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David Edgar HeroldAn accomplice of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln.
Date of Birth: 16.06.1842
Country:  USA |
Content:
- David Edgar Herold: Confederate Conspirator and Assassin's Accomplice
- Education and Career
- Meeting John Wilkes Booth
- The Assassination Plot
- Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
- Capture and Trial
- Execution
David Edgar Herold: Confederate Conspirator and Assassin's Accomplice
Early Life and FamilyDavid Edgar Herold was born on June 16, 1842, in Maryland. He was the sixth of seven children born to Adam George Herold and Mary Ann Porter. Herold's father was a respected clerk at the Washington Navy Yard, and the family lived comfortably in a brick house near his workplace.
Education and Career
Herold received an education at Gonzaga College High School, Georgetown College, Charlotte Hall Military Academy, and Rittenhouse Academy. In 1860, he became a licensed pharmacist from Georgetown College. He worked as an assistant pharmacist and pursued his passion for hunting.
Meeting John Wilkes Booth
Herold met John Surratt, the son of Mary Surratt, while attending the military academy in the late 1850s. A few years later, in December 1864, John introduced David to John Wilkes Booth. For a brief period in 1864, Herold worked as a clerk for Francis Tumblety, a New York herbalist who was later investigated for the Lincoln assassination.
The Assassination Plot
Attack on William H. SewardOn the night of April 14, 1865, Herold accompanied Lewis Powell to the home of Lincoln's Secretary of State, William H. Seward. Powell attempted to assassinate Seward but his gun jammed. In the ensuing chaos, Herold fled the scene.
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
On April 15, 1865, John Wilkes Booth fatally shot President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Herold met with Booth after the assassination and provided him with support.
Capture and Trial
Following Lincoln's assassination, Herold and Booth fled to Maryland. On April 26, 1865, they were surrounded in a barn. Herold surrendered, but Booth refused to give up and was shot and killed by Sergeant Boston Corbett.
Herold was tried by a military tribunal. His defense attorney, Frederick Stone, argued that Herold was mentally incompetent and had been manipulated by Booth. The strategy failed, and Herold was convicted and sentenced to hang.
Execution
On July 7, 1865, David Herold was hanged in Washington, D.C. His remains were buried in an unmarked grave at the Congressional Cemetery next to his father.
