John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
In April 1864, Union General Ulysses S. Grant ended the practice of exchanging Confederate and Union prisoners of war. Grant’s purpose was to deny the Confederate army sorely-needed manpower, and to burden the Confederacy with feeding and caring for captured Union soldiers. John Wilkes Booth, a popular stage actor, had the wholly impractical idea that if he could somehow kidnap President Lincoln, the Union Government would exchange a large number of Confederate prisoners for Lincoln.
Booth’s kidnap idea involved transporting a captured Lincoln from Washington, D.C. to the Confederate Government in Richmond. He planned to bypass the Union Army presence in Northern Virginia by leaving Washington over the Eastern Branch (now the Anacostia River) bridge, riding down the eastern side of the Potomac River through Confederacy-friendly Southern Maryland for thirty miles or so, ferry across the Potomac River into Virginia, and then ride to Richmond. Even though Grant’s army blockaded Richmond, there were still ways for people to get in and out of the city.
Booth went to Southern Maryland in 1864 to familiarize himself with the road network and river-crossing points. He told people he met that he was looking for farm land to buy. It was on one of these trips, in November 1864, that he was introduced to Dr. Mudd at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Bryantown.
The Catholic church closest to Dr. Mudd’s farm was small St. Peter’s Church, which sat by itself 2 ½ miles from the Mudd farm beside a country dirt road. Local Catholic families used St. Peter’s for baptisms, weddings, funerals, and convenience. However, the preferred Catholic church was the larger St. Mary’s Church in Bryantown, five miles from the Mudd farm. Church attendance then, as today, was as much a social event as a religious event. Attending church in Bryantown gave isolated farm families a chance to catch up on local gossip, do a little shopping, and for the men, a chance to enjoy an after-church drink with other men at the nearby Bryantown Tavern.
John C. Thompson, the man who introduced Booth to Mudd, described his introduction of Booth to Dr. Mudd during his testimony at the conspiracy trial:
I reside in Charles County, Maryland. I had a slight acquaintance with a man named Booth; I was introduced to him by Dr. Queen, my father-in-law, about the latter part of October last, or perhaps in November. He was brought to Dr. Queen’s house by his son Joseph. None of the family, I believe, had ever seen or heard of him before; I know that I had not. He brought a letter of introduction to Dr. Queen from some one in Montreal, of the name of Martin, I think, who stated that this man Booth wanted to see the county. Booth’s object in visiting the county was to purchase lands; he told me so himself, and made various inquiries of me respecting the price of land there, and about the roads in Charles County. I told him that land varied in price from $5 to $50 per acre; poor land being worth only about $5; while land with improvements, or on a river, would be worth $50; but I could not give him much information in regard to these matters, and referred him to Henry Mudd, Dr. Mudd’s father, a large landowner. He also inquired of me if there were any horses for sale in that neighborhood. I told him that I did not know of any, for the Government had been purchasing, and many of the neighbors had been taking their horses to Washington to sell. Booth told me, on the evening of his arrival at Dr. Queen’s, that he had made some speculations or was a share-holder in some oil lands in Pennsylvania; and as well as I remember, he told me that he had made a good deal of money out of it, and I did not know but that he came down there for the purpose of investing.
On the next morning, Sunday, I accompanied him and Dr. Queen to Church at Bryantown. I happened to see Dr. Samuel A. Mudd in front of the Church before entering, and spoke to him, and introduced Mr. Booth to him. Mr. Booth staid at Dr. Queen’s that night and the next day. About the middle of the December following, if my memory serves me, Mr. Booth came down a second time to Dr. Queen’s; he staid one night and left early next morning. I never saw him but on these two occasions, and do not know whither he went when he left Dr. Queen’s.
Booth’s kidnap idea involved transporting a captured Lincoln from Washington, D.C. to the Confederate Government in Richmond. He planned to bypass the Union Army presence in Northern Virginia by leaving Washington over the Eastern Branch (now the Anacostia River) bridge, riding down the eastern side of the Potomac River through Confederacy-friendly Southern Maryland for thirty miles or so, ferry across the Potomac River into Virginia, and then ride to Richmond. Even though Grant’s army blockaded Richmond, there were still ways for people to get in and out of the city.
Booth went to Southern Maryland in 1864 to familiarize himself with the road network and river-crossing points. He told people he met that he was looking for farm land to buy. It was on one of these trips, in November 1864, that he was introduced to Dr. Mudd at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Bryantown.
The Catholic church closest to Dr. Mudd’s farm was small St. Peter’s Church, which sat by itself 2 ½ miles from the Mudd farm beside a country dirt road. Local Catholic families used St. Peter’s for baptisms, weddings, funerals, and convenience. However, the preferred Catholic church was the larger St. Mary’s Church in Bryantown, five miles from the Mudd farm. Church attendance then, as today, was as much a social event as a religious event. Attending church in Bryantown gave isolated farm families a chance to catch up on local gossip, do a little shopping, and for the men, a chance to enjoy an after-church drink with other men at the nearby Bryantown Tavern.
