"Tell mother, tell mother, I died for my country... useless... useless"

John Wilkes Booth's quote is a reflection of his sensations of misery and remorse in the moments leading up to his death. He was an actor and Confederate sympathizer who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. His quote is a cry of distress and regret for his actions, as he recognizes that his death is imminent and that he has stopped working in his mission. He reveals his feelings of uselessness and futility, as he understands that his death will not cause the Confederate victory he had expected. He calls out to his mom, possibly in a desperate effort to make amends for his actions and to seek her forgiveness. His words are a pointer of the catastrophe of war and the terrible effects of violence. They likewise work as a pointer of the nerve and sacrifice of those who have actually craved their nation, and the importance of honoring their memory.