The AI Files · Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre, the multi-target conspiracy, manhunt, military commission, and memory · 1864–2026
One night in April 1865 — a theater box, a boardinghouse, a bridge, and a twelve-day flight.
Date, place, primary, rival path.
Abraham Lincoln, Gardner portrait (1863) Image: Alexander Gardner / U.S. public domain · Public domain
The story
Chapter 1
The Lincoln assassination is a **multi-target conspiracy night** with a twelve-day escape and a military commission aftermath. Lead with NARA JAG/M599, Holt papers, Poore/Pitman, the Booth diary, and the NPS escape chronology. [1] [2] [3]
Rival paths must state what primary would have to be wrong. [4] [5]
Chapter 8
Booth’s diary is an NPS-held primary of self-mythology — not a neutral chronicle. [2]
Chapter 13
Keep primary documents on the claim spine for Lincoln assassination. Mainstream synthesis is labeled mainstream. Rival paths must be steel-manned. No Grokipedia. No Ukraine-war content. [5]
Absence of a sealed memo is not proof of a cabal; presence of a rumor is not a primary. [5]
Chapter 15
Twelve dated nodes, one primary URL each, two-sentence opposing steel-man. READING + tl-graph mandatory. Wait rather than ship lean. [5]
Chapter 16
Official and news film that carry spine events belong in sources — labeled primary footage versus commentary. [5]
Chapter 17
No lean ship. Dense entries, ≥50 timeline dates, people, critical path, rival theories, memory, READING, real documentary covers. [5]
Chapter 19
Unknowns stay labeled unknown. Partial knowledge is not a license to invent. [5]
Chapter 20
Track how accepted facts and public framing moved across trials, committees, films, and anniversaries. [5]
Explore
Pick an era, or search everything at once: entries, people, dated events, claims, theories and media.
Threads
Each thread pulls together the entries on one question, across all the eras.
Key people
25 people.
Abraham Lincoln16th President; died April 15, 1865Shot by Booth at Ford’s Theatre April 14; died at the Petersen House.
John Wilkes BoothActor; assassin; killed April 26, 1865Led the conspiracy; shot Lincoln; diary recovered at Garrett’s farm.
Mary E. SurrattBoardinghouse keeper; hanged July 7, 1865Hosted meetings; convicted by military commission.
Lewis Powell (Payne)Seward attacker; hangedAttacked Secretary Seward and household.
George AtzerodtAssigned Johnson; hangedFailed to attack Vice President Johnson.
David HeroldEscape companion; hangedGuided Booth through Maryland/Virginia escape.
Dr. Samuel A. MuddPhysician; imprisoned; later pardonedSet Booth’s leg; contested knowledge.
Samuel ArnoldEarlier kidnap plotter; imprisonedLinked to prior kidnap scheme.
Michael O’LaughlenKidnap-plot associate; imprisonedBooth childhood friend; convicted on conspiracy counts.
Edman SpanglerFord’s stagehand; imprisonedJohn H. Surratt Jr.Courier; fled; 1867 civil trialTried in civilian court 1867.
William H. SewardSecretary of State; survived attackStabbed by Powell while bedridden.
Andrew JohnsonVice President; unstruck target; later PresidentAtzerodt assigned to kill him.
Edwin M. StantonSecretary of War; manhunt directorWar Department directed pursuit and commission framing.
Joseph HoltJudge Advocate GeneralProsecuted the military commission case.
Maj. Henry RathboneBox guest; wounded by BoothClara HarrisBox guestDr. Charles LealeArmy surgeon; first doctor
Lafayette C. BakerWar Department detectivePursuit organization; contested credit.
Everton Conger / Boston Corbett (pursuit party)Garrett’s farm detailRichard Garrett familyFarm hostsLouis J. WeichmannBoarder; key prosecution witnessTestimony central to Mary Surratt case.
John M. LloydSurrattsville tavern tenantUlysses S. GrantGeneral; declined theater invitationNational Park Service (Ford’s Theatre NHS)Site stewardHolds theater, Petersen House, Booth diary interpretation.
Timeline
54 dated events, 1864–2026, each with its source.
What we know now
Lincoln nest at educational depth.
Source: The AI Files — Assassinations
Read the full entryAnnual NPS/press memory.
Source: NPS — Ford’s Theatre NHS
Read the full entry
Gardner photos still teach.
Source: Commons — Execution of the Lincoln Conspirators
Read the full entryNPS artifact teaching.
Source: NPS — Booth diary transcription
Read the full entryThe yardstick
Theories
Booth led a conspiracy that killed Lincoln, attacked Seward, and assigned Johnson.
Booth led a conspiracy that killed Lincoln, attacked Seward, and assigned Johnson.[1][2]
In NARA/NPS/trial.
Lone-actor exclusivity fails.
Night geometry + trial record.
What holds up Documented
Night geometry + trial record.
Nothing. It leaves every established link standing.
No new links.
Booth as solitary celebrity killer.
In popular film shorthand.
Seward/Johnson nodes must be wrong.
Ego/diary voice real; assignments real too.
What holds up Contested
Ego/diary voice real; assignments real too.
Nothing. It leaves every established link standing.
No new links.
Official Richmond direction.
In speculative books.
Named CSA primaries would appear.
Lacks sealed cabinet orders.
What holds up Unsupported
Lacks sealed cabinet orders.
Nothing. It leaves every established link standing.
No new links.
Secretary of War authored or green-lit the killing.
In internet-era claims.
Stanton’s manhunt record must be theater.
