The weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1883, 1883-04-18
CAPTURE OF MR.. DAV Wis.
A Circumstantial Account ofthe
Arrest of the Confederate
President.
BY KAsPAR KNoBEL.

the Fourth Michigan Cavalry Regiment,
to which l belonged was orderedto start
Immediately, without knowing whittier
or why. We rode on the whole night,
only making short pause to take a
lunch. We did likewise the following
day, but had in the evening to take re-
fuge from thunderstorm in some woods
where we sought to shield ourselves in
the best possible manner against the in
clemency of the weather. The next
morning, somewhere between nine and
ten o'clock, we met a vehicle with only
three wheels, driven by a colored man.
Colonel Pritchard bade him halt and
answer our questions. He told us he had
fallen in with a troop Of ~Yankees"-it
became evident he did not know the diff
ference between Union and Confederate
soldiers-who had taken wheel from
his wagon probably to prevent him from
revealing their fight tpo quickly, fol, as
he said, it wss q Ing that they
were trying to escape.
THE MEANING OF THE RIDE.
Such was the story Of the negro, and
now the reason for our being engaged in
this exciting chase flashed in upon us
that we were hunting for no less noble a
prey than the beaten leader of the Con-
federacy, on whose head the government
had set large prize. Our commander,
as matter of course, took notes of this
statement and ascertained the exact
place where the meeting had taken place.
Then We were ordered to hold ourselves
in readiness. A harder work than we
had yet done was impending. Those
who had confidence in themselves and
their horses for further ride of forty or
fifty miles were told to announce them
selves. One hundred and twenty-eight
men did SO, l among them, and we
started. Twelve o'clock at night between
the 9th and 10th of May, we arrived at
Irwinsville, Irwin county, Ga, where
Davis, according to all probability, was to
be found.
THE CAMP DISCOVERED.
In whispered tones we were ordered to
distribute ourselves in groups of thirteen
in all directions and be on the lookout
for all suspicious persons in the place.
The group to which 1 belonged, after
having ridden ON for nearly a mile, dis
covered a camp fire in southwestern
direction, which was near extinction-a
very suspicious ircumstance-thatm made
our hearts beat quicker with joyous anti
cipation. It being, however, yet dark
we could do nothing else for the present
than impatiently wait for the dawn Of
day. The eastern sky had scarcely red
dened before we advanced as noiselessly
as possible and almost stumbled over two
tents, whose inmates evidently were yet
and who thus could be easily
surprised. l was foremost in entering
one of these tents, and, sure enough,
found the fugitive and his family lying
there in profound sleep.
IN MIR. DAVIS TENT.
Jefferson Davis rested in gray COS
tune on the left side of the tent. As
soon as he was awake and had compre-
hended the situation he tried, evidently
for the purpose of &c oncealment, to cover
himself with something cannot at this
time tell exactly what, but of resistance
he offered none at all. I then hurried
to the other tent, where found part of
the staff ofthe Confederate leader. Here,
also, perfect quietude reigned, easily ex-
plainable by the exertions and excite
ment incident to their flight. They were
surprised to the extent that l tore away
a saddle from under the head of one of
the sleeping officers and they all surren-
dered Internationally, without offering
the least resistance.
FIRED UPON BY FRIENDS.
Not until the capture of Davis and his
associates had been thus accomplished
was the signal-shot that had been agreed
upon the previous day fired, which soon
brought Colonel Pritchard and his COM
panions to the scene of action. This
shot, however, was, to our great astonish-
ment, at once responded to by heavy
fire from the neighboring woods, which
fire we, of course, answered. By this
skirmish we had one young man killed,
his heart being pierced by a bullet, and
one wounded. Our astonishment in
creased greatly when we took one of the
assailants prisoner and discovered that
he belonged, like ourselves, to the Union
army. They formed, in fact, part of the
First Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment, and
had, like ourselves, arrived the evening
before in the neighborhood of Irwins-
vile without knowing or having the
slightest idea of the presence of Davis,
still less of our own. The victims of this
fatal encounter were buried with military
honors. We had breakfast, to us, as
matter of course, very joyous one, in
which Jefferson Davis and our other
prisoners participated, and then we rode
back to headquarters.
THE COMMON STORY UNTRUE.
Such is the true history of the capture
of Jefferson Davis, and, as every one can
see, it differs materially from the COM
monty accepted story, not alone in re-
spect to the feminine apparel and the
bowie-knife, but also in regard to the
short encounter between Union soldiers,
which furnished, SO to speak, the last
victims on the altar of the ambition of
the Confederate leader. l have very
interesting relic of this affair in my pos
session. After having entered the tent
of Davis and accomplished his capture
travelling bag was found among what lit
tie baggage there was, containing shirt
and three collars, besides children's soiled
linen. These naturally became interest
ing spoils for the soldiers, who distribut-
ed them among themselves.
Emperor Williams Example.