FLIGHT OF JEFFERSON DAVIS. a 577 dence in a railway carriage. There they remained until the 15th," when, it being seen that the surrender of Johnston was inevitable, they April, 1865. again took flight, on horseback and in ambulances (for Stoneman had crippled the railway), for Charlotte, in Mecklenburg County, which Davis proposed to make the future capital of the Confederacy. There the fugitives first heard of the surrender of Johnston, through an electrograph to his wife, then abiding in Charlotte, telling her he would be with her in a few days. This was the final blow to the insurgent armies; and now the Confederate "Government" vanished into nothingness. The ring of Stoneman's sabers was heard, and startled the Conspirators, and away they fled on horseback, escorted by two thousand cavalry, across the Catawba, with their faces toward the Gulf of Mexico, for the way to the Mississippi and beyond, was barred. George Davis, the "Attorney-General," resigned his office at Charlotte; Trenholm gave up the place of "Secretary of the Treasury" on the banks of the Catawba, when Davis appointed his now useless "Postmaster-General," Reagan, to take Trenholm's place, temporarily. On they went, the escort continually dwindling. "Delays," said one of the party, "were not now thought of, and on toward Abbeville, by way of Yorkville, in South Carolina; the party struck, taking full soldiers' allowance of turmoil and camping on the journey, only intent on pushing to certain points on the Florida coast. Rumors of Stoneman, rumors of Wilson, rumors of even the ubiquitous Sheridan, occasionally sharpened the excitement. The escort, for the sake of expedition, was shorn of its bulky proportions, and by the time we reached Washington,' in Georgia, there was only enough to make a respectable raiding party.” 2 1 May 4. At Washington, after there had been a scramble for the gold which the "Government" was running away with, the remainder of the "Cabinet," excepting Reagan, deserted the "President." Mallory, the "Secretary of the Navy," doubting whether his official services would be needed on the Gulf, fled, with the notorious Wigfall, by railway, to La Grange, where he found his family, and was subsequently arrested. Benjamin, the "Secretary of State," mysteriously disappeared, after making ample provision for his own comfort. He afterward solved the enigma by showing his person in England. Of all the "ministers," only Reagan remained faithful to the person of the chief. Up to this time, Davis's wife and children, and Mrs. Davis's sister, Miss Howell, had accompanied the fugitive "Government" from Danville. Now, for prudential reasons, this family took another, but nearly parallel route, in the flight toward the Gulf, traveling in wagons. Information soon reached Davis that some Confederate soldiers, believing that the treasure was with Mrs. Davis, had formed a plot to seize all her trunks, in search of it. He instantly hastened to the rescue of his family and property, and to provide for the protection of all. For this purpose he rode rapidly eighteen 1 History of the Last Days and Final Fall of the Rebellion, by Lieutenant C. E. L. Stuart, of Jefferson Davis's staff. 2" At Washington there was a scramble for specie. It was determined to give the cavalry some few dollars each. They were impatient, and helped themselves as soon as they discovered where to get it. The result was an inequitable distribution-many got too much, many got nothing; and 'dust-hunters' picked up a good dea! the following day—a good deal that was trampled under foot during the contemptible scramble.”—History, &cq by C. E. L. Stuart. VOL. III.-115 578 miles. CAPTURE OF JEFFERSON DAVIS. When he reached them, they were approaching Irwinsville, the capital of Irwin County, Georgia, nearly due south from Macon. They had pitched tents for the night, and in one of these the wearied husband and father lay down to rest, intending to retrace his steps before the dawn. Vigilant eyes were now looking for the notable fugitive. General Wilson, at Macon, had been informed of Davis's flight toward the Gulf, and sent out two bodies of horsemen to attempt his capture. One was led by Lieutenant-Colonel Pritchard, of the Fourth Michigan Cavalry, and the other by Lieutenant-Colonel Hardin, of the First Wisconsin Cavalry. A reward of one hundred thousand dollars for the proclaimed criminal, made vision keener and muscle more untiring. The seekers pushed on, by different roads, down the western side of the Ocmulgee River, and soon came upon the desired trail. The two parties approached the camp of the sleeping fugitives, simultaneously, from May 11, 1865. opposite directions, just at dawn. Mistaking each other for enemies, they exchanged shots with such precision, that two men were killed and several wounded before the mistake was discovered. The sleepers were aroused. The camp was surrounded, and Davis, DAVIS'S PRISON, FORTRESS MONROE. while attempting to escape, disguised in woman's clothing, was captured by Pritchard and his men, and with the rest of the fugitive party, was conveyed to General Wilson's head-quarters, at Macon.' Thence they were sent to Savannah, and forwarded by sea to Fortress Monroe. Judge Reagan, who was captured with Davis, and Alexander H. Stephens, the "Vice-President" of the Confederacy, who was arrested at about the same time, were sent to Fort Warren, in Boston Harbor, from which they were released on parole, a few months afterward. Davis was confined at Fortress Monroe, in a casemate-a comfortable prisonon a charge of being concerned in the mur 1 The method of Davis's capture, and the account of his disguise, are