Everything to Know About John Wilkes Booth's Death: Killer, Location, and Legacy
By Alexander Ross
Booth's flight began the moment he leaped from the presidential box to the stage of Ford's Theatre on the evening of April 14, 1865, breaking his left fibula above the ankle. Galloping out of Washington into Maryland, he met accomplice David Herold and made a midnight stop at the Surratt tavern in Surrattsville to retrieve carbines, whiskey, and field glasses. By 4:00 AM on April 15, the pair reached the rural home of Dr. Samuel Mudd near Waldorf, Maryland, where Mudd splinted Booth's fractured leg and fashioned a pair of crude crutches.
The fugitive spent the next five days hiding in Zekiah Swamp, shivering under blankets while Confederate operative Thomas Jones brought food, whiskey, and newspapers. Booth was stunned by the public reaction. His private diary entries reveal bitter resentment that the press condemned him as a coward rather than celebrating him as a modern Brutus. On the night of April 20, after an initial botched attempt that carried them miles off course, Jones guided Booth and Herold to a small rowboat on the Potomac River. They finally crossed into Virginia on April 23, securing transportation across the Rappahannock River toward Bowling Green.
Posing as wounded Confederate soldiers returning from Lee's surrendered army, Booth and Herold arrived at the farm of Richard Garrett on the afternoon of April 24. Garrett, unaware of Lincoln’s assassination or the $100,000 federal bounty, allowed Booth, using the alias "James W. Boyd", to sleep in his house. By the following evening, Garrett grew suspicious of his guests' nervous demeanor and refused them entry to the main house, locking them inside his slatted tobacco barn for the night.
Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.
