Report concerning the death of Abraham Lincoln

On the evening of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln during a performance of ‘Our American Cousin’  at Ford’s Theater in Washington, DC. Booth chose a moment with loud laughter from the audience, which obscured the sound of the pistol. The assassin immediately dropped the empty pistol and used a hunting knife to attack Maj. Henry R. Rathbone (who was also in Lincoln’s box), while First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, looked on in horror. Booth then fled, jumping down to the stage pausing briefly to pose in front of the confused audience and yell “Sic Semper Tyrannis! (So perish all tyrants!)” before he escaped via the backstage entrance of the theater.

First on the scene was Army doctor Charles A. Leale, quickly followed by his colleague Dr. Charles S. Taft. Initially, Dr. Leale had thought that Lincoln had been stabbed but according to his report, he soon located the bullet wound at the back of his head, which was confirmed by Dr. Taft. Only 23 years old and fresh out of medical school, Dr. Leale immediately took charge but could tell at once that the President was as good as dead. “His wound is mortal,” Leale pronounced. “It is impossible for him to recover.”

A severely injured Lincoln was transported to a boarding house across the street from the theater, where he died at 7:22am on April 15, with Leale holding his hand. Lincoln’s body was removed to the White House and placed on his bed in the “Lincoln bedroom,” where an autopsy was performed. The autopsy was limited solely to the head, where the cause of death lay.

The eyewitness report filed by Dr. Leale after the assassination is the earliest account of the events of April 15. He referenced his report during a Congressional hearing into Lincoln’s assassination in 1867 but the original copy was not unearthed until 2012. View the first and last page of the report can be viewed below.

Download a high-resolution version of this document from the National Archives’ online catalog.

This document was on display in the “Featured Documents” exhibit in the East Rotunda Gallery of the National Archives in Washington, DC, March 6 through April 29, 2015.

Past Featured Records

Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records
After the Civil War, the federal government established a War Department agency to help Americans transition from slavery to freedom. The Freedmen’s Bureau (1865–72) issued rations, operated hospitals and helped establish schools and unite families. It worked to resolve labor disputes and negotiate labor contracts. It also presided over and documented marriages between freed couples.
20th Amendment: A New Inauguration Day
From George Washington’s second term through Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first, inauguration day was generally held on March 4. Without cars or computers, the four months between the election and inauguration served a purpose in the late 18th and 19th centuries. It allowed the President-elect time to settle their affairs and journey to the nation’s capital.
Mr. Santa Claus: Romance of the Postal Service
This holiday featured film is one of a series of silent movies produced by the Post Office Department in 1921. The mini melodrama shows how the postal service helps make a happy Christmas for a boy and his sister when their “Dere Sandy Claws” letter is answered by a young married couple.
Bring Them Home, Uncle Sam
Many Americans sought to honor the returning service members with patriotic greetings at the dock, parades to welcome them home, and memorials to honor their service. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11, 1919, as Armistice Day, creating an annual day to honor those who brought about the end of the “Great War.” Two decades later, America would find itself embroiled in World War II and then in the Korean War, with many more soldiers deserving of honor. In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower rededicated Armistice Day as Veterans Day to honor all of America’s veterans for their service and sacrifice.
Betty Ford: Raising Breast Cancer Awareness
On Display 10/03/2024 - 10/30/2024 Just weeks after she became First Lady, Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer. On September 26, 1974, doctors discovered a lump in her breast during a routine medical examination. She underwent a mastectomy two days later. Breaking with social conventions of the time, Betty Ford shared her cancer diagnosis with the public. This ...