8. Booth finally crossed the Potomac River on April 23
By the time Booth returned to Maryland, support for him there was running out. The Surratt tavern and the Mudd farm were occupied with federal troops and agents. Known or suspected Confederate sympathizers were being rounded up. In Washington, interrogators had learned of the extent and scope of the kidnapping plot. Contacts made by Booth were detained for interrogation. Even his brothers, actors of note, were detained for questioning. The price on his head made Maryland untenable. His companion, David Herold, frequently mentioned surrender, as Booth noted with disdain in his diary. It had become imperative to move where Booth expected greater sympathy and support. In his mind, Virginia had been the heart of the Confederacy, whereas Maryland had remained in the Union, despite having been a slave state. In Virginia, he expected the hero’s welcome he believed he deserved.
During the night of April 23 Booth and Herold successfully crossed the Potomac River, arriving in Virginia near not far from the home of Thomas Harbin. Harbin had been approached as a possible resource during the kidnaping planning, but he hesitated to help them following the assassination. He provided horses, a few supplies, and refused them shelter. They then rode to the home of Dr. Richard Stuart, a relative of Robert E. Lee. Dr. Stuart refused them medical assistance (possibly violating his oath), or support of any kind. Instead, he sent them to a cabin occupied by a Black family. Booth, enraged at this lack of hospitality and the indignity of sleeping in a Black man’s home, so frightened the family they left the cabin to spend the night outside. The fugitives continued on their journey the next day when they finally encountered a stroke of luck.