Silas T. Cobb was a Sergeant in the 3rd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery.
On 14 April 1865, he was the senior military sentry guarding a Navy Yard drawbridge in Washington, D.C., along with two privates. He came into contact with John Wilkes Booth about thirty minutes after he assassinated Lincoln. Silas Cobb questioned Booth about where he was going so late a night, and Booth replied that he was going home to the nearby town of Charles. Cobb hesitated, but let him through. Because the Confederacy had surrendered only recently, Cobb was under orders not to allow anyone across the bridge after dark. Despite this, Cobb received only an informal dressing down from General Auger, and was not subject to a formal reprimand or charge.
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