The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-06-07
THE CHIEF JOHNNY.
Gen. Hfinty Does Not Coincide with Lieut.
Grants Story Of the Capture.

Grants Story OF the Capture.
EDITOR NATIONAL tribune: The Eight
ing Them Over" columns of your issue OF
Feb. contains an article over the name OF
Joseph w. Grant, Second Lieutenant. Co.
A, 14th Me-, Bangor, Me-" with a taking
| caption. &SlA
| supposed I was familiar with all the in
cidents connected with and Immediately
| following the capture Of the head and front
of the rebellion, Jefferson Davis; but if the
| statements of Lieut.. Joseph w. Grant are
| correct / have received some "new light, y
and require more.
I had not intended writing anything on
the subject of the capture of jeff Davis
| until came to it in regular chronological
| sequence in Incidents in the History of
the Saber Brigade; but such an article as
this of Lieut.. Grants cannot be allowed to
go unquestioned. If that which he has
stated is not correct, the old soldiers should
know it, and if his statements are truthful
history should be corrected.
The 4th Mich Cav, which made the capt
ure, was raised, organized, and taken into
the field by me; and at the time of the
capture was one of the regiments forming
the Second Cavalry Division, which COM
manded.
received and now have in my possession
the first report made Of the capture.
personally reported the fact of the capt
ure to Gen. J. III. Wilson, our corps COM
mander at the Lanier House, Macon, Ca,
and in accordance with verbal instructions
received from him directed Lieut.-Col.
Pritchard to select three officers and % en-
listed men to accompany him to Washington,
D. c., as special escort in charge of Davis.
I also ordered detail of $50 officers and
men of the 4th Mich. to be made to act as
tran-guard for Col Prichard and his pris-
oners from Macon to Atlanta and Gen.
Wilson instructed Gen. Upton, commanding
the Fourth Cavalry Division at Atlanta, to
make all necessary arrangements for train
and boat guards from Atlanta to Savannah
/ have written, calling the attention of
Gen. Pritchard, of Allegan, Mich, and of Capt.
J. G. Dickinson, at that time Adjutant of
the 4th Mich. Cav, now prominent lawyer
in the city of Detroit, to the statements of
Lieut.. Grant, and am looking for letters in
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE from both of those
comrades.
l have in my possession an official copy
of Col. Pritchard's report to the Secretary
of War, dated at Washington, d. c., May
25, 1865, from which l make the following
extract:
~ left Macon by special train at o'clock
on the morning Of the 18th, under the di-
rection of aj.-Gen. Wilson, having turned
over all the private soldiers captured with
Davis and party except two, and received
an accession of Clement c. Clay and wife.
Arriving at Atlanta at daylight on the
morning of the 14th, found train and
Il. 81
party to Augusta, where we arrived at SUM-
set of the same day, finding carriages and
everything in readiness TO convey US to the
steamer Standish, lying four miles below
the city.
"We arrived on board at o'clock, when
I received Alexander III. Stephens and Maj
Gen. Wheeler and staff, and Immediately
sailed for Savannah, where we arrived at
o'clock a. IN. on the 10th.
Reported to Gen. Burge at A o'clock
a. m the steamer Emily was ordered along
side, and the prisoners and guard were
transferred on board, when she Immediately
steamed for Hilton Head, When opposite
Fort jackson we met the steamer Colt, with
Gen. Gilmore on board, to, whom l reported.
When he reached Savannah he telegraphed
Hilton Head for the steamer Clyde to be got
in readiness at once to receive the prisoners
and convey them to Washington; and when
we arrived we found every thing in readiness,
and the transfer from The Emily to the
Clyde took place Immediately.
At three o'clock p. III. of the 18th we
put to sea, under the convoy of the steam
sloop-of-war Tuscarora, arriving off Fortress
Monroe at noon of the 18th instant.
" l Immediately proceeded to shore and
telegraphed my arrival to the Adjutant-
General, and received orders in reply to
anchor out and await further orders from
your Honor; at midnight of the same day,
l received further orders from your Honor to
the same effect, and saying that Gen. Halleck
would be there at noon of the Goth TO make
arrangements for the final disposition Of the
prisoners.
1--WE remained on shipboard until the ODD
inst, disposing meantime of all the prison
ers except Davis, Clay, and families, in
obedience to orders from Gen. Halleck, and
as per receipts in my possession.
ION the afternoon of the same day
the prisoners, Davis and Clay, were trans
ferred under orders from the same source to
the classmates Of Fortress Monroe, and turned
over to Brevet Maj .-Gen. Miles, the 9TH
Mich. Cav. acting as special escort, after
which it was temporarily assigned quarters
within the fort"
Gen. Wilson, in his very full and exhaust
i've report of the capture of Davis, which
will be found in extenso on pages 778 and
780 of Harper's History of the Great Rebel
lion, says:
Col. Pritchard, with a detachment of
his regiment was directed to deliver his
prisoners safely into the custody of the Sec
rotary of War"
Lieut.. Grant fails to give the name of the
officer commanding at Augusta who be-
came SO ratified that he practically turned
over his command to an unknown Second
Lieutenant.
What was the command Of this officer,
that he had to depend SO entirely On Lieut..
Grants 45 men, who "were ready to die
then and there in preventing jeff Davis and
his party from escaping?"
Where was Col. Pritchard and his detach-
ment of the 4th Mich. Cav, and where was
the strong train-guard provided by Gen.
Upton all this time?
Here are few slight discrepancies that
it will be well to note:
Col. Pritchard took his prisoners on board
the steamer Standish at Augusta; Lieut..
Grant had his on board the steamer Clyde.
Col. Pritchard reported to Gen. Burge at
Savannah Lieut.. Grant reported to Gen.
Grover. Gen. Burge at once sent the steamer
Emily alongside the Standish, and Col.
Pritchard Immediately transferred his pris-
\