This testimony of Dr. Robert King Stone, President Abraham Lincoln’s doctor, describes the treatment of President Lincoln the night of his assassination. The Lincoln family physician was summoned the night of the president’s assassination, keeping the gunshot wound clear to regulate Lincoln’s breathing. Of the 14 doctors who attended to Lincoln on the night of his assassination, Dr. Stone is the only one who presented testimony on Lincoln’s condition for the tribunal that was convened to try eight accused conspirators. Stone was questioned by the government’s lead prosecutor, Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt and provided six pages of testimony. For more information about this testimony see the National Archives online exhibit Eyewitness.
Text adapted from “Eyewitness Account of Dr. Robert King Stone, President Lincoln’s Family Physician” in the March 2007 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) publication Social Education.
