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Henry Rathbone was born on July 1, 1837 in Albany, NY. He was the son of Albany's first elected mayor and also a wealthy businessman. Upon his father's death in 1845, Rathbone inherited an estate worth 200,000 dollars. His mother remarried to Ira Harris, who would become a U.S. Senator from NY when William Seward became Lincoln's Secretary of State. As a result of this marriage, Ira Harris became Rathbone's stepfather, and his daughter, Clara, became Rathbone's stepsister. Rathbone and Clara Harris formed a close friendship and later fell in love. The two became engaged shortly before the ACW. He entered the Union Army at the start of the American Civil War and served as a captain in the 12th US Infantry at the Battle of Antietam and the Battle of Fredericksburg. In 1863, he was pulled from frontline duty and given a desk job. By the war's end, he had attained the rank of major.
On April 14, 1865, the couple accepted an invitation to see the play, Our American Cousin, at Ford's Theatre after General Grant and his wife declined the invitation. During the play, at about 10:14 pm, the renowned actor, John Wilkes Booth, entered the presidential box and fatally shot Lincoln in the head with a pistol. As Rathbone attempted to apprehend Booth, Booth slashed Rathbone's left arm with a dagger. Rathbone again grabbed at Booth as Booth prepared to jump from the box. He grabbed onto Booth's coat, causing Booth to fall awkwardly to the stage, breaking his leg. Booth nonetheless escaped and remained at large for twelve days. Despite his serious wound, Rathbone escorted Mary Lincoln to the Petersen House across the street, where the president had been taken. Shortly thereafter, he passed out due to blood loss. Harris arrived soon after and held Rathbone's head in her lap while he lay semiconscious. When surgeon Charles Leale, who had been attending Lincoln, finally examined Rathbone, it was realized that his wound was more serious than initially thought. Booth had cut him nearly to the bone and severed an artery. Rathbone was taken home while Harris remained with Mary Lincoln as the president lay dying over the next eight hours. This death vigil lasted through the night until Lincoln died at 7:22 a.m.
Although his physical wounds healed, his mental state deteriorated in the years following Lincoln's death as he anguished over his perceived inability to thwart the assassination attempt. He did marry Harris on July 11, 1867, and the couple had three children. After he left the Army, he struggled to find and keep a job due to his mental instability. He became convinced that Harris was unfaithful and resented the attention she paid their children. He reportedly threatened her on several occasions after suspecting that she was going to divorce him and take the children. He made multiple unsuccessful attempts to obtain a position as a U.S. consul to a European city.
Rathbone and his family relocated to Germany, where his mental health continued to decline. On December 23, 1883, he attacked his children in a fit of madness. He fatally shot and stabbed his wife, who was attempting to protect the children. He stabbed himself five times in the chest in an attempted suicide. He was charged with murder, but was declared insane by doctors after he blamed the murder on an intruder. He was convicted and committed to an asylum for the criminally insane in Hildescheim, Germany. The couple's children were sent to live with their uncle, William Harris, in the United States.
Rathbone spent the rest of his life in the asylum. He died on August 14, 1911, and was buried next to his wife in the city cemetery at Engeshode, Germany.
On April 14, 1865, the couple accepted an invitation to see the play, Our American Cousin, at Ford's Theatre after General Grant and his wife declined the invitation. During the play, at about 10:14 pm, the renowned actor, John Wilkes Booth, entered the presidential box and fatally shot Lincoln in the head with a pistol. As Rathbone attempted to apprehend Booth, Booth slashed Rathbone's left arm with a dagger. Rathbone again grabbed at Booth as Booth prepared to jump from the box. He grabbed onto Booth's coat, causing Booth to fall awkwardly to the stage, breaking his leg. Booth nonetheless escaped and remained at large for twelve days. Despite his serious wound, Rathbone escorted Mary Lincoln to the Petersen House across the street, where the president had been taken. Shortly thereafter, he passed out due to blood loss. Harris arrived soon after and held Rathbone's head in her lap while he lay semiconscious. When surgeon Charles Leale, who had been attending Lincoln, finally examined Rathbone, it was realized that his wound was more serious than initially thought. Booth had cut him nearly to the bone and severed an artery. Rathbone was taken home while Harris remained with Mary Lincoln as the president lay dying over the next eight hours. This death vigil lasted through the night until Lincoln died at 7:22 a.m.
Although his physical wounds healed, his mental state deteriorated in the years following Lincoln's death as he anguished over his perceived inability to thwart the assassination attempt. He did marry Harris on July 11, 1867, and the couple had three children. After he left the Army, he struggled to find and keep a job due to his mental instability. He became convinced that Harris was unfaithful and resented the attention she paid their children. He reportedly threatened her on several occasions after suspecting that she was going to divorce him and take the children. He made multiple unsuccessful attempts to obtain a position as a U.S. consul to a European city.
Rathbone and his family relocated to Germany, where his mental health continued to decline. On December 23, 1883, he attacked his children in a fit of madness. He fatally shot and stabbed his wife, who was attempting to protect the children. He stabbed himself five times in the chest in an attempted suicide. He was charged with murder, but was declared insane by doctors after he blamed the murder on an intruder. He was convicted and committed to an asylum for the criminally insane in Hildescheim, Germany. The couple's children were sent to live with their uncle, William Harris, in the United States.
Rathbone spent the rest of his life in the asylum. He died on August 14, 1911, and was buried next to his wife in the city cemetery at Engeshode, Germany.
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