Ford's Theatre in 1865, draped
in black
Diagram
of Ford's Theatre
The President was shot by John Wilkes Booth on
April 14, 1865 during a performance of Our American Cousin.
Booth shot Lincoln in the head in the Presidential box, then leapt from
the box to the stage, twelve feet below (breaking his ankle in the process).
He crossed the stage and exited through a rear door to an alley behind
the theater.