Kennedy Assassination Author Walter Herbst | Kennedy Assassination Author Walter Herbst Walks in the Footsteps of John Wilkes Booth

Even though the assassination of John F. Kennedy has been my primary interest of study, I have also been captivated by the murder of Abraham Lincoln.

This is why I was thrilled to be invited to join four other authors on a weekend trip to Washington, D.C. to trace the movements of his assassin, John Wilkes Booth, from Ford’s Theater where he shot Lincoln, to Garret’s Farm, where he was killed.

For a history buff such as myself, it was the opportunity of a lifetime.

Beginning With an Appropriate Diversion

Although not along the route of our intended purpose, we began with an excursion to Oak Hill Cemetery. This turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip, as many famous historical figures are buried there.

To name a few: Lincoln’s Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, Truman’s Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Washington Post owner Katherine Graham and her husband Philip (both key figures during the Kennedy years), and Washington Post editor during the Watergate investigation, Ben Bradlee.

Perhaps most meaningfully for our trip, it is also the cemetery where the body of Lincoln’s son Willie was briefly kept.

Eleven-year-old Willie had died from typhoid fever in 1862 and was temporarily placed in Oak Hill until 1865, when his coffin was removed and put on his father’s funeral train for transport to Springfield, Illinois.

As I descended the stone stairs that led to Willie’s vault, just as Lincoln had done, I could only attempt to imagine the grief he would have experienced. The man felt personally responsible for the death and carnage the Civil War had caused, and losing his son was almost too much for him to handle.

On numerous occasions, Lincoln returned to the vault where Willie was kept and had his casket removed. This undoubtedly required the help of a mason, for most likely the vault was cemented over.

Lincoln then had the casket opened so he could sit and look at his son’s body. According to history, Lincoln couldn’t deal with the thought of Willie lying in the cold cemetery, so he found comfort in seeing his body. It was a sign of the magnitude of the pain he felt.

Being in that tomb was an emotional experience for me, to say the least.

The next day, we embarked on our trip following in the footsteps of John Wilkes Booth.

The Traveling Companions Set Out

The back of Ford’s Theater with myself and my travelling companions. From left to right; Robert and Vincent Gardino (*Grave Trippers*); Walter Herbst (*It Did Not Start With JFK*); James McPherson (the world’s leading authority on the Civil War and the author of *Battle Cry of Freedom*, among many other works); and Louis Picone (*The President Is Dead*).

Alleyway Behind Ford's Leading To 10th Street

It started in the alley behind Ford’s Theater, where Booth asked Ned Spangler to hold his horse while he went inside to perform his evil deed. Spangler had work to do in the theater, and so asked Joseph "Peanuts" Burroughs to watch the horse, who then handed the reins to Booth, who fled down the alleyway onto 10th Street.

Upon leaving Ford’s Theater, Booth left Washington via the Navy Yard Bridge and rendezvoused with his accomplice, David Harold.

Sanctuary at Surrat’s Farm

Their first stop was Mary Surrat’s farm / tavern in Clinton, Maryland, about a thirty-minute drive from Ford’s, which was our first stop as well.

Mary Surrat also had a boardinghouse just a few blocks from Ford’s Theater, and that is where much of the planning between Booth and his co-conspirators had occurred.

Unfortunately, the boardinghouse no longer exists... it is now a Chinese restaurant! (I suppose that is progress.)

Surrat would become the first women executed by the U.S. government as a conspirator in Lincoln’s assassination.

A safe house for the Confederate underground built in 1852, Surrat’s Tavern was a planned stop by Booth and Harold. They arrived there in the middle of the night to pick up guns and supplies.

Visiting today is a wonderful step back in history.

The house is furnished with pieces from the mid-19th century, and one gets a feel for what it must have been like there over 150 years ago.

Dr. Samuel Mudd Aids and Abets

The next stop after the Surrat Tavern was the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd in Waldorf, Maryland.

