This day in Marine Corps History

Search

Another Day, Another Dollar
Joined
Mar 1, 2002
Messages
42,730
Tokens
Courtesy of leatherneck magazine.

1865 - Marines guarded the body of John Wilkes Booth after Abraham Lincoln's assassination.
 

Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2004
Messages
4,123
Tokens
General,

Was it really JW Booth's body? Was he the Lee Harvey Oswald of the day?

Semper Fi,

Lt. Dan
 

Another Day, Another Dollar
Joined
Mar 1, 2002
Messages
42,730
Tokens
I am confused on this one Dan. Booth was hunted and Killed 12 days later supposedly.

John Wilkes Booth, b. May 10, 1838, d. Apr. 26, 1865, was, like his elder brother, Edwin Thomas Booth, and father Junius Brutus Booth, a noted Shakespearean actor. Yet his wild and erratic behavior prevented him from achieving genuine acclaim as an actor. His advocacy of slavery and support of the Confederacy during the Civil War engendered a deep hatred in him for the newly elected President Ford Theatre (Good Friday, Apr. 14, 1865), Booth and his band hastily mapped out a plan to assassinate not only Lincoln but also Vice-President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H. Seward, hoping to thus promote the South's victory in the war. Booth entered the unguarded presidential box during the third act of the play, shot Lincoln through the back of the head with a pistol, and then leaped down onto the stage, shouting "Sic semper tyrannis! The South is avenged!" He managed to escape to a waiting horse through a rear alley despite a broken left leg. Twelve days later Union troops surrounded Richard Garret's farm near Bowling Green, Va., where Booth was allegedly hiding in a barn. The troops set fire to the building, and Booth probably died during the ensuing gun battle or may even have shot himself. His body was never positively identified, leading to the persistent myth that he escaped his captors.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
1,119,214
Messages
13,565,510
Members
100,768
Latest member
cluon4073
The RX is the sports betting industry's leading information portal for bonuses, picks, and sportsbook reviews. Find the best deals offered by a sportsbook in your state and browse our free picks section.FacebookTwitterInstagramContact Usforum@therx.com