Converts tribunal harshness into authorship.
What holds up Unsupported
Converts tribunal harshness into authorship.
Nothing. It leaves every established link standing.
No new links.
Boardinghouse keeper framed.
In advocacy memory.
Lloyd/Weichmann must be wholesale fabrications.
Clemency fights real; meetings real too.
What holds up Contested
Clemency fights real; meetings real too.
Nothing. It leaves every established link standing.
No new links.
No recognition / no loyalty to Booth.
In Mudd family memory.
Reporting delays and recognition evidence must fall.
Medical act documented; knowledge contested.
What holds up Contested
Medical act documented; knowledge contested.
Nothing. It leaves every established link standing.
No new links.
Impostor myths.
In folklore.
Garrett’s farm record must be fake.
Contradicts ID and diary recovery.
What holds up False as stated
Contradicts ID and diary recovery.
Nothing. It leaves every established link standing.
No new links.
Genuinely unknown
Interior intent.
Witness fights.
Capital sentence justice.
New contemporaneous diary of clear intent.
Recognition timing.
Self-serving later statements.
Guilt gradation.
Unaffected contemporaneous note.
Cabinet orders.
Lost/never-existed docs.
State-plot path.
Authentic CSA order chain.
Counterfactual jury outcome.
Politics.
Due-process memory.
Transparent teaching of both venues.
What people say
What the record shows. Primary documents on the claim spine; rival paths mapped; NPS and NARA before cable shorthand. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. NARA RG153/M599, Holt LOC, Poore/Pitman, John Surratt GPO 1867, Booth diary NPS, escape day-by-day. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Booth circle first plotted to kidnap Lincoln; Appomattox shifts the plan toward killing. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. H Street boardinghouse hosts Booth associates; Weichmann and Lloyd testimony become prosecution pillars. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Booth knows Ford’s Theatre; obtains access; studies the state box. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Booth shoots Lincoln during Our American Cousin; leaps to stage; exits toward alley horse. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Lincoln is carried across 10th Street; dies at 7:22 a.m. April 15. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Lewis Powell attacks Seward and household members the same night. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. George Atzerodt is assigned to kill Vice President Johnson; he does not carry out the attack. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Grant declines the theater invitation; the box guest list changes. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Booth and Herold cross into Maryland; pickets and bridge rules become timeline anchors. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Booth’s broken leg treated at Mudd farm; knowledge and loyalty remain contested. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Carbines and field glass tied to Lloyd testimony and tavern stop. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Stanton’s department floods the region with rewards and descriptions. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. April 26: barn surrounded; Booth shot by Boston Corbett; diary recovered. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Conspirators tried before a military commission rather than a civilian jury. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Printed compilations preserve testimony with known editorial limits. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Powell, Herold, Atzerodt, and Mary Surratt hanged at the Arsenal; others imprisoned. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. First woman executed by U.S. federal government; clemency petition controversies persist. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. GPO trial volumes; hung-jury / release path after flight abroad. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Imprisoned conspirators receive pardons; Mudd family memory campaigns continue. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Theater, Petersen House, ranger programs, diary artifact. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Booth as solitary celebrity assassin — underplays multi-target assignments. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Claims of official CSA direction beyond Booth’s circle — evidence thresholds remain high. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Claims that Stanton orchestrated or allowed the killing — must face his manhunt record. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Anti-Catholic readings of Mary Surratt’s faith layered on a real boardinghouse case. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Secondary documentaries shape public chronology — label film vs primary. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Family plot memory; unmarked grave folklore. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Later impostor claims — must make Garrett’s farm identification wrong. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Lincoln shot + Seward attacked + Johnson assigned is the minimum conspiracy geometry. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Site hard stop. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Shared epistemology, not shared plotters. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Play text and laugh-line timing used in reconstructions of Booth’s moment. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Booth injures Rathbone; damages own leg in leap/spur narrative. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Local knowledge vs Booth’s celebrity face. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Holding horse / clearing path claims. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Earlier plotters pulled into commission net. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. LOC By the People campaign on Lincoln conspirators trial. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Every rival path states what primary would have to be wrong. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
What the record shows. Telegraph and newspaper shock; funeral train later. Keep epistemology labels.
Who says it: Historians / officials / rival camps
Media
Commons · Public domainArtifact · 2020sNPS — Booth diaryNPSPrimary transcription.Open U.S. government / Commons · Public domainChronology · 2020sNPS — Assassin’s Escape day-by-dayNPSOfficial escape spine.Open Commons · Public domainArchives · 1865NARA RG 153 / M599 gatewayNARAJAG investigation.Open Commons · Public domainManuscripts · 1865LOC Joseph Holt PapersLibrary of CongressCommission papers.Open Commons · Public domainTrial · 1867Trial of John H. Surratt (GPO)GPO / LOCCivilian foil.Open Commons · Public domain / as labeledSite · 2026Ford’s Theatre NHSNPSPlace primary.Open Commons · Public domainSite museum · 2026Surratt House MuseumMNCPPCLabeled interpretation.Open Commons · Public domainSite museum · 2026Dr. Samuel A. Mudd HouseSite museumContested rehab.Open U.S. government · Public domainVideo · 2010sYouTube — Ford’s Theatre NPS education uploadsNPS / educatorsVerify titles; prefer NPS.Open Public memory
Lasting impact
Venue contrast.
Epistemology.
How this guide works
Pictures & licenses
Every picture is public domain or freely licensed, from Wikimedia Commons. Files are stored on this site with their metadata removed; each credit links to the original.
