 When the Civil War began on April 12 , 1861 , Booth was starring in Albany , New York . His outspoken admiration for the South 's secession , publicly calling it " heroic " , so enraged local citizens that they demanded his banning from the stage for making " treasonable statements " . Albany 's drama critics were kinder , however , giving him rave reviews . One called him a genius , praising his acting for " never fail [ ing ] to delight with his masterly impressions . " As the Civil War raged across the divided land in 1862 , Booth appeared mostly in Union and border states . In January , he played the title role in Richard III in St. Louis and then made his Chicago debut . In March , he made his first acting appearance in New York City . In May 1862 , he made his Boston debut , playing nightly at the Boston Museum in Richard III ( May 12 , 15 , and 23 ) , Romeo and Juliet ( May 13 ) , The Robbers ( May 14 and 21 ) , Hamlet ( May 16 ) , The Apostate ( May 19 ) , The Stranger ( May 20 ) , and The Lady of Lyons ( May 22 ) . Following his performance of Richard III on May 12 , the Boston Transcript 's review the next day called Booth " the most promising young actor on the American stage " . 
