The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-10-16
HOW DAVIS WAS CAUGHT.

"aVih UT III tat
HOW DAVIS WAS CAUGHT.
The Trs~ story aft the Capsurs nj the Com
f~slernse President.
Prom the ~. Louis Republic.
After the regular meeting of thn. Ram
SOM post i'm their hall i'm the Odd Fellows
building last evening AN open session fol-
lowed To which tho families and friends Of
the mcInlcr~ had been invited. There
was a. large attendance and the exercises
consisting of music and addresses were Of
mors, than ordinary interest. Commander
Smith Il. Gait presided. and i'm his Address
gave "a highly entertaining account of the
visit Of thu, RANSOM post delegation to
the Milwaukee rs.uniOul. The principal fea-
ture of the evenings diversion. however.
was n paper presented and read by Com
rade T. II. Peabody. junior member at
the Law firm of Bentley 4 Peabody, ON
the capture of Jefferson Davis. Mr.. Pea
body was tln. first man Ia address, Mr..
count Of the capture. about which there
has been 40 many false and exaggerated
accounts, can be received as authentic
given ina full:
Old soldiers will readily recall that dur
begun "a forward march of all the union
armies and forces Of the yet bold and de-
fiant c~onfcdcracy. The silent man. Cen
tightening tls. grip around In"mcd Rich
moild. General Sherman. i'm many ele-
ments, the most brilliant general Of
ward after tin, grand march to the
sea-" "viciorious Pap" Thomas. now
with those who nobly died, with Kentucky,
Tennessee and Northern Georgia all his.
Subsequent tn the humiliation Of Hoods
army at Nashville. and other combinations
the. front. With all this. our soldiers,
brave. and grim. thrilled with feeling and
c9n-riousnes- tina, four long years Of ter;
that peace was near ia the future.
On the. I'D day Of March, lsi5. the cav
:lry corps of the military division of the
Mississippi. commanded by Major Gem
eneral Wilson. numbering some l2,JO
men. br"k: cannn at and around Gravclly
Springs. Ala. near the Tennessee line,
and, crossing tho swollen Tenucssec river.
struck oat southwark for Selma, Ala. sit
uatesi on the north bank of the Alabama
river.
After several days of r~apid:rnarchcs and
heavy ~skirIni-h.. down through Month
cello. Birmingham and Black Warrior
river sections. and on the I'd day Of April.
1ssi5, our forces reached Selma. which was
being defended by General Forrest and n
force. of experienced CoiIfesleratcs. Colo
mel X. H.. &. Minty, of the Fourth Michigan
cavalry, of which I was "a member. was in
Orders OF General Wilson. Colonel Mi",y
disInotntcd his whole division. consisting
of the Fourth Michigan cavalry. Seventh
Pennsylvania cavalry, Fourth Ohio cav
airy. in one brigade and wildct's ar
Miners splendid brigade of mounted in
fantry. and forming them in line.
W. ~ tttst as ti'fg bpstN
terri ic battle cusnssi. A hail of lcasicn
buiict. poured over the fortifications
e-a.rbins~ and rifles, with which our divis-
non WAS armed. and soon Selma. with all
it, foundrirS. rolling mills, ~arinanent,
supplies and "a very extensive. arsenal and
2.1u0 prisoners w,r.. ours. Among the
PRISONERS captured here was Samuel Ken
nard, now one of our foremost citizens
and the president of the great exposition.
"Sanl' was ther, "a dashing "rebcl' artil-
lery lieutenant. and foremost among
hers. in 81. Louis we recall the scene of
thos.. days. and with az th. ''blue and the
gray" fratcruiz.' and are glad the war ~
over aud i'll red pillows Gained in peace.
On the. 9rh of April " i. left Selma and
pushed straight east for Montgomery.
Ala. some four days march from Selma.
Montgomery was evacuated by the con-
fedcratc forces without "a battle. Here
we wers, i'm pos-sssion of the first capital
S %a III; u ,,",,rr,srdry and ~ fram which Mrj p S.n;
out "a defiance To the United States. But
s.tween that day and the day OF its cap
ture oh! how sick was our whole country
of war, carnags. and death. Very many
beautiful wcll-dr.sscd women lined the
sidewalks in Montgomery and cheercd
and synipatllizcd with our prisoners of
war. many OF whom we parolsd here.
-Four more days march eastward. and
with another brilliant fight. Columbus,
Old General Cobb commanded the en-
envy here. and with his forces not cap
tured 10y us ne retr.ated toward Macon,
Ga. four days distant On the
10Th day OF April we reached Macon. and
after IA short parley the confederate army
under General Cobb surrendered To the
All this four weeks we had no
news from oar other armies. and knew
nothing of the ulomcntus events happcn-
ing elsewhere. Remember this was the
10Th Of April, and on his day we first
learned that "Ricimond' was on the
I'd evacuated; that Genera Lee and his
army had on the 9Th surrendered To Grant
and Sheridan and that the Grand Army of
the Potomac, which had helped tn make
thcUp grgAt, asnd oh! sad and sorrowful tn
hear. Lincoln-our noble
president, had been foully assassinated on
the 14th OF April, and just when the SUM-
light of pssAss. had begun tn lift the clouds
from over our sorcly distracted country.
Our cavalry CORPS went into camp i'm
and around Macon, Ga, and i'm the early
part of May IL was learned that jefferson
Davis, president of the confederate states.
wa fleeing for Texas, To join General
Kirby Smith. there To try and rs-cstablish
the coufedsracy. Orders were at once is