RETRACING THE MANHUNT FOR JOHN WILKES BOOTH

Stop Smiling just published a small sample of images and writings from the John Wilkes Booth project I've been working on with Ernest Loesser. You can view them at here

When John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln on April 14th, 1865, his act sparked the largest manhunt in the nation’s history. The 26-year-old gunman fled south through rural Maryland, hoping to find sanctuary in Confederate territory and then possibly safe passage to Mexico. After 12 days on horseback, boat and foot, Booth was cornered and shot dead by Union troops at Garrett Farm in northern Virginia.

— Ernest Loesser

Booth’s legacy lives on among American historians, conspiracy theorists and an assortment of key chains, coffee mugs and other gift shop mementos.

Upon the outbreak of civil war, had Lincoln not issued martial law across the state, Maryland would have likely sided with the Confederacy.

At his farm south of the capital, Dr. Samuel Mudd set Booth’s broken leg in the early morning of April 15th. Mudd later served four years in prison for his alleged involvement in the assassination.

Maryland was a predominantly Catholic colony when it was founded in 1632, and the state’s religious tradition is still visible today.

After Booth crossed the Potomac River and reached Virginia, he received assistance from sympathetic Confederate soldiers who sheltered him at Garrett Farm.

The former site of Garrett Farm currently rests near the entrance to Fort A.P. Hill, a US Army military base named after the distinguished Confederate general.