Lewis T. Powell, Alexander Gardner, 1865

A Savage Attack

Lewis T. Powell, also known as Lewis Paine, played a major role in the assassination conspiracy. Booth assigned him to kill Secretary of State William H. Seward, in the hopes that his death, plus Lincoln’s and Johnson’s, would throw the federal government into chaos and force them to negotiate peace with the Confederates. Powell, a former Confederate soldier with brute strength, savagely attacked Seward in his home, nearly killing him and his son Frederick. Powell was arrested and later hung for his actions.