President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. during a performance of 'Our American Cousin'. The assassination occurred just five days after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House.

The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln stands as one of the most tragic events in American history. Just five days after General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House effectively ended the Civil War, Lincoln's life was cut short by an assassin's bullet on April 14, 1865.

The timing of Lincoln's death proved particularly devastating for a nation struggling to heal its deep divisions. As the president who had guided the United States through its bloodiest conflict, Lincoln was poised to lead the complex process of reunification and reconstruction. His vision for a compassionate reconciliation between North and South would never be realized, as John Wilkes Booth's actions at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. dramatically altered the course of American history.

The Civil War reached its conclusion in April 1865, marking a pivotal moment in American history. These final days witnessed both triumphant victories and devastating losses that shaped the nation's future.

On April 11, 1865, Lincoln delivered his final public address from the White House balcony. In this speech, he discussed plans for post-war reconstruction and addressed the controversial topic of voting rights for African Americans who served in the Union Army. The speech drew criticism from John Wilkes Booth, who attended the address and declared to his companion Lewis Powell, "That means n****r citizenship. That's the last speech he'll ever make."

General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. The surrender terms included:

• Grant allowed Confederate soldiers to keep their horses for spring planting
• Officers retained their side arms pistols for dignity
• All Confederate troops received food rations from Union supplies
• Confederate soldiers signed paroles promising not to take up arms against the Union

Date	Event	Location
April 9, 1865	Lee's Surrender	Appomattox Court House, VA
April 11, 1865	Lincoln's Final Speech	White House, Washington D.C.
April 14, 1865	Lincoln's Assassination	Ford's Theatre, Washington D.C.

The surrender at Appomattox effectively ended major Confederate resistance, though several smaller Confederate armies remained in the field until late May 1865.

President Abraham Lincoln attended a performance at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865, accompanied by his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, Major Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris. The evening's entertainment marked their first public outing since Lee's surrender at Appomattox.

• 8:00 PM: The Lincoln party arrived at Ford's Theatre, taking their seats in the presidential box
• 8:20 PM: The play began as the audience welcomed the President with standing applause
• 10:15 PM: John Wilkes Booth entered the theatre through the main entrance
• 10:25 PM: Booth slipped into the presidential box during a moment of loud laughter
• 10:30 PM: Booth fired a single shot from his derringer pistol at point-blank range
• 10:33 PM: Booth leaped from the box onto the stage, shouting "Sic semper tyrannis"
• 10:35 PM: Doctors in the audience rushed to assist the wounded President
• 10:45 PM: Lincoln was carried across the street to William Petersen's boarding house

"Our American Cousin" was a popular comedy by English playwright Tom Taylor, featuring actress Laura Keene in the role of Florence Trenchard. The play's third act contained a memorable line that produced uproarious laughter, providing Booth the cover of audience noise to enter the presidential box undetected. The performance attracted a full house of 1,700 patrons, with ticket prices ranging from 25 cents to $1. The theatre's layout placed the presidential box 12 feet above stage level, decorated with American flags draped over the balustrade for the special occasion.

Theatre Details	Statistics
Seating Capacity	1,700
Box Height	12 feet
Ticket Price Range	$0.25 - $1.00
Performance Start Time	8:20 PM
Assassination Time	10:30 PM

John Wilkes Booth, a prominent 26-year-old actor and Confederate sympathizer, orchestrated a complex assassination plan targeting President Lincoln and other key government officials. His deep-seated hatred for Lincoln and the Union cause drove him to assemble a group of co-conspirators in early 1865.

Booth's original plan involved kidnapping Lincoln and using him as leverage to negotiate the release of Confederate prisoners of war. The conspiracy included multiple Confederate sympathizers: George Atzerodt, David Herold, Lewis Powell, John Surratt Jr. and Mary Surratt. Each conspirator received specific assignments:

• Lewis Powell: Attack Secretary of State William Seward
• George Atzerodt: Assassinate Vice President Andrew Johnson
• David Herold: Guide Powell to escape routes
• Mary Surratt: Provide meeting space at her boarding house

The assassination unfolded with precise timing at Ford's Theatre during the third act of "Our American Cousin." Key details of the fatal moment include:

Time	Event
10:13 PM	Booth entered the Presidential box
10:15 PM	Shot fired during crowd laughter
10:20 PM	Booth leaped to stage
10:25 PM	Escaped on horseback

Booth approached Lincoln's box through an unguarded corridor carrying a single-shot .44 caliber Derringer pistol. He fired the fatal shot into the back of Lincoln's head from point-blank range. After shooting Lincoln, Booth jumped from the President's box onto the stage below, breaking his leg in the process. He shouted "Sic semper tyrannis!" ("Thus always to tyrants") before making his escape through the theatre's back door.

