
Manhunt for John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was on the run for 12 days after he shot President Abraham Lincoln.
An update from Director Paul R. Tetreault on the events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Follow John Wilkes Booth and David Herold as they tried to escape justice.
John Wilkes Booth escaped from Ford’s Theatre after shooting President Abraham Lincoln.
Booth and David Herold were both stopped—separately—at the Navy Yard Bridge, but are allowed to pass on to Maryland.
After meeting up at a place known as Soper’s Hill, Booth and Herold stopped at Surratt’s Tavern in present-day Clinton, Maryland, to pick up guns and supplies.
Booth and Herold arrived at Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd’s house in Waldorf, Maryland, where Dr. Mudd set Booth’s broken leg.
Booth and Herold hid out in a pine thicket until it was safe to cross the Potomac River toward Virginia—territory even more sympathetic to the Confederacy than was southern Maryland.
Booth and Herold attempted to cross the Potomac River into Virginia but got confused and ended up back in Maryland.
Booth and Herold attempted to cross the Potomac River once again and this time were successful.
Booth and Herold stopped by Dr. Richard H. Stuart’s home in hopes to treat Booth’s broken leg further and rest for the night.
Booth and Herold arrived in Port Conway, Virginia, where they encountered three Confederate soldiers.
Booth and Herold were now cornered in a barn on Garrett’s Farm. Herold surrendered, but Booth refused to give up.
What happened when John Wilkes Booth stepped into Ford’s Theatre? Follow the events in the theatre itself and hear from witnesses.
What happened when John Wilkes Booth stepped into Ford’s Theatre? Follow the events in the theatre itself and hear from witnesses.
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