Samuel Arnold (conspirator) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samuel Bland Arnold
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Arnold after his arrest, 1865
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| Born | September 6, 1834 |
| Died | September 21, 1906 (aged 72) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
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| Resting place | Green Mount Cemetery, Baltimore, Maryland |
| Criminal status | Deceased |
| Conviction(s) | Conspiracy to kidnap Abraham Lincoln |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment with hard labor |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States |
| Service/ |
 Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1864 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit |  1st Maryland Infantry |
Samuel Bland Arnold (born September 6, 1834 – died September 21, 1906) was an American who supported the Confederate States during the Civil War. He was involved in a plan to kidnap U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Arnold joined the Confederate Army early in the war but left in 1864 due to health issues.
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Early Life
Samuel Arnold was born in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., on September 6, 1834. His parents were Mary Jane and George Arnold, Sr. He also had an older brother.
His family later moved to Baltimore. There, Samuel went to St. Timothy's Hall, which was a military school. At this school, he was classmates with John Wilkes Booth.
The Kidnapping Plan
After leaving the army, Arnold went back to Baltimore. In late 1864, Booth asked him to join a plan to kidnap President Lincoln. Arnold was bored and didn't have a job, so he agreed.
On March 15, 1865, the group met at Gautier's Restaurant. They talked about their plan there. The group included Arnold, John Wilkes Booth, David Herold, Lewis Powell, Michael O'Laughlen, and John Surratt.
Their idea was to kidnap Lincoln. They planned to take him across the Potomac River and hold him. They hoped to trade him for Confederate prisoners of war. They tried this plan two times, but it failed. Lincoln was not where they expected him to be. After these failures, Arnold got a job as a clerk in Old Point Comfort, Virginia.
Arrest and Court
On April 14, 1865, Booth assassinated President Lincoln. Soon after, Arnold was arrested at his job in Virginia. He was suspected of being involved in the plot.
Arnold admitted his part in the earlier plan to kidnap Lincoln. His co-workers confirmed that he was in Virginia when Lincoln was assassinated. During his court hearing, an important person who spoke was Louis J. Weichmann. He was staying at the home of Mary Surratt, who was John Surratt's mother.
Prison and Freedom
A special military court found Arnold guilty of being part of the kidnapping plan. He was sentenced to life in prison with hard labor. He was sent to Fort Jefferson. Other people sent there included Samuel Mudd, Michael O'Laughlen, and Edmund Spangler.
In 1869, President Andrew Johnson pardoned Arnold, Mudd, and Spangler. This meant they were set free. Michael O'Laughlen had passed away in prison in 1867.
Life After Prison
After being released, Samuel Arnold returned home. He lived a quiet life away from public attention for over thirty years. In 1898, he went back to Fort Jefferson. He took pictures of his old prison, but these photos are now lost.
In 1902, Arnold wrote articles for the Baltimore American newspaper. In these articles, he described his time in prison at Fort Jefferson. Samuel Arnold died four years later, on September 21, 1906. He is buried at Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. The only person from the plot who lived longer than him was John Surratt.
More to Explore
- List of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States
