The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-07
HOW HE WAS CAUGHT.
Jefferson Davis own story Regard
ing His Capture


See page 70l, Rise and Fan OF the Con-
federatc Government"
For the protection Of my family tray
eled with them two or three days, when.
believing that they had passed out Of the
region Of marauders. determined to leave
their encampment at nightfau, TO execute
my original purpose. My horse ana those
Of my party proper were saddled prepar-
aiory TO a start, when one of my staff.
who had ridden into the ne!ghbor.ng VII
lage, returned and told me that he had
heard that marauding party intended TO
attack the camp that night This decided
me 20 wait longer to see whether there
was any truth in the rumor, which I sup
posed would be ascertained in few hours.
My horse remained saddled and my pls-
tolls In the holsters, and / lay down, fully
dressed, TO rest. Nothing occurred 10
rouse me until just before dawn. when nv
coachman, a free colored man, who faith
iully chung 10 our fortunes came and told
me there was firing over the branch lust
behind our encampment. / stopped out of
nay wlfe's tent and saw some norsemen,
whom l Immediately recognized as cav
airy, deploying around the encampment
l turned back and told my wife these we're
not the expected marauders. but regular
troopers. She implored me to leave her
at once. ! hesltated, from unwilllngness
TO do so, and lost "A few precious moments
before yielding TO her importantly Ny
horse and arms were near the road on
which I expected to leave, and down which
the cavalry approached; it was therefore
impractcable to reach them. l was COM
PEELED to start in the opposite direction.
As II was quite dark in the tent, l pick I'd
up what was supposed to be my 'ragnla
a waterproof, light overcoat, without
sleeves, ii was subsequently found to be
my wife's, so very like my own as TO be
mistaken for it. As l started my wife
thoughtfully threw over my head and
shoulders a shawl. / had gone perhaps ff-
teen or twenty yards when a trooper gal
loped up and ordered me to halt and sur
render, to which / 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 h fired, he would miss me- and my in
tention was in that event to put my hand
under his foot, tumbling him off on the
other side, spring into his saddle, and
attempt to escape. My wife, who had been
watching, when she saw the soldier aim
his carbine at me, ran forward and threw
her arms around me. Success depended on
instantaneous action. and, recognizing
that the opportunity had been lost l turn
chilly, passed on TO a fire. beyond the tent.
our pursuers had taken different roads,
and approached our camp from opposite
directions; they encountered each other
and commenced firing. both supposing
that they had met our armed escort, and
some casualties resulted from their conflict
with an imaginary body of confederat e
troops During the confusion, while atten-
ton was concentrated upon myself. except
by those who were engaged in pillage, one
of my aides, Col. J. Taylor Wood, with
Lieut.. Barnwell, walked off unobserved.
II s daring exploits upon the sea had made
him. on the part Of the federal government
an object of special hostility, and rendered
II quite proper that he should avail himself
of every possible means of escape. Col
Pritchard went over to their battlefield
and did not see him for a long time, sure
ly more than an hour after my capture.
He subsequently claimed credit. in a con-
Versation with me, for the forbearance
shown by his men in not shooting me
when l refused to surrender.
Wilson and others have uttered many
falsehoods in regard to my capture, which
have been exposed in publications by per
sons there present by Secretary Reagan
| by the members of my personal STAFF. and
by the colored coachman, Jim Jones while b
must have been convincing to all who
were not given over to believe a lie. For
/ this reason l will postpone, to some other
time and more appropriate place, any
! further notice of the story and its varia.
tions, all the spawn of a malignity thai
! shames the civilization of the age We
Were when prisoners, subjected to pettv
! pillage, as described in the publications
/ referred to. and in others, and to annoy.
/ ances such as military gentlemen never
/ commit or permit"