A military commission assembles to try eight individuals accused of conspiring to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. The trial raises complex issues regarding justice and conspiracy.
Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
A military commission assembles to try eight individuals accused of conspiring to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. The trial raises complex issues regarding justice and conspiracy.
President Andrew Johnson establishes a military commission to try the eight people accused of conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. The tribunal is given questionable constitutional powers that could impact the defendants’ rights and future appeals.
The manhunt for John Wilkes Booth escalates after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Federals arrest potential co-conspirators, while Booth waits to cross the Potomac River to sanctuary in Virginia.
Federal authorities make several arrests in the supposed conspiracy to kill Abraham Lincoln and members of his administration. But Lincoln’s actual assassin remains at large.