Hunt for John Wilkes Booth Eps. 1

About this episode

The episode explores the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

In the chaotic days after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in April 1865, the United States launched what was then the largest manhunt in its history, chasing actor-turned-assassin John Wilkes Booth across Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Booth believed he’d scripted a heroic escape, but his grand plan unraveled as Southern sympathizers abandoned him and the dragnet tightened under the watch of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. Over the next four episodes, hack historians James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy will follow the desperate flight that ended not in triumph, but in smoke, fire and a grim reckoning.

People in this episode

Hosts: Thornton Kennedy, James Ottley

Topics covered

• John Wilkes Booth
• Abraham Lincoln
• assassination
• manhunt
• history

Keywords

• manhunt
• Southern sympathizers
• Edwin M. Stanton

Mentioned in this episode

Places: the United States, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia

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