The full content of this document is only available to subscribing institutions. More information can be found via www.amdigital.co.uk
If you believe you should have access to this document, click here to Login.
| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC07738.02 |
| From Archive Folder | Photographs of Lincoln assassination conspirators |
| Title | Albumen of Samuel Arnold |
| Date | 27 April 1865 |
| Author | Gardner, Alexander (1821-1882) |
| Document Type | Photograph |
| Content Description | Inscribed on verso: "Samuel Arnold. Conspirator. Imprisoned for life at Ft. Jefferson Fla. (Dry Tortuges) Pardoned by President Johnson. Released March 21, 1869." Photograph shows Arnold wearing a dark coat, vest, and tie; facing slightly to the right. Arnold is imprisoned aboard the U.S.S. Saugus. |
| Subjects | Lincoln Assassination Assassination President Prisoner Pardon Government and Civics |
| People | Gardner, Alexander (1821-1882) Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865) Arnold, Samuel (1834-1906) |
| Place written | Washington, D.C. |
| Theme | The American Civil War; The Presidency; Law |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Folder Information: Nine large plate albumen prints of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. Secret Service head Colonel Lafayette C. Baker selected Gardner to take the photographs of the conspirators while in they were in custody, awaiting trial aboard the U.S.S. Montauk and the U.S.S. Saugus. In the late summer of 1864, John Wilkes Booth recruited Arnold to join the conspiracy to kidnap Lincoln and take him to Richmond. On March 15, 1865, Arnold met Booth at Gautier's Restaurant in Washington to plan the kidnapping, scheduled for two days later. When Lincoln cancelled plans to attend a play at the Campbell Hospital on March 17, the abduction plans fell through and Arnold returned to Baltimore. A March 27 letter from Arnold to Booth was discovered by investigators during a search of Booth's hotel room after the assassination. On April 17, authorities arrested Arnold in Old Point Comfort, Virginia, where he worked as a clerk. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |