New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-10-14
JrrT,s CAPTURE.
The Ex-Confeder.te President Describes HIs
Arrest, and Speaks Pointedly.

mouth to put to rest forever scandalous
lies which have been written concern
ing his capture near Macon, Ga. In
a letter to The New York Herald OF
Sept. 9, he saws:
On nv return after protracted
absence from home received slip
from your journal, which inclose for
greater convenience in noticing its
contents:
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Aug. Is, 1856
At the recent reunion of the veterans
of the 18th Indiana cavalry IN this city,
Lieut.. Isgrigg, of the command, who
was provost marshal at Macon, ia,
at the time of the capture OF Jefferson
Davis, related the circumstances OF
the capture. He described his partlc-
ipation in this affair as follows: Il
went out to the line of my jurisdiction
to receive Davis. Two miles and a
half from Macon he became my pris-
oner and brought him to this city in
an old farm wagon. It was vehicle
with a great deal to condemn 1T IN the
way of unsightiiness. 1t had weak
nesses all over 1t, but sufficient
strength to hold Jefferson Davis. my
self, and his secretary. The rebel
chief sat between us, and over his
head, from pole fixed to the seat,
hung the hoop skirt, calico wrapper,
and an old straw hood, which formed
his disguise when captured. :"
$50 jeff was disgulsed?'
eyes. 1t is no use to question the
fact. The articles OF his costume
hung from that pole. Davis bore HIM
self with the fortitude of brave man
in trouble. He was courteous to me
and to the guard; talked freely on ev-
cry question but that relating to the
result OF the war."
"When we stopped at the lnterna-
tional hotel. and were about to get out
of the wagon, Capt. Thompson, of the
4th Indiana cavalry, drew his re-
volver to fire at Davis. [ saw his
my arm, and the bullet tore my coat
and shirt. At the moment Davis, see
F, ing Thompson's purpose, cried out:
'tor Gods sake, lieutenant, save my
life!' got the prisoner out of the
wagon and into the hotel with a good
deal of alacrity.
''After that l met Davis at the Louis
vile hotel in 1872, when he recognized
me, and approaching said: Il must
thank you again, Lieut.. lsgrigg, for
saving my life We had quite chat
about the war then. Before this had
received letter of thanks from him.
He was my prisoner eight days, to-
gether with his wife, daughter, and
the commlssary of his guard. These
three we took into Macon in an old
family carriage. JEFF was not sulky as
a prisoner, but one could see that the
breaking of the confederacy bore
grievously on his thoughts. -
Though accustomed to see SANDER
GUS publications. in regard to myself,
have read this with no little surprise,
because of the total absence of any
foundation OF pretext on which to
build the fiction. | avail myself of
your usual courtesy in asking you to
| publish this seratim refutation of the
several statements of the story.
1t is not true. as stated, that / was
turned over to the custody of one
Lieut.. Isgrigg two and half miles
Cor any other distance) from Macon.
The troops by whom [ was captured
remained my guard to Macon, and a
detachment of them accompanied me
to Fortress Monroe in charge of their
own officers.
Equally untrue is it that rode with
the said Isgrlgg and my secretary (or
with anyone else) in san old farm
wagon" My private secretary, Bur-
ton n. Harrison, Esq, now member
of the bar of New York, was captured
with me, and rode on horseback to
Macon. [ had for several days occu-
pied an ambulance with my wife and
children, and rode to Macon in it.
There was no such cowardiy at
tempt to offer insult to me as would
have been shown by hanging over my
head the articles of clothing which Is
grigg falsely ayers had worn at the
time. Nor did my captors obtain at the
time of my capture the hoop-skirt,
ETC., which Isgrigg describes, un-
less they were found among the APP
parel taken when the trunks of my
wife and her female servant were pill
LACED.
On our arrival at the hotel in Macon,
a small body of troops in front of the
entrance were at open ranks, facing
inward. When [ got out OF the ambu-
lance to enter the hotel they presented
arms while passed through, and re-
ceived the salute as an expression of
the feeling brave men show to fallen
foe.
The story of Capt. Thompson, of the
4th Indiana cavalry, attempting to
shoot me as entered the Macon hotel
is wholly fictitious, and l leave it to
that regiment itself to repel the impu-
tation that one of its officers would
have been guilty of so dastardly an
assault on prisoner.
Upon that falsehood the narrator
hangs another, that met him at the
Louisville hotel, in 1872, recog nized
him, and renewed thanks to him $50,
saving my life,' and that had preyi.
ously written a letter of thanks to him.
have not been in the Louisville hote1
since the war; do not remember eye1
to have seen or heard of this Lieut.
lsgrigg at any time or place, and it i.
not true that, as he alleges, wa:
eight days il his custody, or that
have ever written RI hin, a slot+o,, -