related by two persons as follows:"When the musketry firing was heard in the morning at dim, gray dawn,' it was supposed to be between the apprehended Confederate marauders and Mrs. Davis's few camp defenders. Under this impression, Mr. Davis hurriedly put on his boots, and prepared to go out for the purpose of interposing, saying, They will at least, as yet, respect me.' As he got to the tent door, thus hastily equipped, he saw a few cavalry ride up the road and deploy in front. Ha! Federals!' was his exclamation. Then you are captured!' cried Mrs. Davis, with emotion. In a moment she caught an idea-a woman's idea-and, as quickly as women, in an emergency, execute their designs, it was done. He slept in a wrapper-a loose one. It was yet around him. This she fastened, ere he was aware of it, and then, bidding him adieu, urged him to go to the spring, a short distance off, where his horses and arms were. Strange as it may seem, there was not even a pistol in the tent. Davis felt that his only course was to reach his horses and arins, and complied. As he was leaving the door, followed by a servant with a water-bucket, Miss Howell flung a shawl over his head. There was no time to remove it without exposure and embarrassment, and, as he had not far to go, he ran the chance exactly as it was devised for him. In these two articles consisted the woman's attire of which so much nonsense has been spoken and written, and under these circumstances and in this way, was Jefferson Davis going forth to perfect his escape. No bonnet, no gown, no petticoats, no crinoline, no nothing of all these. And what there was happened to be excusable under ordinary circumstances, and perfectly natural as things were. But it was too late for any effort to reach his horses, and the Confederate President was at last a prisoner in the hands of the United States."- Narrative of Lieutenant C. E. L. Stuart, of Davis's staff. After receiving the report of the capture, from Lieutenant-Colonel Pritchard, General Wilson said in his dispatch: "The story of Davis's ignoble attempt at flight, is even more ignoble than I told it. Mrs. Davis, and her sister, Miss Howell, after having clothed him in the dress of the former, and put on his head a woman's HOSTILITIES IN TEXAS CONTINUED. 579 der of the President, and of treason, where he remained a long time, treated with the greatest kindness and consideration, and was finally admitted to bail, and went to Europe with his family and has * September never been brought to trial. 1968. Notwithstanding the downfall of the civil and military power of the Confederates eastward of the Mississippi, the Rebels west of it, under the command and the influence of General E. Kirby Smith, were disposed to continue the contest longer. That leader issued a general order, containing an address to his soldiers, on the 21st of April, in which, after saying, “Great disasters have overtaken us; the Army of Northern Virginia and our commander-in-chief, are prisoners of war," he told them that upon their action depended the hopes of the Confederacy-"the hopes of the nation"—and he exhorted them to fight on in the defense of all that was dear. "You possess the means of long resistance," he said; "you have hopes of succor from abroad. Protract the struggle, and you will surely receive the aid of nations who already deeply sympathize with you." He entreated them to stand by their colors, and assured them of final success. Public meetings were held in Texas, and resolutions to continue the contest were adopted. To meet this danger, General Sheridan was sent to New Orleans with a large force, and made vigorous preparations for a campaign in Texas. & 1865. In the mean time, there had been collisions between the hostile forces on the borders of the Rio Grande. Colonel Theodore H. Barrett, of the Sixtysecond United States Colored Infantry, was in command of the National forces at Brazos Santiago, in Texas, and on the evening of the 11th of May," he sent about three hundred men, composed of two hundred and fifty of his own regiment and fifty of the Second Texas Cavalry, not mounted, to the main-land, under Lieutenant-Colonel Branson, to attack some Confederates on the Rio Grande. The principal object of the Nationals was to procure horses for mounting the cavalry. They marched all night, and early the next morning attacked and drove the foe at Palmetto Ranche, and seized their camp and its contents, with some horses and cattle, and a number of men made prisoners. Bronson fell back, and on the morning of the 13th, he was joined by Lieutenant-Colonel Mor rison, with about two hundred men of the Thirty-fourth Indiana, veterans, when Colonel Barrett assumed command, in person, and ordered an advance in the direction of Palmetto Ranche, where the Confederates were again in considerable force. These were again driven off, and stores not destroyed before, were now consumed, and the buildings burned. Nearly all the forenoon was spent in skirmishing, and early in the afternoon a slight engagement took place, but without much effect. By a vigorous charge, the Confederates were driven several miles. • May. Colonel Barrett relinquished the pursuit for the purpose of resting his men, on a hill about a mile from Palmetto Ranche. There, at about four o'clock, he was assailed in front by a large body of Confederates, infantry head-dress, started out, one holding each arm, and besought Colonel Pritchard's men, in most piteous terms, to let them take their poor old mother out of the way of the firing. Mrs. Davis said, 'Oh, do let us pass with our poor old mother, who's so frightened, and fears to be killed.' One of Pritchard's men, catching sight of the 'President's boots below the skirts of the dress, suspected at once who the poor old mother was, and replied, 'Oh, no, you don't play that game on us; those boots don't look much like they belong to a woman. Come down old fellow!"