The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-06-23

of the country. In the worst view of the
case it should have been able to cross the
s.Mississippi Department, and then
uniting with the armies of e. K. Smith
and Magruder to form an army, which
in the portion of that country aboundins
in supplies and deficient in rivers and
railroads, could have continued the war
until our enemy, foiled in the purpose OF
subjugation, should, in accordance with
his repeated declaration, have agreed on
the basis of return to the Union, to
acknowledge the constitutional rights OF
the States and by convention or quasi
treaty to guarantee security of person
and property.
THE CAPTURE OF Mr.. DAVIS.
The account of the fleeing Presidents
capture is best told in his own words, as
follows:
"After short time / was hailed by 8
voice which / recognized as that of my
private secretary, who informed me that
the marauders had been hanging around
the camp, and that he and others were
on post around it and were expecting an
assault as soon as the moon went down.
A silly story had got abroad that it was
treasure train, and auri sacro flames
had probably instigated these marauders,
as it subsequently stimulated Gen. j. Il.
Wilson to send out large force to cap
ture the same train. For the protection
of my family I travelled with them two
or three days, when believing that they
had passed out of the region of maraud-
ers, I determined to leave their encamp-
ment at night-fall, to execute my origi-
nal purpose. My horse, and those of my
party proper, we're saddled preparatory
to start, when one of my staff, who had
ridden into the neighboring village,
returned and told me that he had heard
that q marauding party intended to
attack the camp that night. This decid.
ed me to wait long enough to see if there
was any truth in the rumor, which /
supposed would be ascertained in a few
hours. My horse remained saddled and
my pistols in the holsters, aud I lay
down fully dressed to rest. Nothing
occurred to rouse me until just before
dawn, when my coachman, free colored
man, who faithfully clung to our for
tunes, came and told me that there was
firing over the branch just behind our
encampment. I stepped out ofmy wife's
tent and saw some horsemen who / I'm
mediately recognized as cavalry, deploy:
ing around the encampment. turned
back and told my wife these were not the
expected marauders, but regular troop
ers. She implored me to leave her at
once. I hesitated from unwillingness
to do so, and lost few precious mo.
ments before yielding to her Importantly:
My horse and arms we're near, the road
on which I expected to leave, and down
which the cavalry approached it was
therefore impracticable to reach them.
I was compelled to start in the opposite
direction. AS it was quite dark in the
tent, I picked up what was supposed to
be my "raglan," waterproof, light
overcoat, without sleeves; it was subse-
quently found to be my wife's, so very
like my own as to be mistaken for it /;
as I started, my wife thoughtfully threw
over my head and shoulders shawl. I
had gone perhaps fifteen or twenty yards
when a trooper galloped up and ordered
me to halt and surrender, 10 which l
gave defiant answer, aud dropping the
shawl and raglan from my shoulders,
advanced toward him. He levelled bis
carbine at me, but I expected if he fired
he would miss me, and my intention was
in that event to put my hand under his
foot, tumble him off on the other side,
spring into his saddle and attempt to es-
cape. My wife, who had been watch
ing, when she saw the soldier aim his
carbine at me, ran forward and threw
her arms around me. Success depended
on instantaneous action, and, recognizing
that the opportunity had been lost, !
turned back, and the morning being
damp and chilly, passed on to fire be-
yond the tent. Our puruers had taken
different roads, and approached our camp
fro, opposite directions; they encoun-
tered each other aud commenced firing.
both supposing they had met our armed
escort, and some casualties resulted
from their conflict with an imaginary
body of Confederate troops. During
the confusion, while attention was con.
centrated upon myself, except by those
who were engaged in pillage, one of my
aides, Col. J. Taylor Wood. with Lieut..
Barnwell, walked off unobserved. His
daring exploits on the sea had made him
on the part of the Federal Government
ap object of special hostility, and render.
ed it quite proper that he should avail
himself of every possible means Of
escape. Col. Pritchard went over to their
battlefield, and I did not see him for a
long time, surely more than an hour
after my capture. He subsequently
claimed credit, in conversation with
me, for the forbearance shown by bis
men in not shooting me when / refused
to surrender.
"Wilson and others have uttered
many falsehools in regard to my capture,
which have been exposed in publica-
tions by persons there PRESENTLY Sec
retary Reagan, by the members of my
personal staff, and by the colored coach.
man, Jim Jones, which must have been
convincing to all who were not given
over to believe lie. For this reason ]
will postpone to some other time and
more appropriate place any further
notice OF the story and its variations, all
the spawn of malignity that shames
the civilization of the age. We were,
when prisoners, subjected to petty pill
lage."
A MOTHERS CouNsEL.-The great