Manhunt (2024) follows Secretary of War Edwin Stanton’s hunt for John Wilkes Booth, the murderer of President Abraham Lincoln. The series is now streaming on Apple TV+.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
On the 14th of April, 1865, while the country of America is celebrating the liberation of black people, John Wilkes Booth, a theater actor, and his company are looking forward to putting their plan in motion.
Thirty minutes before the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, David Herold and Lewis Powell target Secretary of State William H. Seward, who manages to survive the attack.
Five days before the assassination, the President received the news of General Robert E. Lee’s surrender, marking the end of the Confederacy.
The idea that slavery is being abolished doesn’t sit right with the likes of Booth, who protest this decision and come to plot the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Secretary of State Seward, and Vice President Andrew Johnson.
John Wilkes Booth grabs the chance to kill Abraham Lincoln when he learns that the president is enjoying a play at Ford’s Theater with no security around him.
Booth shoots the president in the head, jumps off the balcony, and makes his presence known before running away, assisted by his associates.
Vice President Andrew Johnson is not hurt because the person assigned to assassinate him lost his nerve and wasn’t able to kill him.
While Vice President Andrew Johnson prepares to take Lincoln’s place, the hunt for Booth begins with Secretary of War Edwin Stanton helming the investigation.
In Booth’s hotel room, Stanton comes across a coded letter, suggesting that there is a large conspiracy at play. Booth was also using the same bank that the Confederate Secret Service uses to launder money.
Booth rests at Dr. Samuel Mudd’s home. Mudd treats Booth’s leg, which broke when he jumped off the balcony after assassinating the president.
Booth is relieved when he reads the newspaper and learns he has become a symbol. Officer Weichman, who lives at Surratt’s D.C. Boardinghouse, suspects that his landlady, Mrs. Surratt, is involved in the conspiracy.
The suspicion turns out to be true when Powell is caught at her house. The war department also suspects John Surratt Jr. to be a Confederate agent, as he was a postmaster known for delivering telegrams from Richmond.
A reward on Surratt’s head is put in as well, half of what it is on Booth. In Surratt’s Maryland Boardinghouse, Stanton discovers more coded messages shared between Surratt and Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States.
After staying at Mudd’s for a while, Booth, along with David, heads out to reach Richmond.
Sanford Conover, a spy working for Lieutenant Baker, attempts to catch Surratt but fails. He reveals that Surratt was planning to board a ship.
The plan was to possibly fake Booth’s death because Surratt sank that boat instead and was boarding it under Booth’s name.
Stanton learns that George Sanders chartered the ship. George Sanders is the owner of Weekly, a newspaper, and Stanton suspects that Sanders is bankrolling the Confederates.
Going after Sanders proves to be difficult, as he is influential and rich. Despite the hurdles, Stanton not only manages to put Sanders under arrest, but he also gets his hands on the secret line used by the CSS agents.
Sanders was described as untouchable, and it proved to be true, as it doesn’t take long for him to get out of prison. The secret line helps Stanton find where Booth is.
Ending explained:
Booth’s death
The Confederacy line helps Booth arrest Dr. Mudd, whose house was on it. Mary Simms, who works as Dr. Mudd’s housekeeper, confesses against Dr. Mudd. Boots with John Wilkes Booth’s initials are also discovered at Mudd’s house.
Stanton learns of Booth’s location from a man named Willie Jett. As Stanton heads out to catch Booth, he collapses due to his condition.
Hence, instead of Stanton, a cavalry goes to where Booth is hiding. The officers corner Booth and David, who are inside a barn that is set on fire. David keeps insisting Booth surrender, but Booth doesn’t listen.
Even though Booth calls David useless, Booth gives up David and makes sure that the officers hear that he is solely responsible for the assassination and that David had nothing to do with it.
The officers outside send David in the barn again, asking him to convince Booth to surrender. When Booth is attempting to stand up, Corbett, an officer, seems to see that Booth is raising his gun and shoots Booth.
While David is arrested, Booth dies, spoiling Stanton’s plans to catch Booth alive.
A case for grand conspiracy
Following Booth’s death, Stanton plans to build a case for a grand conspiracy and gets Jefferson Davis arrested. However, they lack strong proof to suggest that Davis is involved.
David Herold, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, Edward Spangler, Mary Surratt, Dr. Samuel Mudd, John Surratt, George Sanders, and Jefferson Davis are accused of conspiring to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.
Sanford Conover, the double agent who has gathered information on both the War Department and CSS, is able to provide his testimony against the likes of Surratt, Sanders, and Davis.
Conover puts in some strong claims that confirm that Booth was Davis’ go-to plan if they failed on the battlefield.
Unfortunately, Conover being a double agent doesn’t work out in Stanton’s favor. Conover has had different identities and has been involved in forging evidence.
Conover also gets the month wrong about when he first saw Booth, Surratt, and Sanders. It is later revealed that Sanders possibly paid Conover to shut his mouth.
David Herold, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, Edward Spangler, Mary Surratt, and Dr. Samuel Mudd are all sentenced, thanks to the confessions of Mary Simms, her brother, and Officer Weichman.
However, John Surratt, George Sanders, and Jefferson Davis are not due to lack of evidence, making Davis’ connection to the assassination plan inconclusive.
The aftermath
Following the case, President Andrew Johnson seeks to replace Stanton with a new Secretary of War. After all, their views don’t align with each other.
Lorenzo Thomas will be replacing Stanton. Johnson doesn’t think the country is ready for the plans of Reconstruction that Stanton has.
Stanton doesn’t give up on Lincoln’s dream. Stanton wanted to resign from his position, but Lincoln demanded that he stay even after they achieved their dream to see them through the final act.
To realize his friend’s dream, Stanton locks himself in his office for 3 long months. Andrew Johnson, as predicted by Stanton, becomes the first American President to be impeached.
Johnson was not removed by one vote, but he lost his second term. Surratt was extradited to the United States but was not convicted.
Five months after the trial, the 13th Amendment was ratified, abolishing slavery in the United States.
Eddie, Stanton’s son, reveals that Stanton died due to asthma-related organ failure and was never able to serve on the Supreme Court, although he was appointed.
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