Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1881-06-09
JEFF Davis ON Version of His Capture.
[Fron the Rise and Fall OF the Confederate Go7ern-

ment.r1
After short time I was hailed by voice
which recognized as that of my private
secretary, who informed me that the maraud-
ers 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 il was a treasure train, and Guri sacrG
tnnaes had probably instigated these maraud-
ers, as it subsequently stimulated General j.
II. Wilson to send out large force to cap
ture the same train. For the protection of
my family travelled with them two or three
days, when, believing that they had passed
out of the region of marauders, determined
to leave their encampment at nightfall, to ex-
ecute my original purpose. My horse and
those of my party proper were saddled pre-
paratory to a start, when one of my staff,
who had ridden into the neighboring village,
returned and told me that he had heard that
a marauding party intended to attack the
camp that night. This decided me to wait
long enough to see whether there was any
truth in the rumor, which I supposed would
be ascertained in few hours. My horse
remained saddled and my pistols in the hol-
sters, and I lay down, fully dressed, to rest
Nothing occurred to rouse until just be.
fore dawn, when my coachman, free col
ored man, who faithfully clung to our for
tunes came and told me there was firing over
the branch, just behind our encampment.
stepped out of my wife's tent and saw some
horsemen, whom 1 Immediately recognized
as cavalry, deploying around the encamp-
ment. 1 turned back and told my wife these
were not the expected marauders, but requ-
lar troopers. She implored me to leave her
at once 1 hesitated, from unwillingness to
do so and lost few precious moments be-
fore yielding to her importantly My horse
and arms were near the road ON which ex-
pected to leave, and down which the cavalry
approached; it was therefore impracticable
to reach them. was compelled to start in
the opposite direction. As it was quite dark
in the tent picked up what was supposed TO
be my raglan" a waterproof, light over
coat, without sleeves; it was subsequently
found to be my wife's, SO very like my own
as to be mistaken for it; as 1 started, my
wife thoughtfully threw over my head and
shoulders a shawl. / had gone per-
haps fifteen or twenty yards when a trooper
galloped up and ordered me to halt and
surrender, to which gave defiant answer,
and, dropping the shawl and raglan from my
shoulders, advanced toward him. He level
ed his 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 escape My
wife, who had been watching, when she saw
the soldier aim his carbine at me, ran forward
and threw her arms around me. Success de-
pended on instantaneous action. and, recog-
nizing that the opportunity had been lost, 1
turned back. and, the morning being damp
and chilly, passed on to fire beyond the
tent. Our pursuers had taken different
roads, and approached our camp from oppo-
site directions; they encountered each other
and commenced firing, both supposing they
had met our armed escort, and some casual
ties resulted from their conflict with an imag-
mary body of confederate troops. During
the confusion, while attention was concen-
trated upon myself, except by those who
were engaged in pillage, one of my aides,
Colonel j. Taylor Wood, with Lieutenant
| Barnwell, walked off unobserved. His daring
| exploits on the sea had made him on the part
| of the federal government an object of special
hostility, and rendered it quite proper that
| he should avail himself of severy possible
means of escape. Colonel Pritchard went
over to their battle field, and did not see
| him for a long time, surely more than an
| hour after my capture. He subsequently
| claimed credit in a conversation with me, for
| the forbearance shown by his men in not
| shooting me when refused to surrender.
Wilson and others have uttered many false
hoods in regard to my capture, which have
| been exposed in publications by persons
there presently Secretary Reagan, by the
| members of my personal staff, and by the
| colored coachman, Jim JONES' which must
| have been convincing to all who were not
| given over to believe ie For this reason
| will postpone to some other time and more
appropriate place any further notice of the
story and it's variations, all the spawn of a
malignity that shames the civilization of the
age. We were, then prisoners, subjected to
petty pillage.