Pictures In History

Before the hanging. Source: (Library of Congress).

After Lincoln was assassinated, several hundred people were arrested, and then released due to lack of evidence. Eight of those were charged with conspiracy. Their trial, which had the attention of the nation, began on May 10, 1865; during the trial, they were allowed to have lawyers and witnesses, and, in fact, had hundreds of witnesses. However, the accused were forbidden from testifying themselves.

The Verdict

They were tried by a nine-member Military Commission, which met in a secret session on June 29, seven weeks after the start of the trial. For any of the accused to receive the death sentence required a majority vote. The commission found seven of them guilty of at least one of the conspiracy charges; four of them were sentenced to death by hanging, while three, Samuel Arnold, Dr. Samuel Mudd, and Michael O’Laughlen were sentenced to hard labor for life. One, Edman Spangler, was sentenced to six years. The remaining four, George Atzerodt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and Mary Surratt were informed that they would be hanged the next day.

Before they were hung. Source: (Library of Congress).

They Were Part Of A Kidnapping Plot, Not An Execution Plot

All four were Southern sympathizers. Atzerodt was supposed to assassinate Vice President Johnson, but he got cold feet. Herold helped Booth to escape. Surratt, who ran a boarding house, abetted the plotters. Originally, they had plotted with Booth to kidnap Lincoln to use him as a bargaining chip to gain the release of Confederate prisoners of war, but Booth decided that something more drastic needed to be done. The defense lawyers argued that the conspirators were only part of the plot to kidnap Lincoln, not the plot for his assassination.

Execution Day

After the sentence was passed, a gallows was quickly constructed at what is now Fort McNair. On the afternoon of July 7, 1865, the four climbed the gallows after walking past their pre-dug graves and wooden coffins. They were barefoot and had handcuffs and shackles, and were bound with strips of white cloth. Surratt was dressed in a floor-length, front-buttoned black dress and a black veil, and two soldiers supported her before the drop; reportedly, she asked them, “Don’t let me fall.” Once they were in place, nooses were placed around their necks, and hoods were placed over their heads.

The hanging. Source: (Library of Congress).

They Hung For 25 Minutes

Only 3,000 people were admitted to the execution, although visitors crowded the city, hoping to see it or the conspirators. In front of more than 1,000 witnesses, the conspirators heard their last rites at 1:26 p.m., and the supports were knocked out. They died within minutes, but their bodies were left to swing for 25 minutes. They were buried in the graves near the gallows.

Alexander Gardner Photographed It

Standing 100 feet away from the gallows, Alexander Gardner documented this event. Gardner, who had his start working with Matthew Brady photographing the Civil War, opened his own studio in May 1863; he also began speaking of himself as “the artist.”

Gardner's Photos

Calling himself “the artist” implied that he saw himself not just as a photographer, but as someone who designed and created work. He took the portraits of the four conspirators prior to the execution, pictures that seemed to capture the character of each of them. On the day of their execution, he captured 10 images, from the preliminaries to the bodies hanging. Gardner’s first image was of the empty gallows, with only the four chairs for the criminals; this was followed by pictures of the scaffold. He photographed the officials and clergy who tried to hide from the sweltering sun under umbrellas as well as the accused, standing on the scaffold while their hoods and robes were adjusted. One of Gardner’s final shots shows the two soldiers who had been supporting Surratt with their arms extended, releasing her body. After the hanging, he photographed the four bodies dangling as the spectators looked down at their lifeless bodies, creating not just an image to document the moment, but an image that had the touch of an artist. Although Gardner tried to sell the pictures, there was not much of a demand for them.

Alexander Gardner’s Execution Of The Lincoln Conspirators

The Verdict

They Were Part Of A Kidnapping Plot, Not An Execution Plot

Execution Day

They Hung For 25 Minutes

Alexander Gardner Photographed It

Gardner's Photos