The Rest Is History 591. The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln: Manhunt for the Killer (Part 2)
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Aug 13, 2025 Dive into the dramatic events of Good Friday 1865 when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth. Discover Booth's impulsive motivations and the chaos that erupted in the theater that night. Follow the tense manhunt for Booth, filled with intrigue and betrayal, as Union soldiers pursued him through chaotic landscapes. Explore the profound grief felt by Lincoln's family and the racial implications of his death, debating his legacy as a martyr or tyrant and its impact on America's future.
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Booth's Theatrical Assassination
- John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor and Confederate sympathizer, entered Lincoln's box during a play and waited for the perfect comedic moment to strike.
- He planned his move carefully, using his theatrical knowledge to time the shot at point-blank range and then leap to the stage.
Violence, Vault, And Vanishing Act
- After firing Booth slashed Major Rathbone with a dagger and vaulted from the presidential box onto the stage, injuring his leg in the fall.
- He then ran through the theatre wings and vanished into the night, triggering immediate chaos and confusion.
Lincoln Removed And His Last Hours
- Doctors found a small bullet wound in the back of Lincoln's head and moved him to a nearby boarding house rather than the White House to avoid him dying in a theatre.
- Lincoln lingered unconscious through the night and died early the next morning, prompting Edwin Stanton's famous line.
