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The Great Escape
"Tonight I try to escape these bloodhounds once more... I have too great a soul to die like a criminal."
-- Booth's diary written between April 17-22, 1865
After escaping Ford's Theatre through an alleyway onto F Street, John Wilkes Booth crossed a guarded bridge out of Washington and made his way into Maryland. There he met up with David Herold. The two rode to Mary Surratt's tavern in Surrattsville, Maryland, to pick up guns and other supplies.
At four in the morning on April 15, Herold and Booth arrived at Dr. Samuel Mudd's home.
John Wilkes Booth escaped Ford's Theatre through this alleyway. This undated photograph was taken sometime after the theater was renovated as an office space in 1867.
In Hot Pursuit:
After leaving Dr. Mudd's house, Booth and Herold hid in a pine thicket two miles from Rich Hill, Maryland. They killed their horses to avoid detection. Federal soldiers passed by their hiding spot several times.
On April 20, they attempted to cross the Potomac River into Virginia but became disoriented and ended up back in Maryland. Two days later, they successfully crossed the Potomac, landing at Point Mathias, Virginia.
During their 12 days on the run, Booth and Herold found help from a series of Confederate sympathizers -- though they were turned away by others who found the men's story suspicious.
Navy Yard Bridge, one of the few bridges out of Washington, circa 1862.
Booth crossed this bridge around 10:00pm on April 14, 1865. Initially, the guard did not want to let him cross, as all bridges were under military orders to close at 9:00pm. Booth managed to talk his way out of town. |