Samuel Cox (22 November 1819-6 January 1880) was a Confederate Secret Service agent who, in April 1865, sheltered John Wilkes Booth and David Herold after they fled Washington DC. Born in Charles County, Maryland, he planted at the Rich Hill plantation and became a captain in the state militia in 1854. In June 1861, his volunteer unit was disbanded by the Union Army despite Cox's former Whig politics. During the American Civil War, Cox operated a signal room in the basement of his home and worked with the Confederate Secret Service. Cox coordinated overseas support from England and Canada, who relied on profits from Southern agriculture. On 16 April 1865, Cox sheltered Booth and Herold following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. They stayed at Rich Hill for five days before crossing the Potomac River into Virginia. Following Booth's capture, Cox was tried and convicted of aiding Booth, receiving a light sentence.