Edward Paul Doherty (September 26, 1838 – April 3, 1897) was a Canadian-American

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

officer who formed and led the detachment of soldiers that captured and killed

John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth ...

, the assassin of

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, in a

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

barn on April 26, 1865, twelve days after Booth had fatally shot Lincoln.

Early life

Doherty was born September 26, 1838, in Wickham,

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

, to immigrant parents from Sligo,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. His birth year was long incorrectly believed to have been 1840 but is clearly recorded as 1838 in Wickham's parish records. He came to

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

in 1860 and was living there when the

broke out.

American Civil War

He enlisted in a 90-day militia unit and was assigned as a

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

to Company A of the 71st New York Volunteers on April 20, 1861. Assigned to

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Ambrose Burnside Ambrose Everett Burnside (May 23, 1824 – September 13, 1881) was an American army officer and politician who became a senior Union general in the Civil War and three times Governor of Rhode Island, as well as being a successful inventor ...

's 2nd Brigade of

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

David Hunter David Hunter (July 21, 1802 – February 2, 1886) was an American military officer. He served as a Union general during the American Civil War. He achieved notability for his unauthorized 1862 order (immediately rescinded) emancipating slaves ...

's 2nd Division, he was captured by the Confederates during the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

, the first major land battle of the

, fought on July 21, 1861, near Manassas,

. While a prisoner, he made a daring escape. Ultimately, the 71st Regiment, along with Doherty, mustered out on August 9, 1861. Doherty went on to become a captain in the Corcoran Legion, formed by fellow prisoner at the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

Irish-American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Michael Corcoran Michael Corcoran (September 21, 1827 – December 22, 1863) was an Irish- American general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and a close confidant of President Abraham Lincoln. As its colonel, he led the 69th New York Regiment t ...

, who was a close confidant of

. Doherty served for two years, before being appointed

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

in the 16th New York Cavalry on September 12, 1863. The regiment was assigned to the defense of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, for the duration of the war, where Doherty distinguished himself as an officer.

Pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth

On April 24, 1865, 10 days after the assassination of

, Acting Assistant Adjunct General A. R. Sewell sent an order to the Commander of the 16th New York Cavalry, Captain Joseph Schneider, to assign a reliable and discreet commissioned officer with 25 men to report to Colonel L. C. Baker at once. Captain Schneider then chose Lieutenant Edward Doherty to lead the group and Doherty reported to

Lafayette C. Baker, Agent of the Department of War. Doherty and his men were to hunt down

and any co-conspirators. Two days later, the men of the 16th NY Cavalry Regiment, accompanied by two detectives of the intelligence service, Luther Baker, cousin of Lafayette C. Baker, and Everton J. Conger, caught up with Booth and his accomplice David E. Herold in a tobacco barn near Port Royal,

, owned by Richard H. Garrett. With the barn surrounded, Doherty called upon Booth to surrender, but Booth refused and threatened to shoot anyone who entered. His accomplice relented and as he surrendered to Doherty, Sergeant

Boston Corbett Thomas H. "Boston" Corbett (January 29, 1832 – presumed dead September 1, 1894) was an American Union Army soldier who shot and killed U.S. president Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Corbett was initially arrested for disob ...

fatally shot Booth through a crack in the side of the barn as the assassin had been aiming to fire at Doherty or Herold. Doherty stated that "the bullet struck Booth in the back of the head, about an inch below the spot where his shot had entered the head of Mr. Lincoln." Booth's

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the sp ...

was severed, and he died two hours later. (Quoting Lieutenant Edward Doherty, officer in charge of the soldiers who captured Booth) Doherty and the men of his regiment returned to Washington, D.C., on April 27, 1865, with Booth's body.

Later military career after

For his service in the capture of

's assassin, Doherty was promoted to captain and was given a $5,250 reward, but he remained in the cavalry. The 16th New York Cavalry was merged with the 13th New York Cavalry to form the 3rd Regiment New York Provisional Cavalry on June 23, 1865, which was then mustered out on September 21, 1865. Seven months later, Doherty joined the regular cavalry and was assigned to the 5th Regular Cavalry as a Second Lieutenant on April 19, 1866. He was promoted to

on March 1, 1867, in the 1st Cavalry and remained in the regular army until mustering out on December 27, 1870. During his last years in the military, he served some time under

George Meade George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a United States Army officer and civil engineer best known for decisively defeating Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. H ...

as Inspector General of the Department of Georgia, which had been created by the military in 1865 as part of the

Third Military District The Third Military District of the U.S. Army was one of five temporary administrative units of the U.S. War Department that existed in the American South. The district was stipulated by the Reconstruction Acts during the Reconstruction period fo ...

during the postwar

Reconstruction period The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebui ...

Later life

In 1871, after resigning from the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

, Doherty went into business in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. Having returned to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1886, he was appointed Inspector of Street Pavings, a position that he held from 1888 until he died on the morning of April 3, 1897. He was Past Commander of Veteran Post Number 436, G. A. R.; as well as a member of the 71st Regiment Veterans and also of the Press Veterans. He served twice as

Grand Marshal Grand marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "marshal" with the first usage of the term "grand marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders. The following ...

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

celebrations. Doherty succumbed to heart disease in his home at 533 West 144th Street. His funeral was held on April 5, 1897, at the Church of St. Charles Boromeo church, then located at 132nd Street and Seventh Avenue. He is buried in Section 1 of

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

His tombstone reads: "Commanded detachment of 16th N.Y. Cavalry which captured President Lincoln's assassin April 26, 1865."

Family

His sister's son, Charles Marcil, was a longtime member of the House of Commons of Canada and served as

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

from 1909 to 1911. Another nephew, Georges Marcil, was the last mayor of

Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Notre-Dame-de-Grâce ( en, Our Lady of Grace), also nicknamed NDG, is a residential neighbourhood of Montreal in the city's West End, with a population of 166,520 (2016). An independent municipality until annexed by the City of Montreal in 1910, ...

, before the city was annexed to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

in 1910.

References

"The Battle of Bull Run; The 71st New York Regiment; Interesting statement of Edward P. Doherty", The New York Times, August 6, 1861.

* ttp://www.bivouacbooks.com/bbv4i1s3.htm "The Death of John Wilkes Booth", Washington Exchange, 1887.
Doherty's report to the War Department recounting Booth's capture, dated April 29, 1865.

* ttp://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/edoherty.htm Military record, as well as Doherty's report and the New York Times article in text format.
Short biography of Lieutenant Doherty with more details on his military record.
*
Five Letters of Edward P. Doherty
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doherty, Edward P. 1838 births 1897 deaths Union Army officers United States Army officers People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Canadian people of the American Civil War People associated with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln People from Centre-du-Québec Emigrants from pre-Confederation Quebec to the United States