13. John Garrett locked the fugitives into the barn for the night
John Garrett escorted the two men to the barn and locked them in for the night, later claiming that he was fearful that they would steal the family’s horses and flee during the night. But the barn was not stable; it was a tobacco barn, with openings in the sides to allow the flow of air as the tobacco hanging within dried and aged. Booth continued to remonstrate with his formerly gracious host, as well as with Herold for putting him into such a situation. In Port Royal, a former Confederate soldier who had assisted Booth and Herold told Union officers where the former could be found. Two dozen men were dispatched to the Garrett farm.
The barn was one of three on the Garrett farm, including a corn house, where John Garrett spent the night with his younger brother, William. By midnight the farm was quiet, with the Garretts and their no longer welcome guests sleeping in their respective places of rest. Around two in the morning, the dogs sleeping on the Garrett’s porch began barking. The dogs awakened Booth, who shortly heard the unmistakable sound of many horses, their hoofbeats pounding the ground, and the jangling of spurs and sabers told him it was cavalry approaching. Booth woke Herold, and the two men raced to escape the barn before the cavalry was upon them.