The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-03-11
THE CAPTURE or JEFF. DAVIS.
AN EXPOSURE or GEN. WILSON'S
rAl.sEHOODs CONuEMNING THE
CAPTURE.


CAPTURE.
letters Prom the Gentlemen who Ac.
c0fnpaniea the Ex-president In Mis-
Retreat, Hna VIM were with MIN
when no surrendered.
Mai. w. r. Walthall author OF the hrtt-
clio on the capture Ut Jefferson Davis,
lately printed In the Southern Histofieal soel-
ETY. rHpsrs and republished In tho DEMOCRAT
last Sunday. appended TO II the following III
terostinp letters from Col. VIM. Preston
Johnston and r. II. Lubbock, Ex-Governor 81
T4sSas. both ~ whom were aids tn President
Davis and both In company with him Wheh
captured: and also IL letter from the Hon.
{ieorue Davis of North Carolina, who was u
member III tho Confederate Cabinet
Col. Johnstons letter Ii singulnriy clear,
siispass ohate and temperate In tone. and
hears OF, lis face The Impress Of Intelligent
and con seientious ituthfulness. Coy. Lub-
book writes more briefly. and with freer ex-
uresson Of honest indignation, but the two
atatements made without my sort ofconcett,
fully confirm each other. Mr.. Davis letter,
received after Major Walthal's narrative WIS
written. substantlates oil that has been said
al 30 events occurring MI the time OF the eva
cuation I'll Richmond.
LETTER FROM col. WIN. PRESTON JOHNSTON.
LEXINGTON. Va, July H. 1877
Major w. r.. Walthall. Mobile, Ala:
Nh Drdr Shs44Yosr letter has just come to
hand, and reply nt once. Wilson's mollo-
graph IL written with u very strong nntn,ns
not To say ntrus. II Ia IN no sense hlsforicdt,
III bears upon ita face I'LL tho marks OF special
pleading. Hs stntes. hs matters OF fact. mum.
herless circumstances which could not DO uf
hills own knowledge, and which he must have
picked up as rnfnor or mere gossip. Single
errors uf this sort are blemishes, but when
they are grouped and used IA fact and argu-
meilt. they become what you truly call them.
sgnlumny.
For instance. Mrs. Davis is represented as
leaving Richmond with tho President. My
recollection ls that she left some weeks be-
furshHnd. breckenridge left on horseback,
and went to Cen Leo, fejoinng Mr.. Davis ut
"a "the preparations for Tight Is purely he..
titious. His statement OF the conditions OF
the armistice Il incorrect
You will have the facts Of our retreat and
capture from many sources. My best plan y
to tell you only what know and saw myself
My testimony In chiefly negative but In So
far as IL goes will probably hid you, My I'M
Outstanding was that we were TO part with
Mrs. Davis' train on tho morning Of the
ninth. We did not. and the President con-
tin,ied To ride In the ambnlnhee. He was
sick md b good doal exhausted, but WINS not
tho man 10 say anything about 1t. The day
previous he had lot lhtle JEFF. shoot bs Der
ringers ut q mark and handed nue. ono OF the
iinlonded pistols. which no asked me TO carry,
as IL ineoInmoded him. At that time spoke
to him about the sze Of our train and our
route. about which | hnd not previously
wish to force his confidence. 1T twas. however,
distinctly understood that we were going to
Texas. That day said to him that DID not
believe we could got west through Missis-
bold attempt by seq from the Florida oonst,
we wefe more likely 10 reach Texas safely
and promptly. He replied " 1t is. true =
every np,rr, IN Nj lssissippl knows mo-
II also q like with Judge Reagan and COL
Wood On tlis topic. The impression left on
my own mind WAS however, that Mr.. Davis
intended to turn west, south Of Albany; but
had no definite Idea OF his purpose. whether
to go by sen OF land. Indeed, my scope OF
duty was simply TO follow and obey him;
aud, 50 long rs | was not. consulted. ] WINS
we'll content 10 do this and no more. / con-
lcss | did not have great hopes Of escape.
though not npprehenslve ut tho time Of cap
t,lre. as our scouts ton picked men, were ex-
plict that no Foderals wele ne,r and TINT
pckets were out Both Of these W re errors.
On the night OF tho ninth / WINS very mitch
worn out with travel aud Watching, aud lay
down at The foot Of u pine tree 10 sleep.
Just at gray dawn Mr., Davis serynnt jim.
awakened me. lie sud: Colonel. do you
henr that iirihgW Isprang W nnl said. "rnp
and wake the President" He did SO. Henri
ing nothing as pulled "a my boots. walked
to the campfire. some fifty OF less steps off.
and asked the cook II jim was not mistaken
AT this moment | saw eight or ten mon charg-
ing down the road towards me. ! thought
they were guerillas, trying to stampede, tho
stock run 10 my saddle where had slept.
aud began unfastenng the holster to get
out my revolver, but tlny were. too quick for
mo- Three men reie up aud demanded my
pistol, which, as soon us got out, gave 10
The lsader, II bright, slim, soldierly fellow,
dressed In Confederate-grey clothes. The
same man, l believe, captured Coils. Wood and
Lubbock Just after. One of my eaptors or
dnrad me to tho clmp-ilre and stood guard
pvers tlie, soon became aware that they
were Fedprale.
III tho meantime the firing went on. After
about ten minutes, maybe more. my guard
left me, and | walked over To Mrs Davis
tent. about fifty yards off. Mrs. Davis was IN
great Distress. ! said to the Presidents who
a bad business, sir He replied, supposing
knew about the circumstances of his capture:
II would have heaved the scoundrel off his
horse r. Be came up, but shs sea whit me
meant, hoae he had proposed to dismonnt the
trooper and get bis horse, for no had taught,
me The trick, ! merely replied: ut would
have been useless
MI. DAVlS W.is uFeSSeu rs usual. Tie httd ON
q knit wooen vizof, which he always wore at
night for neuralgia. He wore cavalry boots.
He complained OF chllluoss, and said they
had taken away his Raglan u believe they
were SO called, d light dqasc,ttttm or spring
overeoat, sometimes called u waterproof
/ had one exactly similar, except In color. l
went 10 look for 1t, and either I, or some one
at my instance, found 1t, aud he wore 1t after
wards. His own WIS not restored
As I was looking for this coat, the firing
still continuing, met a mounted officer, who,
II am not mistaken, was Captain Hudson.
Feeling that the cause was lost, and not wish
Ing useless bloodshed, l said to him: Cap
tain, your men are fighting each other over
yondor," He answered very positively. You
have an armed escort replied: You
have our whole camp: hnom your men are
fighting each other We have nobody on
hat. oil ~, ~ k. e,Ia Ia r,,In 1H