The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1862-05-30
Our Washington Correspondence.
WAsnINGToN. ID. T.
h ~. n0nn


May 2lst. 1862
Tho writer has had little talk with jeff
Davis coachman, who has lately como
within our lines. Ii "coior tells" he is a
genuine "contraband," say thirty years of
ago. medium size. Ills name. as saw him
write it reasonably we'll, is William A. Jack.
son, and he says he reads some. Hei quite
free from Atricanisms in his vernacular.
Says he has made Richmond his homo for
Fifteen years. though ho has Travelled some
during that time, west and south and, Tor
the past nino months, has been coachman.
for j. D. He is rot a "switt witness, and
many things obtained from him were re.
sponsve to inquiries. llo heard jeff Davis
tell "A gentleman that the prospects of tho
COnfcderacy did not look very we'll but he
should do all he could for it.
Gen. Johnston justified his evacuation of
Manassas, to Mrs. Davis, saying i! he had
wal ed two or three days longer, he would
have lost his whole army aud it was botter
% lose Manassas than that. 1t is well
known that jeff, Davis and many other
UOicdnic Rebels never favored making Rich.
mond tho capital of their pandemonium.
Mrs Davis, in complaining OF the people
of Richmond. said nine-tenths of them were
Union, and were only waiting for the Union
Army to come, to say SO. On her bitter.
ness, sho put tho figures altogether too
| high He says many of the first class
people, who havo property, are for the
| Union, but dare not say so that Jtf Davis
is unpopular with all classes, whether So
cessionlsts or not. 1t was supposed he
would try to got away himself; and some
Scccssonists said they hoped he would try
| it, for they would liko to shoot him; that
no would never leave Richmond alive. ahead
of the rest of the people, if the United
States Army camo there; and used other
similar expressions.
jeff. Davis sister left about the first Of
April, for New Orleans. His nephew. Col.
Davis Of the Rebel Army, left for Alabama
or Mississippi, about tho samo time. jeff
commenced packing about the middle OF
April. To an inquiry, if done secretly, he
thought it was and said that, when a trunk.
maker came to do something with trunk
the housckeepel told the coachman to close
certain doors to rooms in which things had
been packed. by which tho truhkmaker
would pass. lie thinks J. d. docs not. per
sonnliy rely as much on Confederate money
for an emergency" as on gold and silver
On Sunday noon, April Goth, about the
time Of going home from church, this
coachinun. possiO'y uaViug no ldDcS io'
driving jeff to the "last ditch" or othor
wiso believing "Othello's occupation" wal
gone unless Othello run away with jeff
which is not laid down in Shakespeare, witt
dohberasion, but without "bundle." walkr,
ou! on n reot,loadng northerly from th
ci,y-his familiarity with the city aud sur
rounding country giving him confdenc
and facilitating his plans. Some sentinel
woro not very vigilant, because many ar
e in the army against their wishes, and. as h
approached thom, would occasionally wal
towards some house standing back dis
tarcc-thenco, perhaps, "cross lots" O
through a private driveway to another, an
at a suitable place regain the road. A
= times, he would soc colored people, q
whom he would inquire the names of pecpl
living ahead how boeses situated. &c,
not in sight; then, if questioned. would sa
he was going to Mr.. So.and, Sos. Abou
fifteen miles out. he bought farmers ba'
ket. and carrying this gave him the appeal
auce OF belonging in the ne'ghborhood an
vigilance was thereby relaxed. Thus b
= reached the Federal lires at or noar FREQ
ericksburgb. CONNECTICUT.