Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-31
INTERESTING WAR REMlNB-
OENOES.
Circumstances Attending the
Capture OF Jefferson Davis.
Letter from John II. Reagan,
Ex-COnfederate POstmaS-
ter General.

NsO NOn5s 81 III kGrla .f
PALESTINE, Texas, Aug. 10, 1S6;
L find the following passages j
what purports to be a speech deliy
cred in the convention of Texas o
the 9th of January, 1869, by Judg
L. ID. Evans, under the heading i
large letters, "They want an En-
pire:" "On the fall of Richmond
Jefferson Davis started the Confed
crate treasury westward, deludin,
himself with the dream of a trans
Mississippi empire. / asked hi
Postmaster General, Mr. Reagan
how it was that the President Q
their Confederacy should be caugh
with his baggage wagons in th,
awkward plight of being under hi
wife's cloak. He informed me tina
Davis had left his trains and STRUCK
for the seaboard, when, after days
ride, hearing that the Confederat,
forces had disbanded, and would
probably endanger the safety O
his family, he returned. | suspec
that Davis feared more for tn,
safety of his Confederate treasury
which no hoped to get safely intc
Texas, where, had Magruder beer
able to keep his army together, {
nucleus for the material of wal
would have enabled him to contin.
ne the struggle"
The speech containing these pass.
ages was extensively circulated
through Texas last spring, and was
sent to myself and others here.
then intended to call attention to
the errors in the above paragraphs
but, in the hurry of business, neg
lected TO do so. A new batch Of
these speeches is now being circu.
lated through the State, and / am
favored with second crop. On
the first paragraph of the above
have only to say that on the fall OF
Richmond President Davis did not
start "deluding himself with the
dream of a Ians~Mississippi en-
pire." He left Richmond with the
hope of uniting the armies of Gen
erals Lee and Johnston, and with
the further hope, after this should
be done, of meeting and defeating
the armies Of Generals Sheridan and
Grant before they could form a
junction; or, if this could not be
done, of occupying the first good
defensive line which might be
chosen after the junction Of the
forces of Generals Leo and john
ston. Desperate as the fortunes of
war then were for the Confederacy,
he had not abandoned the hope of
carrying on the struggle east of the
Mississippi. On the second para
graph I have to say that Mr.. Davis
and his cabinet and staff officers
left their baggage wagon and all
their personal baggage, except such
as each took for himself in his
saddle bags, at Abbeville, S. c..
The train which carried such sup
plies as were taken from that to
Washington, Ga, and what funds
still remained in the Confederate
treasury were under the escort of
the few remaining cavalry troops.
And this train went ne further than
the latter place. Some days after
leaving Washington, Mr.. Davis was
captured in the southern part of that
State. While at Danville, Va, he
learned Of thesurrender Of General
Lee, and shortly after he left Char
lotte, N. c., he learned of the surr
render Of General Johnston. So il
is seen he was not "caught with his
baggage wagons" that he had long
before known of the surrender OF
the armies in that part Of the Con
federacy; that he had no train to
return 10, and that he did not then
for the first time, learn Of the dis
banding Of the Confederate forces
as the inducement to his return tc
his trains.
Ihave not seen Judge Evans since
November, 1865, and do not remem
Der or believe that be ever asked MT
the question he puts in. this para
graph. And am sure / could no
have made him the answer he put
in my mouth, for it would have beer
untrue in fact. Mr.. Davis family
left Richmond in March, perhaps il
the early part of that month. Rich
mond was evacuated on the I'd o
April. He did not see his family
alter they left Richmond until
little before daylight on the 18th o
May, when he, happening to hea
of them, and that they were in seri
Gus danger, accompanied by few
faithful friends, had gone to thei
relief. He and those friends trav
eled with his family that day, an,
camped with them that night. Tn
next morning they separated, bu
from inaccurate information as t
roads, were again by acciden
thrown together in the evening, an
camped together that night, travele
together the next day, and wer
captured at daylight the next morn
ing, the 10th of May. AS he ha
not previously seen his family afte
they left Richmond, there was u
returning to them.
On the third paragraph l hav
TO say that Judge Evans suspi
cions that Mr.. Davis feared more &c
The safety of his Confederate Treas
ury than for his family, is mel
mental speculation, without ii
support OF facts. The Confederst
treasure at Washington, Ca, cor
sisted, as was supposed, of SON
$4,000 in gold, some $4,000
$4,000 in silver coin, about tt
same amount in silver bullion, an
between 100000 and 100000
Confederate Treasury notes. I'll
silver coin was paid TO the trooI
who were there, so much to eaC
man and officer, without referent
ID rank, as it was too bulky sr
announcement, under the circun
stances which surrounded us, to !
safely transported to our deposit
ries at Bermuda, Nassau or Live
pool. For the same reason, the 81
yer bullion was turned over to
Major Moses, of the Commissa
Department, and was left at Was
ington in an ordinary warehou'
The cold wss placed in the han