The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-09-09
Saeyistel1aueuas Artietes.
circumstances Attending the Capture of
~ a President Davis.
LETTER FROM HON. j. h. REAGAN.

LETTER FROM HON. j. h. REAGAN.
PALESTINE (TExAs), Aug. 10, 1869.
TO the Galueston Ne,os find the fol
lowing passages in what purports to be
speech delivered in the Convention OF
Texas on the 9Th January, 1869, by Judge
I'D. Evans, under the heading, In large
letters,
aOn the fall of Richmond, Jefferson
Davis started the Confederate treasury
westward, deluding himself with the
dream of trans-Mississippi empire.
"I asked his Postmaster-GeneraE, Mr:
REAGAN, how it was that the President OF
their Confederacy should be caught with
his baggage wagons in the awkward
plight Of being under his wite's cloak. de
informed me that Davis had LETT his trains
and struck for the seaboard, when, after a
davis ride. hearing that the Confederate
forces had disbanded, and would probably
endanger the safety of his family, he re-
turned.
81 suspect that Davis feared more tor
the safety of his Confederate Treasury,
which he hoped to get safely into Texas,
where, had Magruder been able to keep
his army together, a uuclus for the mate
rial of a war would have enabled him to
continue the struggle"
The speech containing these passages
was extensively circulated through Texas
last Spring, and was sent to myself ana
others here 1 then intended to call atten-
tion to the errors in the above paragraphs,
but in the hurry of business, neglected TO
do SO. A new batch of these speeches is
now being circulated through the State,
and am favored with second crop. !.
On the first paragraph of the above. L
have only to say that on the fall OF Rlch-
mond President Davis did not start "ce-
luding himself with the dream OF a Trans,
Mississippi empire" He left Richmond
with the hope of uniting the armies OF
Generals Lee and Johnston, and with the
further hope, after this should be done: OF
meeting and defeating the armies OF Cen
erals Sheridan and Grant before they
cond form junction; or, if this could
not be done, Of occupying the first good
defensive line which might be chosen at
ter the junction of the forces of Generals
Leo and Johnston. Desperate as the for
tunes of war then were for the Confede-
racy, he had not abandoned the hope OF
carrying on the struggle East OF tho MIS-
sissippi.
On the second paragraph 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 saddlebags, at
Abbeville, South Carolina. The train
which carried such supplies as were taken
from that to Washington, Georgia, and
what funds still remained in the Confed.
crate Treasury, were under the escort Oh
the few remaining cavalry troops. And
this train went no further than the latter
place. Some days after leaving Washing
ton, Mr.. Davis was captured IN the South
ern part of the State. !,
While at Danville, Virginia, he learned
of the surrender Of Gen. Lee, and shortly
after he left Charlotte, North Carolina, he
learned of the surrender of General John
ston. So it is seer 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 Contederacy !;
that he had no train to return to; and that
he did not then, for the first time, learn OF
the disbanding of the Confederate forces
as the inducement to his return to his
train.
I have not seen Judge Evans since
November, 1865, and do not remember or
believe that he ever asked me the ques-
tion he puts in this paragraph. And am
sure 1 could not have made him the an.
swer he puts in my mouth, to- it would
hsve been untrue in tact.
Mr.. Davis family left Richmond in
March, perhaps in the early part of that
month. Richmond was evacuated on the
I'd of April. He did not see his family
after they lett Richmond, until little be-
fore daylight on the 7th of May, when he,
happening to hear of them, and that they
were in serious danger, accompanied by a
few faithful friends, had gone to their re-
lief. He and those friends travelled with
his family that day, and camped with them
that night. The next morning they sep
arated, but, from inaccurate information
as to roads, were again by accident
thrown together in the evening, and
camped together that night, travelled to.
gether the next day, and were captured
at daylight tho next morning, the 10th OF
May. As he had not previously seen his
family after they left Richmond, there
was no returning to them.
On the third paragraph 1 have to say
that Judge Evans suspicious that Mr..
Davis feared moro for the safety of his
Confederate Treasury than for his family,
is mere montal speculation, without the
support of facts. The Confederate treas