The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-06-25
gEFFERsON pAYIs,s cAprrRr.
Hi. own Account of Ii In His History a
the War.


His own Account of IL In His History oe
Mr.. jefferson Davis's new book on
the @Rise and Fall of the Confederate
Government gives the following ac-
count of his own capture:
ALTERS short time was hailed by
a voice which / recognized as that OF
my private secretary, who informed
me that the marauders had been hang
inc around the camp, and that he and
others were ON post around II, and
were expecting an assault as soon as
the moon went down. A silly story
had GOT abroad that it was a treasure
train. and '.anri sacra flames had
probably instigaied these marauders,
as it subsequently stimulated Gen. J.
III. Wilson to send out large force to
capture the same train. For the pro-
lection OF my family / travelled with
them two or three days, when, believ-
ing that they had passed out of the
region of marauders, l determined to
leave their encampment at nightiail
to execute my original purpose My
horse and those of my party proper
were 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 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 / supposed would be ascertained
in a few hours. NY horse remained
saddled and my pistols III the holsters,
and lay down, fully dressed, TO rest.
Nothing occurred to me until just be-
fore dawn, when my coachman. free
colored man, who faithfully cluns to
our fortunes, came and told me there
was firing over the branch, Just be
hind our encampment. / stepped out
of nv wife's tent and saw some horse
men. who | Immediately recognized as
cavalry, deploying around the encamp-
ment. | turned back and told nay wife
these were not the expected ma
rauders. but regular troopers. She
implored me to leave her at once. |
hesitated. from unwillingness to Go
so. and lost a few precious moments
before Welding to her importantly.
Nv horse and arms were near the
road on which expected TO leave, and
down which the cavalry approached;
it was, therefore, Improbable to
reach them. / was compelled to start
i'll the opposite direction. As 1t was
quite dark in the tent | picked up
what was supposed to be my raglan,
a waterproof light overcoat, without
sleeves it was subsequently found to
be my wife's, so very like my own as
to be mistaken for it; as | started N.Y.
wife thoughtfully threw over my head
and shoulders a shawl. j had gone
perhaps fifteen or twenty yards when
a trooper galloped up and ordered me
to halt and surrender, to which l gave
a defiant answer, and, dropping the
shawl and raglan from my shoulders,
advanced toward him. He leveled his
carbine at me, but expected if he
fired, he would miss me, and my in
tention was, in that event, to put my
hand under his foot, tumble him off
on the other side, spring into his sad
die and escape My wife, who had
been watching, when she saw the so H.
der aim his carbine at me. ran for
ward and threw her arms around me.
Success depended on instantaneous ac-
ton. and recognizing that the oppOr-7i
tunity hal been lost, l turned back,
and, the morning being damp and
chilly, passed on to a fire beyond the
tent. Our pursuers had taken differ
eht roads, and approached our camp
from opposite directions. They en-
countered each other and commenced
firing, both supposing they had met
our armed escort, and some casualties
resulted from their conflict with an
Fimaginary body of Confederate troops.
lDuring the confusion, while attention
y vas concentrated upon myself, except
By those who were engaged in pill
lage, one of my aids, Col. j. Taylor
Wood, with Lieut.. Burnwell, 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 him
self of every possible means of escape.
Col. Pritcharl went over to their battle
field, and l cid not see him for q long
time, surely more than an hour after
my capture. He subsequently claimed
credit, in conversation with me, for
the forbearance shown by his men in
not shooting me when l refused to
surrender"