His assassin, John Wilkes Booth, escaped on the night of the assassination but was cornered 12 days later May 10, 1838 in Bel Air, Maryland where he was shot by a Union soldier.

Abraham Lincoln Assassination for kids
The Abraham Lincoln Assassination took place on April 14, 1865 5 just days after the Surrender of Appomattox on April 9, 1865 when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. The people of the North were celebrating victory in the Civil War and were rocked and shocked when news of the Abraham Lincoln Assassination reached the nation. Celebrations turned from disbelief and shock into anger and the desire for revenge...

Abraham Lincoln Assassination
The American people had sadly grown accustomed to the deaths of soldiers in the Civil War but the circumstances of the Abraham Lincoln Assassination took death to another level. It was the murder of an unarmed man who had accompanied his wife to a social event at the theater. This article contains the facts about the Abraham Lincoln assassination and details of the conspiracy and the conspirators that planned the crime.

1865 Civil War History: President Lincoln Assassinated
Just days following the surrender of Lee and Johnston the nation was rocked by the news of the Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. On the evening of  April 14, 1865 President Abraham Lincoln, and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, attended a performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. At 10.15 pm a Southern sympathizer, John Wilkes Booth, crept into the theater box and shot the President in the back of the head. The assassin escaped. Doctors were unable to save the President's life and he died the next day and was pronounced dead at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865. Vice President Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency on the same day. Just hours from celebrating the effective end of the Civil War the nation was plunged into shock and mourning.

Facts about the Abraham Lincoln Assassination: FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions
The following short fact sheet provides interesting facts and information about the Abraham Lincoln Assassination, one of the most shocking events in American history for kids.

Q. When was the Abraham Lincoln Assassination? A. The Abraham Lincoln Assassination was shortly after 10 p.m. on April 14, 1865. The President died the following day

Q. Where did the Abraham Lincoln Assassination take place? The Abraham Lincoln Assassination took place at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.

Q. Why was Abraham Lincoln Assassination important? A. The death of the President generated anger and feelings of revenge against the Confederacy and led to a more forceful period of reconstruction. His death also led to Vice President Andrew Johnson assuming the presidency who became the first American President to ever be impeached 

Q. Who killed the President? A. A stage actor and Confederate sympathizer called John Wilkes Booth

Q. Who was involved in the Conspiracy to assassinate the President? A. Nine people were believed to have being involved in the conspiracy plot: John Wilkes Booth, Samuel Mudd, David Herold, George Azterodt, Lewis Powell, Michael O'Laughlen, Samuel Arnold, Edmund Spangler, John Surratt and Mary Surratt

Abraham Lincoln Assassination and the Conspirators: Who was involved in Abraham Lincoln assassination?
The Abraham Lincoln Assassination was part of a larger conspiracy involving Confederate sympathizers and conspirators. Their first idea was to kidnap the President but this escalated to murder. The eventual goal of the conspirators was to kill prominent members of the Union government, specifically President Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Secretary of State William H. Seward. The conspirators believed this action would help the cause of the Confederacy. Including John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Lincoln, there were eight other conspirators. Who was involved in Abraham Lincoln assassination? The names of the conspirators were as follows:

John Wilkes Booth was a famous actor and the assassin of President. Shot in the neck at Garrett farm by a Union soldier on April 26, 1865

Dr. Samuel Mudd was the doctor who set Booth’s broken leg after the Abraham Lincoln assassination. He escaped hanging but was sentenced to life in prison but pardoned in 1869. Dr. Samuel Mudd eventually died of pneumonia in 1883.

David Herold a pharmacy clerk who helped Booth to escape. He surrendered at the Garrett farm. David Herold was tried, convicted and executed by hanging in July 1865.

George Azterodt was a Confederate spy. Azterodt was assigned to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson, but lost his nerve. Azterodt was executed as a co-conspirator by hanging in July 1865.

Lewis Powell was a former Confederate prisoner of war. Powell was assigned to kill Secretary of State William Seward. Powell succeeded in injuring the Secretary of State, Seward's son and his bodyguard. Powell was executed by hanging in July 1865.

Michael O'Laughlen, a Confederate soldier, was tried as a co-conspirator, sentenced to life in prison where he died of yellow fever in 1867.

Samuel Arnold was sentenced to life in prison as a co-conspirator but was pardoned by President Johnson, and died of tuberculosis in 1906.

Edmund Spangler was a stagehand at Ford’s Theater was apparently not connected to the kidnapping plan, but he was still found guilty and sentenced to 6 years in prison. Edmund Spangler was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson in 1869 and died in 1875.

John Surratt was a Confederate spy and believed to be an important member of the Conspiracy plot. He fled to Europe and was apprehended in Egypt in 1866. He was sent to trial but found not guilty. He lived until 1916.

Mary Surratt, the mother of John Surratt, owned a boarding house in Washington where the conspirators met. Mary Surratt was tried, convicted and executed by hanging in July 1865.

Facts about the Abraham Lincoln Assassination 
The following short fact sheet provides interesting facts and information about the Abraham Lincoln Assassination, perpetrated by John Wilkes Booth towards the very end of the American Civil War (April 12, 1861 - May 10, 1865).

The President was shot in the back of the head by a small 5.87-inch derringer, a .44-caliber gun, that had been hidden in the assassin’s pocket

On the fateful night at Ford's Theater the President and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln were watching a performance of Our American Cousin

In the above picture of the Assassination of President Lincoln the people in the box at the theater were from left to right: Important Henry Rathbone, Clara Harris, Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln, and John Wilkes Booth

Important Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris were engaged to be married and as friends  of the Lincolns had been invited to join them at Ford's theater,

General Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia Grant were first invited to attend the play, but were unable to accept the invitation

The President was shot at 10.15pm. The audience were laughing as actor Harry Hawk performed on stage during the Abraham Lincoln Assassination.

Important Rathbone attempted to prevent John Wilkes Booth from fleeing the scene but Booth managed to stab and seriously injures him and was able to make his escape.

In all the shock, horror and confusion of the Abraham Lincoln Assassination, John Wilkes Booth was able to flee from the theatre without being accosted or arrested.

On the night of the during the Abraham Lincoln Assassination 1,700 people were in Ford's theater

The superintendent of the Washington Metropolitan Police, Almarin Cooley Richards, was attending the performance and immediately began investigations by interviewing witnesses and ordering the arrest of James Wilkes Booth

A "wanted" poster appeared everywhere following the Abraham Lincoln Assassination, offering a reward for the arrest of James Wiles Booth and his co-conspirators

After the assassination John Wilkes Booth leapt from the box onto the stage and reputedly cried out "Sic semper tyrannis,"  meaning "Thus always to tyrants".

When Booth jumped from the box to the stage he broke his leg

Doctor and attendants at the theater, including Charles Leale and Charles Sabin Taft,  decided that the President would not survive the journey back to the White House. The President was therefore taken across the street to a boarding house owned by William and Anna Petersen

In all the shock, horror and confusion of the Abraham Lincoln Assassination, Booth was able to flee from the theatre without being accosted or arrested. As a well known actor Booth's appearance in the Presidential box did not cause alarm and some thought it was part of the performance.

Booth had made arrangements with livery stable owner James W. Pumphrey for a getaway horse, and had planned an escape route.

People in the South feared that a vengeful North would wreak a terrible retribution on the former Confederate states following the Abraham Lincoln Assassination