John C. Thompson, the man who introduced Booth to Mudd, described his introduction of Booth to Dr. Mudd during his testimony at the conspiracy trial:
I reside in Charles County, Maryland. I had a slight acquaintance with a man named Booth; I was introduced to him by Dr. Queen, my father-in-law, about the latter part of October last, or perhaps in November. He was brought to Dr. Queen’s house by his son Joseph. None of the family, I believe, had ever seen or heard of him before; I know that I had not. He brought a letter of introduction to Dr. Queen from some one in Montreal, of the name of Martin, I think, who stated that this man Booth wanted to see the county. Booth’s object in visiting the county was to purchase lands; he told me so himself, and made various inquiries of me respecting the price of land there, and about the roads in Charles County. I told him that land varied in price from $5 to $50 per acre; poor land being worth only about $5; while land with improvements, or on a river, would be worth $50; but I could not give him much information in regard to these matters, and referred him to Henry Mudd, Dr. Mudd’s father, a large landowner. He also inquired of me if there were any horses for sale in that neighborhood. I told him that I did not know of any, for the Government had been purchasing, and many of the neighbors had been taking their horses to Washington to sell. Booth told me, on the evening of his arrival at Dr. Queen’s, that he had made some speculations or was a share-holder in some oil lands in Pennsylvania; and as well as I remember, he told me that he had made a good deal of money out of it, and I did not know but that he came down there for the purpose of investing.
On the next morning, Sunday, I accompanied him and Dr. Queen to Church at Bryantown. I happened to see Dr. Samuel A. Mudd in front of the Church before entering, and spoke to him, and introduced Mr. Booth to him. Mr. Booth staid at Dr. Queen’s that night and the next day. About the middle of the December following, if my memory serves me, Mr. Booth came down a second time to Dr. Queen’s; he staid one night and left early next morning. I never saw him but on these two occasions, and do not know whither he went when he left Dr. Queen’s.
Booth saw Dr. Mudd a second time the day after their introduction at St. Mary’s Church. In a statement to detectives, Dr. Mudd described his initial introduction to Booth, and Booth’s visit to his home the next evening:
I have seen J. Wilkes Booth. I was introduced to him by Mr. J.C. Thompson, a son-in-law of Dr. William Queen, in November or December last. Mr. Thompson resides with his father-in-law, and his place is about five miles southwesterly from Bryantown, near the lower edge of what is known as Zechiah Swamp. Mr. Thompson told me at the time that Booth was looking out for lands in this neighborhood or in this county, he said he was not very particular where, if he could get such a lot as he wanted, whether it was in Charles, Prince Georges, or Saint Mary’s county; and Booth inquired if I knew any parties in this neighborhood who had any fine horses for sale. I told him there was a neighbor of mine who had some very fine traveling horses, and he said he thought if he could purchase one reasonable he would do so, and would ride up to Washington on him instead of riding in the stage. The next evening he rode to my house and staid with me that night, and the next morning he purchased a rather old horse, but a very fine mover, of Mr. George Gardiner, Sr., who resides but a short distance from my house. I would know the horse if I should see him again. He is a darkish bay horse, not bright bay, with tolerably large head, and had a defect in one eye. Booth gave eighty dollars for the horse. I have never seen Booth since that time to my knowledge until last Saturday morning.
While it is tempting in hindsight to view Dr. Mudd's pre-assassination meetings with John Wilkes Booth as conspiratorial, it is important to remember that the pre-assassination Booth was a popular actor and public figure, somewhat akin to Brad Pitt or Rob Lowe today. People sought Booth's company, and name-dropped to friends after meeting him.
A young college student, Albin J. Brooke, who had worked at the Mudd farm in 1864, was asked at the trial "Where were you when Booth stayed there all night?" Brooke answered "I read in the papers that he stayed there one night; but I was not there then. I left in September." It seems unlikely that Booth's visit to the Mudd farm was conspiratorial in nature if the Mudd's made a point of letting the local papers know about it.
I have seen J. Wilkes Booth. I was introduced to him by Mr. J.C. Thompson, a son-in-law of Dr. William Queen, in November or December last. Mr. Thompson resides with his father-in-law, and his place is about five miles southwesterly from Bryantown, near the lower edge of what is known as Zechiah Swamp. Mr. Thompson told me at the time that Booth was looking out for lands in this neighborhood or in this county, he said he was not very particular where, if he could get such a lot as he wanted, whether it was in Charles, Prince Georges, or Saint Mary’s county; and Booth inquired if I knew any parties in this neighborhood who had any fine horses for sale. I told him there was a neighbor of mine who had some very fine traveling horses, and he said he thought if he could purchase one reasonable he would do so, and would ride up to Washington on him instead of riding in the stage. The next evening he rode to my house and staid with me that night, and the next morning he purchased a rather old horse, but a very fine mover, of Mr. George Gardiner, Sr., who resides but a short distance from my house. I would know the horse if I should see him again. He is a darkish bay horse, not bright bay, with tolerably large head, and had a defect in one eye. Booth gave eighty dollars for the horse. I have never seen Booth since that time to my knowledge until last Saturday morning.
