Existing comment:
The Booth Conspiracy:
In August 1864, John Wilkes Booth visited Baltimore, where he met Samuel Arnold and Michael O'Laughlin, old childhood friends, each of whom had served in the Confederate army. Booth enlisted their help in a plot to kidnap Lincoln while the president traveled between his cottage on the grounds of the Soldier's Home and the White House.
By abducting Lincoln before he could win a second term, Booth helped to reverse the course of the war. But as Confederate prospects dimmed, the conspiracy took on a more sinister shape. One plan envisioned placing explosives in the White House, enough to kill not only the president but his entire Cabinet as well.
Plans Change:
With Confederate General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865, the kidnapping scheme became moot. At some point, Booth changed his plan and resolved to assassinate Lincoln. Acting on Booth's orders, his fellow conspirators planned to murder Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward. |