Afternoon:
- Around 7:00 PM, President Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, attended a play at Ford's Theatre. They were accompanied by Major Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris, the daughter of Senator Ira Harris.
- John Wilkes Booth, a well-known actor and Confederate sympathizer, entered the theater and made his way to the presidential box.
Assassination:
- At approximately 10:13 PM, Booth entered the presidential box and shot President Lincoln in the head from behind at point-blank range. The bullet penetrated the skull, causing severe damage.
- Rathbone attempted to apprehend Booth, but Booth stabbed him in the arm and escaped through a window, breaking his leg in the process.
Aftermath:
- President Lincoln was carried across the street to the Petersen House, where he lingered unconscious until his death on April 15, 1865, at 7:22 AM.
- Booth fled to Virginia but was hunted down and killed on April 26, 1865, in a barn near Bowling Green, Virginia, by Union soldiers.
- The assassination of President Lincoln sent shockwaves across the nation, leading to widespread grief and mourning. The country was already in a fragile state due to the Civil War, and Lincoln's death added to the trauma of the nation.
- The assassination sparked an extensive manhunt for Booth and his accomplices, resulting in the capture and trial of several conspirators.
- Lincoln's death at the age of 56 left a profound impact on the United States and shaped the course of American history. His untimely demise came as a devastating loss, just as the nation was on the cusp of healing and reconciliation after the Civil War.
The events of April 14, 1865, and the subsequent days stand as a tragic chapter in American history, marking the loss of a beloved president and leaving an enduring legacy of grief and reflection on the fragility of leadership and the price of preserving the Union.