24. The manhunt for Booth was the largest in American history until 1933
The search for the killer of Abraham Lincoln remained the largest in the history of the United States until John Dillinger escaped from custody in 1933 and was eventually killed in 1934. Well over 1,000 federal troops, provost marshals, hired detectives, and the Washington police took part in finding Booth and his accomplices, and hundreds were swept up in dragnets in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Eventually, it reached into Egypt, where John Surratt, son of the hanged Mary, was finally arrested and extradited to America.
Surratt was tried in a civilian court, rather than before a military tribunal, and was released after a mistrial in 1867 (hung jury) He was never retried. His was the final trial resulting from the Lincoln assassination and the only one conducted in a court of law. In 1869, President Johnson pardoned the other three surviving Lincoln conspirators, Dr. Mudd, Spangler, and Sam Arnold.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies”. Michael Kauffman. 2004
“The Lincoln Murder Conspiracies”. William Hanchett. 1983
“Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer”. James L. Swanson. 2006
“The Flight of John Wilkes Booth”. Marjie Riordan, Bay Weekly. Online
“The Escape Route of John Wilkes Booth”. Maryland Office of Tourism. Online
“John Wilkes Booth Original Plan to Save the South”. Video, Smithsonian.com. Online
“The Booth Obsession”. Gene Smith, American Heritage Magazine. September, 1992
“Lincoln’s Assassination”. Interactive article, Ford’s Theater. Online
“Route of John Wilkes Booth”. Potomac River Guide. Online
“Material Evidence: John Wilkes Booth”. Article, Lincoln’s Assassination. Ford’s Theater. Online
“The Final Hours of John Wilkes Booth”. James L. Swanson, Smithsonian Magazine. April 8, 2015
“American Characters: Boston Corbett”. Richard F. Snow, American Heritage Magazine. June/July, 1980
“End of a Manhunt”. Richard B. Garrett, American Heritage Magazine. June, 1966
“Assassination!” Philip B. Kunhardt Jr, American Heritage Magazine. April, 1965
“Documenting the Death of An Assassin”. Ashley Luthern, Smithsonian.com. May 5, 2011
“Trial of the Conspirators”. Article, Lincoln’s Assassination. Ford’s Theater. Online