympathizer Mary Surratt (and Surratt was arrested as well due to her known ties to Booth and other conspirators). Atzerodt was arrested at his cousin’s house in Maryland after he aroused suspicions by joking that he’d killed Lincoln and confirming the attack on Seward, and another guest reported him to authorities.

Dr. Mudd was arrested after changing his story several times about the two men he had assisted (Booth and Herold) the night of the assassination. He claimed he didn’t know them, then said he eventually recognized Booth as someone he’d met previously.

The Fugitives’ Last Stand

After a tip from a witness who’d seen two men, one of whom had a broken leg, crossing the Rappahannock, the 16th New York Cavalry raced to Port Royal in pursuit. On April 26, the cavalry tracked down one of the fugitives’ Confederate helpers, who confessed to knowing Booth’s location. The cavalry then rushed to the Garrett farm.

Booth and Herold heard them coming up the lane, but when they couldn’t get the barn doors open, they realized they were locked in. The troops surrounded the barn, but instead of storming it, they tried to persuade Booth and Herold to surrender. Herold gave himself up, but Booth refused. The troops set the barn on fire.

A sergeant watching Booth through a gap in the wall boards saw him draw his pistol and also raise the Carbine held in his other hand as if to fire through the open door at the troops outside. So the sergeant aimed and fired his own pistol through the crack, striking Booth in the neck. The soldiers brought Booth outside, still hoping to take him back to Washington to face justice—but he’d been mortally wounded and died hours later as the sun rose.

Trial and Execution

On July 5, eight co-conspirators were tried and found guilty. The next day, four—Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt—were hanged. Mary Surratt was mistakenly believed to have played a central role in organizing the plot. Dr. Mudd was sentenced to prison—however, his sentence was commuted four years later by President Johnson, in part for his help during a prison epidemic. Mudd returned to his farm, where he died in 1883.