John Wilkes Booth changed the course of American history, when he assassinated
Abraham Lincoln. The assassination of Lincoln brought shock over the country. It forever

changed the security of the country’s future president.

Abraham Lincoln went to the Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C he was attending the

play Our American Cousin. Abraham and Mary Lincoln sat with Henry Rathbone and his

financé, Clara Harris in the presidential box, above the stage. Clara Harris was the daughter

of New York senator, Ira Harris, and Henry Rathbone was an army officer. Outside the

presidential box sat John F. Parker, Lincoln’s bodyguard. Just before nine o’clock John Parker

became bored and left; leaving Lincoln’s presidential box unguarded. Parker …show more content…
The bullet hit Lincoln

between his left ear and spine. Therefore, causing him to be paralyzed and struggle to breathe.

Henry Rathbone was stabbed in the shoulder after launching himself towards John Booth, trying

to stop him.

John Wilkes Booth jumped down onto the stage, shouting the Virginia state motto.

Consequently, his spur was caught in the flag and caused him to stumble on the stage, breaking

his leg. The audience watched the man as if he was part of the act. Until a mortifying scream

from the First Lady told them otherwise. John Booth did manage to escape the theatre on foot

until reaching his horse.

John continued his escape on horseback. “The search for John Wilkes Booth was one of

the largest manhunts in history, with over 10,000 federal troops, detectives, and police tracking

him down.” Booth and his accomplice, David Herold, rode towards southern Maryland; stopping

at Samuel Mudd’s house, a doctor, to get John’s leg looked at. Samuel Mudd was later convicted with conspiracy because of housing the two criminals. He was sentenced to life, but he missed his death penalty by one vote. The union found John Wilkes Booth and David Herold twelve days later at …show more content…
They caught the barn on fire, hoping to flee John Booth out. Sergeant Boston Corbett fired off his gun, hitting Booth in the neck. John Wilkes Booth

died in the morning around seven o’clock. Sergeant Corbett was arrested and held as a

possible conspiracy. Also, David Herold and three other conspiracies were all four hung on

July 7, 1865. John Booth was buried beneath the floor of the penitentiary in Washington, D.C.

After the shooting at the Ford’s Theatre, Abraham Lincoln was carried across the

street to a house. Where Lincoln took his last breaths, he died the next morning, April 15,

1865, at 7:22 am. Abraham Lincoln’s body was placed into a temporary coffin and carried to

the White House. Where Edward Curtis completed an autopsy on Lincoln’s body. Curtis cut a

lock of Abraham’s hair off at the request of Mary Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln is buried in his hometown, Springfield, Illinois. They transported

Lincoln from Washington to Illinois by train. His funeral train traveled through seven states

before reaching Illinois. Every stop the train made, people stopped and showed their