ipl-logo

The Story Of Mary Surratt's Assassination

1077 Words5 Pages

April 15, 1865 has been called one of the darkest hours in U.S. history when at Ford’s Theatre, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. When we think of the Lincoln assassination we usually think of John Wilkes Booth or Ford’s Theatre. How many of us know about Mary Surratt or her boarding house? Mary Surratt owned and operated a boardinghouse where it is believed that John Wilkes Booth planned to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln and other government officials. She was tried and executed. Was she tried justly or was she wrongly accused of the crime?
Surratt was born in 1823 and was the first woman to be executed by the federal government on July 7, 1865. If it would not have been for her involvement in the Lincoln assassination then Surratt …show more content…

At this time in the scheme, Mary knew fairly well what John Jr. was planning with Booth. In Mary Clifford Larson’s book The Assassin’s Accomplice Larson describes Mary Surratt’s mindset when Lincoln was re-elected. During the weeks leading up to Lincoln’s inauguration Mary Surratt said “something was going to happen to Old Abe which would prevent him from taking his seat, and that Gen. Lee would make a movement that would startle the whole world.” (Larson p.61) Throughout all of Booth’s planning, Mary had known that Booth and his accomplices were using her house to plan further and knew her son John Jr. was very much involved as well but still kept quiet. Surratt seemed to want to be a part of Booth’s plan because during the planning process Surratt wanted to personally talk to Booth about horses needed in the plan. Booth’s plan of kidnapping Lincoln still was halted well in April when he was to happen in February or March. Booth then decided that he would assassinate President Lincoln on April 14. Booth not only planned to Lincoln, but also Secretary of State William henry Seward, General Ulysses S. Grant, and Vice President Andrew Johnson. Mary later took supplies for Booth to Surrattsville at Booth’s request that were essential for Booth’s escape out of Maryland. She seemed to take the role of messenger and deliverer of the supplies away from Atzerodt who did not feel

Open Document