The Wilmington morning star., 1940-06-02
DAVIS
HISTORY PRESENTED
BY MRS. ST.. AMAND

An interesting history IN the i'm
~prisonment and release of Jeffer-
son Davis, has been prepared by
Mrs. A. T. St. Armand, historian of
the Cape Fear chapter, United
Daughters of the Confederacy.
The history is as follows:
History shows no man who has
faced such fierce and sweeping
blasts of Indictment, calumny and
malice and so long stood erect as
Jefferson Davis, the President of
the Confederacy. When the Confe-
derate army surrendered, Presi-
dent Davis was left defenceless.
He was nearly 80 years old, in
feeble health and weary from
shouldering the cares and ankle
ties of the recent war. Ignoring the
fact that he was old and broken,
a price of 500, 900 was put on his
head as a traitor to his country,
and when captured was confined
to Fortress Monroe under humili-
ating circumstances. The fact that
he was in%carcerated as a common
felon was especially degrading to
one who should have been a state
prisoner.
Indicted for treason by a Vir-
ginia grand bury, Davis was charg-
ed with having deliberately caused
the ~sufferings and deaths of Union
prisoners at Andersonville a n d
from May %, 1865 to May Is, 1867
was denied trial or bail. A further
attempt was made to connect him
with the assassination of Presi-
dent Lincoln.
Davis was placed in an inner
room Of the prison, the window
heavily barred, two sentries before
the grated door and other sentries
in strategic places. An officer was
constantly on duty who was re
CURED to see the prisoner every
fifteen minutes. A lamp was kept
burning continually and the prl-
soner in irons. When news of the
use of irons leaked to the public
even the North bee: me indignant
with the cruelty and indignities
practlced, and Secretary of War
Stanton, commanded the irons to
be removed.
Having been safely in~carcerated,
Mr.. Davis was allowed to see no
one, to write to no one, to talk to
no one. LuXuries, such as books
and papers, were not allowed until
late in the summer of 1865 after
the northern press had comment
ed %severel. on his treatment. Then,
the secretary of war ordered that
he be sup. lied with funds sufficient
to pay for laundries and certain
foods. AS a consequence, the day
after the Introduction of the new
diet, the daily report says that Mr..
Davis suffered more than usual
from dyspeptic symptoms
In June 1865 Charles O'Conor,
lawyer of New York, volunteered
his service and that of other law
yers but nothing came of it until
over a year had passed. In spite
of the efforts of interested friends
and prominent persons to secure
his discharge Mr.. Davis continued
in close confinement.
So secretive was the treatment
accorded Mr.. Davis that by Octo-
Der 1865 the public press, both
north and south. and even promi-
nent citizens were making inquir-
les as to the cause of SC much
secrecy in the treatment of a state
prisoner. The New York World
wrote an article which said, in
part:
The refusal, by express mill
tary orders, of the common cour-
tesies and simplest decencies of
life to a man who for four years
welded the resources of eleven
states against the whole power Of
the Union. The American people.
should these stories prove to be
true, will have a serious account
to settle with the functionaries so
could thus misrepresent and be,.t-
tie them in the eyes of Christen-
dom and of history
Similar articles appeared in pro-
minent papers which caused Gen
eral Miles, commanding officer,
to protest against t h e charges
against him, as he had ''only
obeyed orders"
Following the discovery Of in
Justice the press continued to make
charges which resulted in Mr..
Davis being allowed the privileges
of a state prisoner. With this ar
rangement he was removed to
n