See the Gun that killed President Lincoln

Throughout American history, there have been a few events that everyone agrees have changed our nation, for better or worse. One of those happened on April 14, 1865, with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.

That night, John Wilkes Booth, a Southern sympathizer, entered Ford’s Theatre and snuck into the President’s Booth.  The well-known actor waited for a moment he knew would give rise to a boisterous laughter. Then, at that moment, he aimed his gun at the back of Lincoln’s head and fired.  The President would pass the next day.

The gun that changed our nation’s history was a .44 caliber pistol made by Philadelphia gunsmith Henry Deringer. William T. Kent, a clerk in the office of the Paymaster General, was in attendance that night. Kent would enter the President’s box after the shooting and find the pistol, which he turned over to authorities. It would later be used as evidence in the conspirators’ trial in May and June of 1865. After this, it would be stored deep in the War Department for decades, a solemn reminder of that tragic day. It would take nearly 80 years before the gun that killed Lincoln would be on public display. 

Ford’s Theatre Opens as a Museum

In the early 1930s, Ulysses S. Grant III, the grandson of Civil War General and President Ulysses S. Grant, requested that the pistol and other artifacts be available for public viewing. Ford’s Theatre was then set to open as a museum under the National Park Service. The request for the pistol was met with a stern rebuke from the War Department.

“The relics should not be displayed to the public under any circumstances, on the theory that they would create interest in the criminal aspects of the great tragedy, rather than the historical features thereof, and would have more of an appeal for the morbid or weak-minded than for students of history. […] the Lincoln relics should not be placed upon exhibition anywhere.”

This attitude would fade within the decade. In 1940, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes announced that the trial artifacts would go on display on Lincoln’s birthday, February 12, at Ford’s Theatre Museum. Two years later, the pistol that killed Lincoln would join the collection. 

Reservations Required to Visit Ford’s Theatre

To this day, visitors to Ford’s Theatre can view the small .44 caliber Deringer that was used to murder Lincoln.  The pistol is one of hundreds of museum artifacts that can be viewed during a visit.  Tickets are required, and it’s advised to book in advance.