George Andrew Atzerodt was born on June 12, 1835, in Dorna, Prussia. In June 1844 he came to America with his folks and settled near Germantown in Montgomery County, Maryland. Atzerodt never became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Later the Atzerodt family moved to Westmoreland County, Virginia. In 1857, George Atzerodt’s father, Johann, passed away.

Before the Civil War started, Atzerodt settled in Port Tobacco, Maryland, with his older brother, John. Together, they set up a carriage repair shop. Although the business seemed to prosper, the two brothers eventually separated. John moved to Baltimore and George remained in Port Tobacco. ("Port Tobacco" became his nickname.)

During the Civil War, George began rowing his Confederate friends back and forth across the Potomac River. While engaged in this activity, he became acquainted with a Confederate messenger named John Surratt. The introduction came through Confederate agent Thomas H. Harbin and occurred in January of 1865. Atzerodt's knowledge of the back roads, escape routes, etc. impressed Surratt. Additionally, Surratt was looking for a boatman who could ferry the conspirators across the Potomac River after they had kidnapped President Lincoln. In time, Atzerodt was invited to Washington to meet John Wilkes Booth. He was also invited to the Surratt boardinghouse that was operated by John's mother, Mary.

He remained in an attic room at the boardinghouse for several days, but it is quite clear Mrs. Surratt did not like Atzerodt. While Atzerodt was out, Mary found liquor bottles in his room. She told her son, John, that Atzerodt had to move out because of his drinking.

Booth was attracted to Atzerodt because he saw him as a knowledgeable accomplice in the initial plan to kidnap Lincoln. On the night of March 15, 1865, Atzerodt met with Booth and other conspirators at Gautier's Restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue to discuss the possible abduction of the president. These plans did not work out. Several days before the assassination, Booth told Atzerodt about the existence of a plot to blow up the White House. Atzerodt's statement regarding this alleged plot disappeared until the late 1970's when it was discovered by Joan Chaconas, then president of the Surratt Society.

The statement was found among the private papers of Atzerodt's attorney, William E. Doster. The plot, which never took place, was to mine that part of the White House nearest the War Department where Lincoln spent a lot of time. Among other things, this "lost" statement of Atzerodt's revealed that Booth had sent liquor and provisions to Dr. Samuel Mudd's home two weeks before the assassination. For more on this, see Dr. Edward Steers' book titled His Name is Still Mudd. For the text of Atzerodt’s statement, CLICK HERE.

In the assassination plot, Atzerodt was assigned to kill Vice-President Andrew Johnson. Whether Atzerodt ever really agreed to do this is unproven. Whatever the case, before 8:00 A.M. on April 14th, 1865, Atzerodt rented room 126 at the Kirkwood House directly above where Johnson was staying. (The Kirkwood House was torn down after the Civil War; an office building now stands at the site on the northeast corner of 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. The drawing to the right is from the National Park Service.) Atzerodt quizzed the Kirkwood House's bartender, Michael Henry, about the vice-president's character and habits. However, he made no attempt on the life of Andrew Johnson. At his trial, Atzerodt's lawyer said, "Atzerodt was guzzling like a Falstaff at 10:15 P.M. After Lincoln's assassination, Detective John Lee found a series of incriminating items in Atzerodt's rented room left there by David Herold.