>The Ridgewood Historical Society Presents :Adam Badeau
March 19, 1895, marks the death of Adam Badeau, a Ridgewood resident and Civil War general, who had a surprising connection John Wilkes Booth.
Few, if any, Ridgewood residents could claim as strong a connection to 19th century American history as Adam Badeau.
Prior to the Civil War, Badeau was a theater critic for a Sunday newspaper in New York. In this role he met many of the famous actors of the day. When war broke out, Badeau became part of General Sherman’s staff. A serious injury en route to Vicksburg
disrupted his military career, and he returned to New York City to recover.
While in New York, he was reportedly cared for by two New York stage actors he had befriended as a theater critic – Edwin Booth and his younger brother, John Wilkes Booth! The following year, Edwin Booth would save the life of Abraham Lincoln’s oldest son, while John Wilkes Booth would, of course, become best known for assassinating the president in 1865.
Upon recovering, Badeau became a member of General Grant’s staff and was present at Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. He later worked for the State Department and was the U.S. Consul to Cuba and England. Thefinal years of Badeau’s life were full of legal troubles, a U.S. Supreme Court case regarding payment for his services to the government. Fortunately for Badeau, he was
eventually found eligible for military retirement payments.
To learn more about Adam Badeau and the Civil War in New Jersey, visit the Ridgewood Historical Society’s Schoolhouse Museum, on East Glen Avenue. The museum is open Thursdays and Saturday 1-3pm and Sundays 2-4pm. Please visit www.ridgewoodhistoricalsociety.org. for more information.
Adam Bedeau actually credits John Wilkes Booth for saving his life. Bedeau was staying at Edwin Booths home in New York when the draft riots broke out. Booth hid Bedeau and his African American servant.