Mudd was a Confederate sympathizer, as were most people in that part of Maryland, and Booth was familiar with him, having stayed overnight at Mudd’s Farm the previous November.

The home is about a 25-minute drive from Surrat’s, and was an unscheduled stop for Booth, off the route they intended to travel. It was unavoidable, as Booth had fractured a bone in his leg jumping onto the stage at Ford’s Theater immediately after shooting Lincoln and needed medical attention.

*Original Couch Where Booth* *Was Treated*

Dr. Mudd treated Booth’s injury, and the assassin and Harold spent one night there. Amazingly, the original couch that Booth lied on as Dr. Mudd tended to him is still on display, as are many other pieces of furniture and artifacts.

The house stayed in the Mudd family for many years, and they made a concerted effort to preserve everything they could. Another interesting piece is Dr. Mudd’s office desk, including numerous vials containing the original solutions Dr. Mudd used to treat patients.

After Booth left, Mudd was questioned by Union soldiers patrolling and looking for the assassin. He denied that Booth had been to his home or that he knew him, but when they discovered a boot with a slit that included writing on the inside identifying the boot as Booth’s, Mudd was placed under arrest.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment at Fort Jefferson in Florida, but would serve only four for his life-saving work during a yellow fever epidemic at the prison.

*The Road Booth Traveled Leaving Dr. Mudd's Farm*

Holed Up in the Pine Thicket

Leaving Dr. Mudd’s Farm, we drove about twenty minutes toward the Pine Thicket, located near present-day Zekiah Swamp Natural Environment Area in Brandywine, Maryland. It was a secluded area where Booth and Harold remained hidden for four days until they were sure it was safe to leave.

They could hear the horses of the Union cavalry all around who were searching for them, and they had to remain quiet and alert. Booth struggled greatly while there due to the pain from his fractured leg.

Harold occasionally left the camp to return with newspaper accounts of the assassination, which caused Booth additional distress. He had believed he would be considered a hero, for not only did the Confederacy despise Lincoln, half the people from the north did also, and were vocal about it in conversation, newspaper articles, and editorials.

However, this did not mean people wanted the president assassinated.

Booth came to realize he was a fugitive, hated by north and south alike for what he had done.

The area of the Pine Thicket is now surrounded by private homes, and all that is left to remind one what happened there is a historical marker alongside the road. Still, it is worth the trip to get a feel for the distance Booth covered in his attempted escape, and to experience the sensation one can only feel from visiting a historical site.

Assassin’s End

Leaving the Pine Thicket, it was time for our final stop, Garret’s Farm, across the Potomac River in Port Royal, Virginia. It was approximately an hour’s drive to get there from Pine Thicket.

Garret’s Farm is no longer standing, and once again, all that remains is an historical marker in the general area where the farm had stood.

Booth and Harold had arrived there ten days after the assassination. They spent two nights with the Garret family, sleeping inside the house on the first night. However, as the union cavalry got closer to his home, Richard Garret became suspicious and told his two guests they would have to sleep in the tobacco barn.

Fearing they might steal his horses, he locked the barn, trapping the two fugitives inside. During the night, federal solders arrived. Harold surrendered, but Booth refused to do so, and was shot by an overzealous soldier named Boston Corbett.

The bullet severed Booth’s spine and left him paralyzed. He died several hours later.

His last words were, “Useless, useless.”

The trip was everything I supposed it would be, made better by traveling companions who share my love of history and the Lincoln assassination. Many hours were spent discussing the assassination, Booth, and his attempted escape.

I highly recommend the trip, including Oak Hill Cemetery, to anyone interested, and suggest limiting the excursion to Ford’s Theater, Mary Surrat’s Farm/Tavern, and Dr. Mudd’s House. The roadside historical markers at The Thicket and Garret’s Farm are not necessary unless one wants to experience Booth’s attempted escape in its entirety. Stopping at Dr. Mudd’s Farm is sufficient, and when I make this pilgrimage again, that is what I will do.

In the Footsteps of John Wilkes Booth