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Chapter 12: Surrattsville
- The University Press of Kentucky
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Surrattsville I am pretty certain that we have assassinated the President and Secretary Seward. John WilkesBooth As Stanton and Welles were making their way to Ford's Theatre, a horse and rider were seen racing hard across the capitol grounds in the direction of the Eastern Branch of the Potomac River.' The exact route is not known, but within a few minutes the rider arrived at the Eleventh Street Bridge located next to the WTashingtonNavy Yard in southeast Washington. The distance from Ford's Theatre was just over three miles. Guarding the bridge were two soldiers from the Third Massachusetts Heavy Artillery stationed at Fort Baker.' The rider galloped up to the gate that blocked passage across the wooden bridge. The sentry raised his hand and called for the rider to stop. He reined in his horse. In command of the detail on duty that night was Sergeant Silas T. Cobb. Cobb challenged the man sitting astride his sweating mount: "Who are you sir?" "My name is Booth." "M'here are you from?"Cobb asked. "The city,"the rider answered, steadying his horse. The sergeantnoted the horse's sweaty flanks indicating he had been ridden hard. "Where are you going?" "I am going home." He replied. "To Charles County." "What town are you going to?" "I do not live in a town." The rider seemed in a hurry. Cobb took hold of the bridle to steady the horse from its nervous prancing. "You must live in some town." Cobb remarked. "I live near Beantown," came the reply. "It is a dark road and I thought if I waited ti1 now that I would have the moon to help me."? Sergeant Cobb hesitated, then nodded to the private. The gate sw-ung open as the Sergeant stood to one side, letting go of the bridle. "All right, you may pass, but you cannot come back across before daybreak." 136 Blood on the ll.loon "I have no intention of returning," the rider said as he began walking his horse across the open bridge. It is curious that Booth gave his real name and destination to Cobb, and yet the military never took advantage of this information. Perhaps Booth slipped up because he was in an excited state having just murdered the president . Still, it could have proved to be a fatal slip. Booth's statement that he was headed for "Beantown" indicated that he planned to go to Dr. Mudd's house only minutes after shooting Lincoln and not by accident as most authors claim. Mudd lived only three miles east of the small village known as Beantown. Once across the bridge Booth turned onto Harrison Road, which would take him into southern Maryland. Riding hard up the steep incline leading out of the city he had only one more checkpoint to pass before he would be free of any hindrance. At the top of the hill the road passed between two forts. Back in Washington Stanton was just arriving at the Petersen house. At the bridge Cobb had just returned to the guardhouse when a second rider galloped up. Cobb went through the routine a second time. The rider identified himself as "Smith." He told Cobb he had overstayed his visit with a lady of the evening. Cobb understood. It was an easy thing to do. Cobb then asked him his destination. The rider told him he was headed for his home in "White Plains." It was located approximately six miles to the southwest of Mudd's house, well away from Booth's intended direction. White Plains was the same place that Fletcher remembered hearing Herold and Atzerodt discusson previous occasions.+As with the first rider, no threat was seen. Cobb waved the man across the bridge, warning him as he had the first rider that he could not return before morning. Cobb had violated his orders by allowing Booth to pass over the bridge. It was a technical violation. The threat to Washington was over and passage to and from the citywas relaxed. Although General Augur would dress down Cobb, he was never charged or formally reprimanded for his failure. Once past the two forts at the top of Harrison Road the way was clear. It was a little past 11:OOP.M. when the hard riding Booth passed the forts and headed south toward Surrattsville. There was no challenge. There couldn't be. No word had passed from the city that something desperate had taken place. The sentries...