Charles Augustus Leale (March 26th, 1842 – June 13th, 1932) was a surgeon in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was the first doctor to arrive at the presidential box at Ford's Theatre on April 14th, 1865 after John Wilkes Booth fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln in the back of the head with a Philadelphia Deringer pistol. His quick efforts temporarily prolonged President Lincoln's life, which allowed him to live for almost 8 hours until the next morning. Charles Leale continued to serve in the army until 1866. He then returned to his home town of New York City where he established a successful private practice and became involved in charitable medical care. As one of the last surviving witnesses to Lincoln's death, Dr. Charles A. Leale died in 1932 at the age of 90.
Early life[]
Dr. Leale was born in New York City March 26, 1842, the son of Captain William P. and Anna Maria Burr Leale. He was a grandson of Captain Richard Burr, who, in 1746 sent a cargo of corn to famine-stricken Ireland. Leale began his medical studies at 18, the private pupil of Dr. Austin Flint, Sr., in diseases of the heart and lungs, and of Dr. Frank H. Hamilton in gunshot wounds and surgery. He also studied at various clinics and served a full term as medical cadet in the United States Army.
Lincoln's Assassination[]
Charles Leale was 23 at the time of the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. On April 11, 1865, six weeks after graduating Bellevue Medical School, he saw Abraham Lincoln giving his last public speech. He was quite impressed of Lincoln. Dr. Leale wanted to attend the play (Our American Cousin) at Ford's Theater, upon learning that the Lincolns would attend that night.
On April 14, 1865, he was sitting in the audience, just forty feet near the box, when he saw John Wilkes Booth on stage after shooting President Lincoln during the funniest line of Our American Cousin and before escaping from the back of the theater and fled to Maryland on horseback. Once panic breaks out, Dr. Leale rushed to the box, where he briefly examines Major Henry Rathbone, Clara Harris's boyfriend who was stabbed by Booth, and saw Lincoln slumped in his rocking chair, held by his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. After introducing himself to Mrs. Lincoln, he found her husband barely unresponsive. He lower Lincoln on the floor to attend him better. When seeing blood on the president’s coat, Leale thought the president might have been stabbed, as he recalled that he saw Booth with a dagger on stage. With William Kent, a bystander, Leale cuts away Lincoln's necktie and collar; but upon opening the front of his waistcoat and shirt, he did not see any serious gashes to the exposed part of the chest. By this point, Doctors Charles Taft and Albert King came to the box. After figuring out that Lincoln has suffered brain damage, Leale found the bullet hole in the back of Lincoln's head; but knowing that the bullet was too deep inside of his head, Leale dislodges the blood clot in the back of Lincoln's head to improve the breathing and gave him artificial respiration in order to stabilize his condition. When Actress Laura Keene was allowed to cradle Lincoln's head, Leale finally announced that Lincoln’s wound was mortal.
Fearing that Lincoln would not survive the carriage ride to the White House, Dr. Leale decided they should take him to the nearest location on 10th Street. So when they pick up Lincoln from the floor and carefully carried him out of the theater that was packed with an angry mob, they were asked by the crowd to take Lincoln back to the White House, but Leale warned them that Lincoln would die on the way. He and his six bearers thought they should bring the president next door to the same saloon where John Wilkes Booth had already spend, but the owner of the saloon refused their request. Not knowing where to go, they were summoned by Henry Safford, a 25-year old border across the street at the Petersen House. Mr. Safford was holding a lantern and shouted them to "Bring him in Here!". Carefully, but slowly, Dr Leale and his bearers slowly brought Lincoln into the Petersen House. When they got into the house, the hallway was dark and several rooms were locked. But guided by Mr. Safford with his lantern, Dr. Leale and his six barriers slowly carry Lincoln though the dark hallway and all the way to the back of the available room in the end of the hallway. There, at about 10:45 pm, they lay him diagonally on the small bed, due to Lincoln’s tall height being 6’4”. Ironically, the room was previously rented by an actor named Charles Warwick and only one month prior, John Wilkes Booth (who is now escaping into Maryland and was on the run for 12 days until he was shot to death by Boston Cobrett) once fell asleep on this bed that Lincoln would now be dying on.
At this point, Dr. Leale ordered everyone out, including Mrs. Lincoln and Laura Keane, so that he and his colleagues needed to re-examine the president alone. Once the doctors were alone, they re-examine Lincoln by removing all of his layers of clothing, beginning with his long coat, shirt, and boots. Once they inspect their dying paitent’s naked body, they found no wounds once more; but finding that his unclothed body was icy, the three doctors quickly applied hot water bottles, mustard plasters, and warm blankets to comfort the dying Lincoln. At one point, other doctors, including Robert Stone, took charge in caring for Lincoln, though Dr. Leale kept hold of Lincoln's hands most of the night. It has been noted that 56-year old Abraham Lincoln would likely have no chance to live much longer. He remained unconscious for eight hours until he died at 7:22 A.M. on April 15, 1865. Surrounding him was his eldest son, Robert, and by members of both the cabinet and Congress, except Secretary of State WIlliam Seward, who was nearly attacked and disfigured by one of Booth's henchmen, Lewis Powell during the previous same night of Lincoln's Assassination. Mary Lincoln was also not present when her husband died.
Later Life and Death[]
After leaving the US Army, Charles Leale married to Rebecca Copcutt on September 3, 1867, a daughter of an industrialist of the Bonkers, John Copcutt (1805-1895) in the Copcutt Mansion. Until his retirement in 1928, Leale was always interested in philanthropic, scientific, and medical projects. He was one of the last surviving attendees of Lincoln's Assassination, upon his death on June 13, 1932, at the age of 90. He was survived by five children, his sixth child, Annie Leale (dying in 1915). He was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Yonkers, New York. The cuff of Leale's shirt he wore on the night of the incident, stained by Lincoln's blood, was donated to the National Museum of American History.