Escape of an Assassin

Divided loyalties and ironies tore at Marylander’s hearts throughout the Civil War: enslaved African-Americans and free United States Colored Troops; spies and smugglers; civilians imprisoned without trial to protect freedom; neighbors and families at odds in Maryland and faraway battlefields. From the Eastern Shore to the suburbs of Washington, eastern Maryland endured those strains of civil war in ways difficult to imagine today.

Those strains continued even after Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. John Wilkes Booth used the help of Southern Maryland’s Confederate underground during his flight from Washington, D.C. after shooting President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865.

Discover the story of Booth’s escape and other fascinating history for yourself as you drive through some of Maryland’s prettiest countryside and most charming small towns. Follow the sign of the bugle to learn about the war on the Chesapeake, visit the site of the war’s largest prison camp and follow Booth to his eventual capture south of the Potomac River.

Please drive carefully as you enjoy the history and beauty of Maryland’s Civil War Trails.

Photo Captions:

John Wilkes Booth •

Mary E. Surratt •

Dr. Samuel A. Mudd •

Company of the 4th USCT, one of several infantry units formed in Maryland •

Frederick Douglass •

Harriet Tubman •

Booth limps across the stage after shooting Lincoln.

Marker can be reached from Chapel Point Road, on the right when traveling east.

Courtesy hmdb.org

Credits and Sources: