Buchanan County bulletin and guardian., 1869-02-05
The Flight ana Capture Of Jefser-
sen Davis.
Br ED. A. POLLARD, N rAckARD's MONTHLY

Br ED. A. POLLARD, ~ PAcKARDs S MONTHLY.
While Grant and Lee thundered before
Petersburg, Jefferson Davis fled from Rich
inond without a word oi peblic explanation,
with nose OF that benedietion o, encourages
ment which u great leader is expected to i'm
part to his people in such a catastrophe-es.
Gaping with the ignominy of an obscure,
mean fugitive, if net positively in the char,
acter of deserter. Some explanation has
been offered Of his singular neglect on this
occasion of those whom, in his day of power,
be was accustomed, after tie affectation Of q
fond and paternal ruler, TO call " his people,"
in the statement that the Government at
Richmond had no expectation of Lees dis
aster, and was thus painfully hurried in its
evacuation Of the capital.
The statement is untrue, and the excuse
is unavailing. The writer well knows, what
has not heretofore been impaired TO public
curiosity, that Jefferson Davis had, many
weeks before Lees catastrophe, made the
most careful an exacting preparations for
his escape. The matter had been fully con-
suited with his Cabinet, in profound secresy;
aud 1t had been agreed that, to secure the
escape ofthe President and his principal of,
6cers, the Shenandoah should be ordered TO
cruise off the coast Of Florida, to take the
distinguished fugitives on board, who had
selected the coast for their exit from the
Cohfederacy, and their extrication from lis
falling fortunes. These orders had been sent
TO the Confederate cruiser many days before
Lees lines were broken. 1t was calculated
that the Presidents party might make an
easy and deliberate escape in the way agreed
upon, as the communications with the Flor
ida coast were then scarcely doubtful, and
once on the Shenandoah, fast sailer, the
most valuable remnant of the Confederate
navy, they might soon obtain Oh asylum On
. foreign shore. Other preparations were
made for The fight; all the papers of the
Government were revised, and markell for
destruction, abandonment, or preservation,
according to their contents; and even Mr..
Davis private baggage was put in order for
transportation OF course, the public knew
nothing Of these preparations, and it did not
even suspect them. Mr.. Daniel, Of the Rich.
mond Examiner, had repeatedly said, with
bitterness, that whatever the event OF the war,
whatever its misfortune, Mr.. Davis would be
certain to provide for his personal srfety,
above that Of all others; and indeed this
Journal had suggested that, for this mean
reason, the President had inva, iably blaneh.
ed At any retaliation upon the enemy inyol>
wing the penalty of death. But many people
resented the thought Of the Examiner; they
persisted in believing that President Davis
would stand with the army when the Com
federate flag was lowered, and accepts a com.
mon lot with them and the people aud they
called to mind his heroic words, spoken to
the tUops in Virginia in 1861, at the begin-
ming OF the war: "When the last line OF
bayorets is leyelled will be with you.'
BY the way, it is remarkable that so little
has been obtained, BY the capture or dscov.
cry of documents, OF the secret history Of the
Confederacy. True, there have been col
lected at Washington some documentary
relics, under the title Of Rebel Archives !"
and the pretentious construction Of a Bureau
to take care of them, and certain foolish pro-
visions against the access to them Of public
curiosity, have given the idea of some value
are historically worthless, scarcely anything
more than the official platitudes, dry and
barren ampliica,ions of stories which have
been told hundred times in the newspa>
pers. There was captured in Richmond on.
" Il e refuse Of the Confederate archives. II
is curious and romantic fact, not generals
ly known, that the bulk Of the valuable pa
pers of the Confederate Government, inclu>
ding the correspondence Of Jefferson Davis,
exists to-day in concealment; that many
DAYS before the fall of Richmond there was q
careful selection of important papers, especr
ially those in the office Of the President, and
letters which involved condolences in the
North and in Europe, and that these were
secretly conveyed out of Richmond, and de-
posted in place where they lemain cons
cealed to this time, and will probably not be
unearthe1 in this generation. Where is this
repository of the secrets Of the Confederate
Government the writer is not prepared to
say. Indeed, he has never been able to OBJ
tain other than very general information of
the present place of these papers, and even
as to the limits of the locality he was bound
by obligations of private confidence, which
it is impossible to violate. Yet the world
NAV know, aud il is at least some historical
that the most valuable papers of
the Southern Contederacy. including the cor
respondence Of jefferson d avis, reported to
have been held with important parties in the
North and in Europe, and which yet involve
the perSOtaI Saie'y VI sosne " lncth, anu
possibly found prosecutions, did not perish
in the catastrophe OF Richmond; that they
are vet preserved in manner and place to
defy discovery, and secure against loss or
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. perhaps, to the curi>
osity Of a distant generation.
Afier having safely bestowed his imports
ant papers, and BY this measure consulted
to some degree his personal safety, il might
be supposed that Mr.. Davis would be pre-
pared to leave Richmond with some appear
ance Of SELF possession and dignity. But af.
ter all the provisions for his Gght, the signal
for 4 was SO. sudden and dramatc-announ
ced 10 him in the shape Of Lees dread seses
cram. while he sat in st. Paul's Church,
with The sunshine Of calm and beautiful
day pulsipg through the windows-as to have
some effect Of surprise at least, breaking
-. u. ocu,n;,n;iv and rcGucinc hin. Ia