The most widely accepted version of events holds that actor John Wilkes Booth did not survive. After assassinating President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865, Booth fled toward Virginia. Twelve days later, on April 26, Union cavalrymen cornered him in a Garrett farm near Bowling Green, Virginia. There, a soldier fatally shot Booth in the neck, and on that same morning, he succumbed to his injuries.

Conflicting reports about Booth's survival emerged in the following years, fueling speculations that he had successfully orchestrated an escape before or after the pursuit on Virginia's farm. While compelling, the purported sightings and testimonials lack evidence sufficient to definitively prove his escape. The historical consensus therefore rests on the events of April 26, 1865, suggesting that John Wilkes Booth did not survive the pursuit and died from the injury inflicted by the Union cavalryman at the Garrett farm.