Complex sentence: Nearly five years later, on December 27,1865, he again spent the night, this time as a prisoner of the North, while being escorted to The Washington Navy Yard where Federal authorities would decide whether to put him on trial.
Split into simpler sentences: Nearly five years later, on December 27,1865, he again spent the night. This time as a prisoner of the North, while being escorted to The Washington Navy Yard where Federal authorities would decide whether to put him on trial.