Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-03-22

posed enemy. l called them back, being not
quite ready; as wanted to give our footmen9
time to replenish their magazines just as
was about to give the final order to charge, Ser
geant Hoor came running up and said we were
ts union q. men that he had captured one OF
ing this | rode IN front of our line and shouted
stop iirinE!"
which soon ceased on both sides. Then going
forward, the first man met was Col, Pritchard.
So surprised was L, that for some time could
not realize that twas he but as soon as recog
n .h nm, asked him how i was that he was
parting with me the day before, at Abbeville,
twenty-five miles distant, ana ascertaining from
me that Davis had ALREADY got across the river,
and finding that there was another road to Ir-
winsville, he had selected $50 of his best men,
wed mounted, and by marching all night had
arrived at lrwinsville before daylight.
Hearing that party with wagons was camped
short distance from the town, he had marched
out toward it, guided by a negro. He had sent
twenty five men around to the back of the camp.
and It was these men who, installing us for
enemies, had fired upon us so recklessly with
such unfortunate results. He said some of his
men had Just taken possession of the camp,
which was only about 80 yards away. | i'm
quired if Davis had been captured he answered
that he did not know who had been captured as
he had not been to the camp himself. In this
unfortunate affair two of the Michigan men
were killed.: and one officer and several men
wounded, OF the Wisconsin men, three were
wounded but none killed We lost number
of horses. attribute our slight loss to the
darkness and to the fact that as W. were on
lower ground than our opponents, they over
shot us.
Col Prtchard aud rode together into the
Davis camp, which was Just across little
swale, only few rods from where our skirmish
4 took place. Ihe first person we saw there was
John IL. Reagan, the postma ster -general of the
confederacy, lately United States senator from
Texas who said to me, well, YOU have taken
the old gentleman at last!'
Who do you meant"
~ mean President Davis"
Please point him out"
h., Oh IL A..
tall, elderly, and rather dignifed looking gen.
| tleman, standing short distance away.
:, We rode up dismounted salused, aud ! asked
am President Davis" Az this the soldiers set
| Up to this time none of the men who actually
arrested hun, knew that he was Davis. One
| soldier said, What, that man jeff Davis9 That's
the old fellow who. when l stopped him, had
his wife's shawl on"
| We 49, that is Mr.. Davis and - were the CEN
ter of circle po-ed of union soldiers and
members of the Davis party In the back
gr" u, some % % 9pr men set up the familiar
| apple tree. to the tune of John Browns Body
which did not add IA The least to Davis's com
| fort.
la tia csmp vere two tents and eight ambu-
lances, each of the latter drawn by four mules
There were also several fine saddle horses
| Besides Davis, there were Reagan, Col Harri-
son, Mrs. Davis, her sister Miss HowelD, and a
| number of confedu rate officers from Johnston's
| army and lot of teamsters. servants and 9th
efS, nut no nEntlnE men. lt appears that when
the fighting began, Davis was sleeping in his
tent Alarmed at the noise, he hastily arose
and threw shawl around him, started out, but
meeting soldier was STONED and ordered hazel
ipto his tent He heard the noise of the sharp
| skirmisn, saw the dead and wounded brought
in, but knowing that he had no fighting men
| with him. could not at the time understand
what it meant. | entered into conversation
| with him, but with little satisfaction to him or
me- would not call him " Mr.. President,
but always addressed him As " Mr. Davis -
which seemed to greatly annoy him, and he
| retaiated by speaking with the greatest con.
tempt of Your government"
said to him that | came very near making
| his acquaintance back at Dublin, three DAYS
| before; and il he had fulfilled his engagement
to dine with Judge Rose, that | should have
! done so, Upon this he turned upon me with
| great hauteur. and said Well, sir, can assure
| YOU that if you had made my acquaintance
| then, this thing would not have happened AS il
| has, had thos, with me then, who would not
| have permitted this iDdignity TO have been put
upon me. Ii was we'll for you, sir, that YOU
were not in time to see me then" replied
| that II would have afforded me pleasure to have
met his friends and tried the question with
| them. Every few moments he would turn AVA
| from me, but he would soon come back to the
| tilt again, He wanted to know il my govern
! ment authorized me to harass women and child
| rem through the country, in the manner was
doing replied no, rot women and children
| but was sent after him. Then his wrath arose
| again, and he poured out torrent Of abuse
| against my government, which was treating
| him with such indignity,
While ConversinR with him, | saw a cask OF
brandy pitched ont of an ambulance; the head
was soon knocked in, and the soldiers were run
ming thither from gu parts, with cups and can
| teens. called Col. Pritchards attention to il,
and said it ought to be stopped, as there might
soon be trouble over it. The colonel went over
and tried to stop IL, but with poor success 7
| suspect, as the condition of the soldiers soon
| showed.
| Mr.. Davis, seeing the way things we're being
| thrown out OF the wagons, turned to me and in
qured which Of us was the ranking officer As
we were both lieutenant-colone and rank de-
pended upon the dates of our respective com
missions, | replied that | did not know He
meant to inquire which of ms was in command
but as h had been insolent, | did not propose
| to explain to him that we were two separate
commands just come together He then turned
| to some confederate officers, and said that
| things had come to a pretty state Of affairs
| when United States soldiers did not know who
| their commanding officer was, .and that il was
| no wonder that the prvates were plunderers
| and robbers. After a little more talk his wrath,
which had for some time been rising, got com
| pletely the better of him; then he turned his
back upon me, for the last time.
| In speaking to his wife he blamed her for the
capture, for lac said that II he had acted on his
| own judgment he would have been with the
Others Of his party, and this thing would not
have happened as ii had. II appeared that
| she had persuaded him 10 accompany her lit
| tie further than he had at first intended. Mrs.
| Davis took him by the arm and tried to pacify
him. She told US to never mind him, that he
was not worth minding. She also SAID, as she
was leading him away, that she hoped we
would not irritate the president, for some one
| might get hurt.
After making all allowances for the humli-
| tating position in which Davis found hrnself at
| that time, / came 10 the conclusion that he
was a greatly Overrated man. His manner and
all that he said, his blaming his WIFE, and
other circumstances, all went 10 show that he
| had no real nobility about him. As TO the story
which became widely prevalent at the time
that Davis had ON a hoop-skirt, aud was dis
guised as a woman, know but very little Of H.
but think il grew out of the remark Of the sol
der, that. when he stopped him, he had his
wife's shawl on. When | saw him, he wore a
common slouchsd hat, fine boots, no spurs coat
| and Trousers Of light-blne English broadcloth
taking all circumstances into confederation he
was neatly dressed. When we got back to Ma
tell him all about my pursuit. and the incidents
Of the capture Of Davis. The general insisted
upon every particular az To how be appeared
what he said how he WAS dressed. etc. After
narrating all ] told him heard the soldier
who halted him say that, when Davis came out
of his tent, he had his wife's shawl on. This
remark Of mine was telegraph north, and
when IL came back il had blossomed out into
hoop-skirts, petticoats, hoods, and other arti.
cles OF female apparel. verify believe that
this was all there was TO the female apparel
story.
After resting for a short time. caring for the
wounded and burying the dead, We all began
our return march - Macon, .SsEg 80 arrived
the day after, May II. first made a verbal
hearty approval Of all we had done We then
heard for the first time. that a reward Of Sl(OODO
had been offered for the ca pture Of Davis. The
war then being over. Pritchard and were soon
mustered out 81 service, and no military court
81 inquiry was ever held "a determine the 70.
sponsibility. Of the coli Ion which resulted 10
disastrously TO several Union soldiers: but
General Wilson saYs, Ia his Official report that