Why was Booth awakened in the late hours of April 25, 1865?

• A. By the sound of metal touching metal as the horses approached Garrett's Farm.
• B. A loud explosion in the distance.
• C. An order from the general.
• D. A shout from his guards.

Answer: (A)

The moment tests a precise historical detail: Booth was in hiding at Garrett’s Farm when Union troops closed in. The first clue that the pursuers were near came from an unmistakable sound—the clatter of metal on metal as the cavalry’s gear and horses moved closer to the barn. That metallic racket woke Booth and signaled that the search party had found them. The other options don’t fit the record of that night: there wasn’t a distant explosion, an order from a general at that moment, or a guard’s shout prompting the awakening. The telling detail is the approaching cavalry noise that roused him.