Lincoln's Assassins Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kidnap the president and transport him to Richmond

For over a year, Booth had planned for the kidnapping, but the chance never presented itself. His group of confederates consisted of John Surratt, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, David Herold, Michael O'Laughlen and Samuel Arnold.

Answer: Pure chance

Booth had gone to Ford's Theatre that morning to pick up or deliver some mail. He happened to be nearby when a White House aide came to let Ford know that Lincoln would be attending that night. The actor had barely 8 hours to gather his resources and make his plans for the assassination and subsequent escape. He could only locate Herold, Powell and Atzerodt.

Answer: Secretary of State Seward and Vice President Johnson

Booth assigned the task of assassinating Seward to Lewis Powell, a 21 year old Confederate veteran. He gained entrance to Seward's house and very nearly succeeded in his mission, serverly wounding a bed-ridden Seward and his male nurse. Muttering "I'm mad, I'm mad", he escaped into the night. Atzerodt was to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson, but simply lost his nerve, fled into a saloon, and got drunk.

Answer: The approach to the cubicle was unguarded

There was also no lock or bar of any kind to keep intruders out. Lincoln, like all the other presidents before him, was easily accessible to the people. He, as did John Kennedy many years later, fatalistically believed that anyone could kill him if they were willing to give up their own life. It was Lincoln's killing that gave impetus to the formation of the secret service.

Answer: He proposed limited suffrage for some blacks

The President suggested that voting rights be extended to educated blacks and to those who had served in the Union Army. This probably caused the already despondent Booth, a violent racist, to change the plan from kidnapping to murder. This change caused at least one member (McLaughlen) of his circle to withdraw.

Booth stood less than thirty feet from the President while he was delivering his speech. Had he been armed, could his rage have erupted at that time?

Answer: She went to the box and insisted on holding Lincoln's head in her lap

Keene saw history unfolding in front of her. This was the greatest drama ever, and she was going to play a part in it. Dr. Leale, who was attending Lincoln, knew the wound was fatal and saw no harm in her actions. She kept the blood stained dress for many years, even modeling it on occasion.

The garment was finally given to her family, then disappeared. Five small swatches of it have survived, though.

Answer: Stabbed and wounded the Major

Rathbone attempted to stop Booth from jumping out of the box to the stage below. His one pistol shot gone, Booth brandished a knife, severely wounding Rathbone. Afterward, the soldier married Harris and they subsequently lived in Germany. Some years later, Clara was murdered by Rathbone, and he spent the rest of his life in mental institutions.

Answer: He acted as a guide to Powell, then to Booth in his escape into Maryland

Herold was a hunter and an outdoorsman who knew not only the streets of Washington, but rural Maryland into which Booth fled. He was under Booth's spell and he idolized the actor. He eventually surrendered and was one of the four people hung on July 7, 1865.

Answer: It was proven that he had met Booth on at least two prior occasions

He had met Booth twice, and was probably aware of what Booth was planning. He fed, treated and sheltered Booth and Herold for at least one day. Booth was very sure that he would be received as a hero in the south and was anxious to let everyone know what he had done, so it is doubtful that Mudd was really unaware of the affair.

He has been portrayed in recent years as some sort of hero, unjustly persecuted.

Answer: Booth was shot by a soldier named Boston Corbett

Booth died an inglorious death, early the next morning. His last words were, as he looked at his hands, "Useless. Useless". Herold was among the four who were hanged at the Navy Yard prison on July 7th. The others were Mary Surratt, whose only crime was owning the boarding house where the conspiritors met, George Atzerodt, who couldn't carry out his mission, and Lewis Powell, who could.