President Abraham Lincoln's death on April 15, 1865, at 7:22 AM marked a pivotal moment in American history. The assassination's impact reverberated throughout the nation, fundamentally altering the course of post-Civil War reconstruction.

The funeral procession for President Lincoln spanned 1,700 miles through seven states, allowing millions of Americans to pay their respects. The journey began in Washington D.C. on April 21, 1865, with stops in major cities including Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Chicago, and Springfield. At each location, Lincoln's body lay in state while mourners filed past his open casket for 24-hour periods. The nation displayed its grief through:

• Draped black bunting on public buildings across Northern states

• 100-gun salutes fired in major cities

• Closed businesses during the funeral train's passage

• Public memorial services in churches nationwide

• Thousands of citizens wearing black armbands

• Immediate retention of Lincoln's cabinet members

• Implementation of stricter Reconstruction policies

• Conflict with Radical Republicans in Congress

• Vetoing of the Freedmen's Bureau Bill in February 1866

• Opposition to the 14th Amendment's ratification

Johnson's Initial Actions	Date
Presidential Oath	April 15, 1865
First Address to Congress	April 29, 1865
Amnesty Proclamation	May 29, 1865
Reconstruction Executive Orders	May-July 1865
End of Military Rule in South	August 20, 1865

The search for John Wilkes Booth ignited the largest manhunt in U.S. history, involving over 10,000 federal troops, detectives, and police officers. The 12-day pursuit ended in a dramatic confrontation that captivated the nation.

John Wilkes Booth fled through Maryland on horseback after breaking his leg during his escape from Ford's Theatre. He sought medical treatment from Dr. Samuel Mudd before continuing south with co-conspirator David Herold. Federal troops tracked Booth to Richard Garrett's farm near Port Royal, Virginia, on April 26, 1865. After refusing to surrender, troops set fire to the barn where Booth was hiding. Sergeant Boston Corbett shot Booth through a crack in the barn's wall, striking him in the neck. Booth died three hours later at 7:15 AM.

Eight conspirators faced trial before a military tribunal beginning on May 9, 1865:

Conspirator	Verdict	Sentence	Execution Date
Mary Surratt	Guilty	Death	July 7, 1865
Lewis Powell	Guilty	Death	July 7, 1865
David Herold	Guilty	Death	July 7, 1865
George Atzerodt	Guilty	Death	July 7, 1865
Samuel Mudd	Guilty	Life imprisonment	Pardoned 1869
Samuel Arnold	Guilty	Life imprisonment	Pardoned 1869
Michael O'Laughlen	Guilty	Life imprisonment	Died in prison 1867
Edman Spangler	Guilty	6 years imprisonment	Pardoned 1869

The trial lasted 50 days with over 350 witnesses testifying. The military commission delivered its verdicts on June 30, 1865. Four conspirators received death sentences by hanging while four others received prison terms. The executions took place simultaneously at Fort McNair in Washington D.C. Mary Surratt became the first woman executed by the U.S. federal government.

• President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, just five days after General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House marked the effective end of the Civil War.
• John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. during a performance of "Our American Cousin," using the cover of audience laughter to enter the presidential box undetected.
• The assassination was part of a larger conspiracy targeting multiple government officials, with co-conspirators assigned to attack Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward.
• Lincoln died at 7:22 AM on April 15, 1865, and his funeral procession covered 1,700 miles through seven states, allowing millions of Americans to pay their respects.
• After a 12-day manhunt involving over 10,000 federal troops, Booth was cornered and killed at Garrett's farm in Virginia on April 26, 1865.
• Eight conspirators were tried before a military tribunal, resulting in four death sentences and four prison terms, with Mary Surratt becoming the first woman executed by the U.S. federal government.

Abraham Lincoln's assassination on April 14 1865 marked a pivotal moment in American history just days after the Civil War's end. This tragic event dramatically altered the nation's path to healing and reconciliation. The meticulous planning by John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators led to one of America's darkest nights at Ford's Theatre.

The subsequent manhunt the trial of conspirators and Lincoln's grand funeral procession demonstrated both the nation's grief and its determination to seek justice. While Lincoln didn't live to see his vision for reconstruction realized his death profoundly shaped the post-war era under President Johnson's leadership ultimately influencing American society for generations to come.