History in 5 Minutes or less

On the night of April 14, 1865, a tall, slender man with jet-black hair quietly slipped into the back of a theater box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Inside, President Abraham Lincoln was enjoying a play. The man, actor John Wilkes Booth, was a Confederate sympathizer who had devised a daring plot to kidnap Union leaders in an effort to force the government to recognize the Confederacy. But by the evening of the 14th, Booth’s plan had shifted—kidnapping turned into assassination.

Booth approached Lincoln from behind and fired a single .44 caliber shot from a small Derringer pistol. The wound was mortal. At 7:22 a.m. the following day, President Lincoln became the first U.S. president to be assassinated. This story, however, isn’t about Lincoln’s assassination—it’s about how a doctor became entangled in the conspiracy and its aftermath.

The Escape and the Doctor
After the assassination, Booth and his co-conspirator, David Herold, fled Washington, D.C., before the Union army could seal off the city. Booth, having broken his leg during his escape—leaping from the president’s box onto the stage below—was in pain but determined to reach safety. The pair made their way to a farm outside Bryantown, Maryland, 30 miles from the capital, where they sought refuge with Dr. Samuel Mudd, a southern sympathizer who had served as a Confederate surgeon during the Civil War.

Booth demanded that Dr. Mudd treat his injury. Mudd, a weary doctor who had seen his share of suffering during the war, complied and set Booth’s broken leg. The doctor even invited the fugitives to stay the night. Later, when Mudd went into town, he heard the shocking news of President Lincoln’s assassination. It’s likely that he learned the details from a tavern keeper named John Lloyd, who had spoken to Booth earlier.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Dr. Mudd immediately returned home and urged Booth and Herold to leave. The two men then sought refuge with a Confederate sympathizer named Samuel Cox, staying for several hours before continuing their flight.

The Manhunt and Mudd’s Fate
For the next 11 days, Booth and Herold played a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the Union army. On April 26, 1865, they were finally cornered in a barn near Port Royal, Virginia, owned by Richard Garrett. During a standoff with Union soldiers, Booth was shot and killed through a hole in the barn wall. Herold surrendered without resistance and was arrested for his part in the conspiracy.

The investigation that followed quickly turned to Booth’s network of co-conspirators, and soon the Union authorities came knocking on Dr. Mudd’s door. Despite Mudd’s claim that he didn’t recognize Booth—though the two had actually met on several occasions—the evidence suggested otherwise. Witnesses testified about Mudd’s prior interactions with Booth, and he was arrested for his role in the conspiracy.

Trial, Conviction, and Pardon
Dr. Mudd was tried and convicted of conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln. He was sentenced to life in prison and sent to Fort Jefferson, a remote military prison in the Dry Tortugas off the coast of Florida.

But in 1869, Mudd was granted a pardon by President Andrew Johnson. The reason? Mudd had helped stop a deadly outbreak of yellow fever at the prison, saving many lives—including those of fellow prisoners and guards. His medical contributions during the outbreak played a significant role in his eventual release.

Dr. Samuel Mudd’s involvement in one of the most infamous moments in American history remains a subject of debate. Was he simply an unwitting doctor caught up in a larger conspiracy, or did he knowingly aid the assassin of a president? His life, marked by both guilt and redemption, serves as a fascinating footnote in the story of Lincoln’s tragic death.