The Story of a Lincoln Assassination Conspirator Who Found Redemption in This Florida Paradise

The Story of Samuel Mudd, Fort Jefferson

In the clear waters off Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park sits a massive brick fort where one doctor flipped his story from villain to hero.

Samuel Mudd, jailed for helping Lincoln’s killer, became Fort Jefferson’s unlikely savior during a deadly fever outbreak.

Here’s what happened.

The Doctor Who Treated Lincoln’s Assassin

On April 15, 1865, a Maryland doctor set the broken leg of a mysterious visitor. That visitor was John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Lincoln. Dr. Samuel Mudd claimed he didn’t recognize Booth or know about the assassination.

The military commission didn’t believe him. By a single vote, Mudd escaped the hangman’s noose that claimed four other conspirators.

Instead, he received a life sentence at America’s most remote prison: Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, 70 miles west of Key West. On July 24, 1865, the doctor arrived in chains, facing a brutal new life on a tiny coral island surrounded by endless blue water.

On July 24, 1865, the doctor arrived in chains, facing a brutal new life on a tiny coral island surrounded by endless blue water.

The Brutal Journey To America’s Devil’s Island

The journey began at 1 a.m. on July 17, 1865, when soldiers awakened Dr. Mudd in his Washington prison cell. Mudd, along with fellow conspirators Samuel Arnold, Michael O’Laughlen, and Edward Spangler, was transported in irons down the Potomac River aboard an Army steamer.

At Fortress Monroe, they transferred to the USS Florida, a Navy warship, for the long voyage south. For seven sweltering days, they sailed through summer heat, the four men shackled below deck.

The Florida’s commander noted simply in his logbook that they had taken aboard four rebel prisoners with guards.

Life Inside A Brick Fortress In The Gulf

Mudd’s first cell sat on the second tier, above the fort’s massive entrance. Through tiny loopholes in the brick walls, he could glimpse stars at night and watch the endless horizon by day.

Rain constantly leaked through the ceiling. Mudd carved small trenches in the floor to divert water away from his bed.

In letters to his wife, he described the suffocating weather and the millions of insects that made rest impossible day or night. His meals consisted of stale bread full of bugs and dirt, coffee, potatoes, and onions.

The Desperate Escape Attempt

Two months into his imprisonment, Mudd’s desperation peaked. On September 25, 1865, the supply ship Thomas A. Scott arrived at the fort’s dock.

With help from a young crewman, Mudd hid beneath a plank in the lower hold, hoping to escape back to the mainland. Before the ship sailed, a thorough search revealed the doctor’s hiding place.

The fort’s commander was furious. He ordered Mudd placed at hard labor and confined to the dungeon whenever any boat arrived at the fort.

Three Months In The Dungeon’s Darkness

The dungeon was actually a large empty ground-level gunroom – a stark contrast to Mudd’s previous cell. Here, Mudd spent three months alongside his fellow conspirators and a Confederate soldier of fortune named George St. Leger Grenfell.

Each day, guards removed their leg irons for 12 hours of hard labor before shackling them again at night. A single small window overlooked the moat, where the fort’s toilets emptied.

The stench was unbearable. Finally, on December 22, a letter from Sarah Mudd to President Johnson secured his release to better quarters.

Daily Life In The Prison Carpentry Shop

After his release from the dungeon, Mudd was assigned to the prison’s carpentry shop. Under the guidance of Edward Spangler, a theater carpenter before his conviction, Mudd developed surprising woodworking skills.

He crafted cribbage boards, decorative boxes, and even an ornate game table with inlaid woods – pieces still displayed at the Mudd house museum today. Working with his hands provided rare moments of peace.

The conspirators routinely shipped these handmade treasures home to their families. The carpentry shop became Mudd’s main world for the next eighteen months, offering structure amid the monotony of prison life.

Letters To A Devoted Wife

From his lonely island prison, Mudd wrote regularly to Sarah, his wife and strongest advocate. His letters mixed despair with determination. Sometimes he confessed to being worn out, while in others he reassured her he was as well as could be expected.

Sarah never stopped fighting for him. She wrote countless letters to President Johnson pleading for her husband’s release. She raised their children alone while managing the farm.

Mudd encouraged her to be hopeful and prayerful, noting that the darkest hour comes just before day. Their correspondence sustained him through nearly four years of separation.

Yellow Fever Strikes The Island Prison

On August 18, 1867, the first case of yellow fever appeared at Fort Jefferson. By August 21, three more fell ill. The disease spread with terrifying speed.

Panic quickly developed among soldiers and officers. The fort housed 387 people – 313 soldiers, 54 prisoners, and 20 civilians. There was nowhere to run.

On September 5, the fort’s physician, Dr. Joseph Smith, contracted the fever. Three days later, he died. Four nurses soon followed. Victims turned jaundiced yellow, suffered agonizing pain, and vomited black blood before death.

From Prisoner To Prison Doctor

After Dr. Smith died, the fort faced a medical crisis. Despite his status as a prisoner, Mudd volunteered to take over the hospital. The irony wasn’t lost on him.

He later wrote about being deprived of liberty yet asked to perform the same medical duty that had landed him in prison. Yet when asked to step forward, he did.

Major Stone, the fort’s commander, accepted his offer with relief. Mudd immediately ended the practice of quarantining patients on a separate island and focused on treating them at the fort.

Fighting Death In America’s Most Remote Prison

Mudd worked day and night through September and October. Using the medical knowledge of his time, he administered calomel to induce vomiting and Dover’s Powder to encourage sweating.

Patients received herbal teas, limejuice, and alcohol to maintain strength. He insisted on regular changes of bedding and clothing.

Of 270 infected people, only 38 died – a remarkably low 14% mortality rate compared to other yellow fever outbreaks of the era, which often claimed 30-40% of victims.

By October’s end, even an elderly doctor from Key West had arrived to assist Mudd with the overwhelming caseload.

The Soldiers’ Petition That Won His Freedom

Toward the epidemic’s end, Mudd himself contracted yellow fever and nearly died. When the outbreak finally subsided in November 1867, a grateful lieutenant drafted a petition to President Johnson, praising Mudd’s courage and requesting a pardon.

The petition described how Mudd inspired the hopeless and remained constantly present amid the danger, helping those who were fearful. Two hundred ninety-nine officers and soldiers signed it.

On February 8, 1869, President Johnson signed Mudd’s pardon. The doctor left Fort Jefferson on March 8, reaching home on March 20.

Visiting Fort Jefferson

Today, Fort Jefferson stands as the centerpiece of Dry Tortugas National Park, accessible only by boat or seaplane from Key West.

You can tour Mudd’s cell on the second tier above the fort entrance, where he carved trenches to divert rainwater.

The dungeon where he spent three months in chains is also open to the public. A plaque commemorates his heroic service during the yellow fever epidemic.

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