John Wilkes Booth

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John Wilkes Booth.

John Wilkes Booth (10 May 1838 – 26 April 1865) was an American stage actor who plotted and successfully executed the murder of American President Abraham Lincoln.

Although he never fought as a soldier in the American Civil War, Booth was a pro-slavery advocate who supported the Confederate South. By April 1865, with the tide turning against the Confederates, Booth planned the murder of not only Lincoln, but also Vice-President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H. Seward in simultaneous attacks. With the President and his two immediate successors removed, the North would be leaderless and the South could take advantage of the chaos.

The attacks were executed on 14 April 1865; Seward was wounded but survived, and the accomplice tasked with killing Johnson reneged on the deal and spent the night drinking. Only Booth was successful, and he shot Lincoln in Ford's Theatre before fleeing from the scene.

Twelve days later, Booth was finally cornered by Federal troops in northern Virginia, in a barn belonging to Richard H. Garrett, though he refused to surrender. The soldiers then set fire to the barn, and Booth was shot by Boston Corbett in the confusion. In fact, the Assassins carried out Booth's murder, though it was unclear if Corbett was the only member of the Assassin Order present, or if all of the soldiers involved were secretly Assassins.