While it is tempting in hindsight to view Dr. Mudd's pre-assassination meetings with John Wilkes Booth as conspiratorial, it is important to remember that the pre-assassination Booth was a popular actor and public figure, somewhat akin to Brad Pitt or Rob Lowe today. People sought Booth's company, and name-dropped to friends after meeting him.
A young college student, Albin J. Brooke, who had worked at the Mudd farm in 1864, was asked at the trial "Where were you when Booth stayed there all night?" Brooke answered "I read in the papers that he stayed there one night; but I was not there then. I left in September." It seems unlikely that Booth's visit to the Mudd farm was conspiratorial in nature if the Mudd's made a point of letting the local papers know about it.
However, Dr. Mudd’s statement that “I have never seen Booth since that time to my knowledge until last Saturday morning.“ was not true. In fact, he did see Booth again before the assassination. This third meeting with Booth was in Washington on December 23, 1864, a month after Booth had stayed overnight at his house, and four months before Booth assassinated the President. Louis Weichmann, a civilian War Department clerk and friend of Booth’s co-conspirator John Surratt, was also at that meeting. Weichmann’s trial testimony about the meeting was probably the tipping point that led to Dr. Mudd’s conviction. Dr. Mudd confessed to this meeting after the trial was over, but by then it was too late for the truth to do him any good.
Although Weichmann’s testimony about Dr. Mudd’s meeting with Booth did not implicate Dr. Mudd in any way with Booth’s plot against Lincoln, Dr. Mudd was unfortunately stuck with his story that the meeting never took place. After hearing Weichmann’s testimony, the Military Commission understandably concluded that Dr. Mudd was trying to hide his meeting with Booth for some incriminating reason. This, together with their belief that Dr. Mudd had helped Booth escape by not reporting him to the authorities, probably sealed Dr. Mudd’s fate.
Assassination
The fourth and last time Dr. Mudd saw Booth was when Booth sought medical assistance at the Mudd farm after the assassination.
On Good Friday evening, April 14, 1865, at a little after 10 o’clock, Dr. Mudd put aside his pipe and violin. Then he and his wife Sarah Frances checked to see that their four young children, Andrew, Lillian, Thomas, and baby Samuel were asleep, and went to bed themselves in their first floor bedroom at the back of the house. At about the same time, John Wilkes Booth and three co-conspirators, George Atzerodt, David Herold, and Lewis Powell began to execute Booth's plan to decapitate the Union Government. Atzerodt, assigned to murder Vice President Andrew Johnson, lost his nerve and failed to commit the crime. Herold and Powell, assigned to murder Secretary of State William Seward, also failed to carry out their assignment. Powell seriously wounded, but did not kill, the Secretary of State. All three would-be assassins would soon be arrested, tried, and hung for their crimes.
Although Weichmann’s testimony about Dr. Mudd’s meeting with Booth did not implicate Dr. Mudd in any way with Booth’s plot against Lincoln, Dr. Mudd was unfortunately stuck with his story that the meeting never took place. After hearing Weichmann’s testimony, the Military Commission understandably concluded that Dr. Mudd was trying to hide his meeting with Booth for some incriminating reason. This, together with their belief that Dr. Mudd had helped Booth escape by not reporting him to the authorities, probably sealed Dr. Mudd’s fate.
Assassination
The fourth and last time Dr. Mudd saw Booth was when Booth sought medical assistance at the Mudd farm after the assassination.
On Good Friday evening, April 14, 1865, at a little after 10 o’clock, Dr. Mudd put aside his pipe and violin. Then he and his wife Sarah Frances checked to see that their four young children, Andrew, Lillian, Thomas, and baby Samuel were asleep, and went to bed themselves in their first floor bedroom at the back of the house. At about the same time, John Wilkes Booth and three co-conspirators, George Atzerodt, David Herold, and Lewis Powell began to execute Booth's plan to decapitate the Union Government. Atzerodt, assigned to murder Vice President Andrew Johnson, lost his nerve and failed to commit the crime. Herold and Powell, assigned to murder Secretary of State William Seward, also failed to carry out their assignment. Powell seriously wounded, but did not kill, the Secretary of State. All three would-be assassins would soon be arrested, tried, and hung for their crimes.
Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C.
Courtesy, Library of Congress
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The murder weapon.
Courtesy, Library of Congress.
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President Abraham Lincoln went from the White House to Ford's Theatre
Unfortunately for the country, Booth did not fail. As President Abraham Lincoln watched a play in his box at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C., Booth crept up behind him and shot the President in the back of the head. Shouting “Sic Semper Tyrannis” (Thus Always to Tyrants) Booth jumped from Lincoln’s box onto the stage, ran across the stage, and exited through a back door. He leapt onto his horse in the alley and rode out of the city across the Eastern Branch (Anacostia River) bridge into Maryland. He soon met up with an accomplice, David Herold. The two men then rode south through the Maryland countryside along the escape route Booth had mapped out earlier in his plot to kidnap Lincoln.