-General J. H. Wilson's Report. 580 THE LAST BATTLE OF THE WAR. and artillery, and at the same time a heavy body of cavalry and a section of a battery, under cover of a chaparral, succeeded in flanking his little force, with the intention of getting in his rear. The attacking force was under the command of General J. E. Slaughter. The Rio Grande was on Barrett's left. He had no artillery; his situation was extremely critical; and he had no alternative but to fall back, fighting. This was done with skill and bravery. Forty-eight men of the Thirty-fourth Indiana, thrown out as skirmishers to protect the flank of that regiment, were cut off and captured by Slaughter's cavalry. One half of the Sixty-second United States (colored) troops, covering the recoiling force, were deployed as skirmishers, and formed a line a mile in length, protecting both front and right flank. It resisted every attempt of the Confederate cavalry to penetrate it. Such attempts were repulsed with loss to the assailants. The entire regiment moved back with great precision. The running fight continued about three hours, when the Confederates desisted. So ended THE BATTLE OF PALMETTO RANCHE. It was the last one in the great struggle. At about sunset, on the 13th of May, 1865, between White's Ranche and the Boca Chico Strait, in Texas, the Sixtysecond United States Colored Infantry, fired the last volley of the war. The conflict was near the old battle-ground of General Taylor, at Palo Alto, in 1846, about two thousand miles from the first considerable battle-ground at Bull Run. The extent of the field of conflict occupied in the Civil War may be comprehended by considering the fact, that the region between Bull Run and the Rio Grande, had been fought over, lightly or heavily, at almost every league. ⚫ May 26, 1565. Sheridan's appearance at New Orleans sent dismay to the hearts of the Confederates in the Trans-Mississippi region, and the men in arms refused . longer to follow their leaders in a hopeless struggle. Kirby Smith formally surrendered his entire command to General Canby, and thereby rendered an advance of Sheridan into Western Louisiana and Texas unnecessary. Before the surrender was actually effected, Kirby Smith exhibited "the bad faith of first disbanding most of his army, and permitting an indiscriminate plunder of the public property."* The soldiers helped themselves to whatever Confederate property they could lay their hands on-subsistence and transportation-and departed for their homes. General Smith and a few of his followers fled into Texas. 1 Written communication to the author, by Colonel Barrett, dated June 16, 1868. His reported loss in this expedition, in killed, wounded and prisoners, was 4 officers and 111 men. His force was 450 strong; Slaughter's 675, with a battery of six 12-pounder field-pieces. The last man wounded in the war by a rebel bullet was Sergeant Crockett, of the Sixty-second United States Colored Infantry, who received it in his leg in this engagement. He bound up the wound with his handkerchief, and kept on fighting to the end. 2 General Grant's Report, July 22, 1865. In closing that report, General Grant said: "It has been my fortune to see the armies of both the West and the East fight battles, and from what I have seen, I know there is no difference in their fighting qualities. All that it was possible for men to do in battle, they have done. The Western armies commenced their battles in the Mississippi Valley, and received the final surrender of the remnant of the principal army opposed to them, in North Carolina. The armies of the East commenced their battles on the river from which the Army of the Potomac derived its name, and received the final surrender of their old antagonist, at Appomattox Court-House, Virginia. The splendid achievements of each have nationalized our victories, removed all sectional jealousies (of which we have unfortunately experienced too much). and the cause of crimination and recrimination, that might have followed, had either section failed in its duty. All have a proud record, and all sections can well congratulate themselves and each other, for having done their full share in restoring the supremacy of law over every foot of territory belonging to the United States. Let them hope for perpetual peace and harmony with that enemy whose manhood, however mistaken the cause, drew forth such herculean deeds of valor.'" END OF THE CIVIL WAR. 581 "July 4, 1865. So ended THE CIVIL WAR, in the field; and on the anniversary of the Declaration of the nation's Independence, a few weeks later," and just four years from the time when the National Congress met in the Capitol at Washington, and proceeded to make provision for suppressing the rebellion and saving the Republic, the Loyal League, of Philadelphia, chanted the following hymn, to the air of "Old Hundred": Thank God! the bloody days are past; Thank God! there beams o'er land and sea, Our blazing Star of Victory; And everywhere, from main to main, The old flag flies and rules again! Thank God! Oh dark and trodden race, Your Lord no longer veils his face; But through the clouds and woes of fight, Thank God! we see on every hand, But Oh, thank God! thank God for PEACE! Before that National Anniversary, the soldiers of the Grand Armies of the Republic, whose skill, valor, and fortitude had saved its life, and, as an incident, had achieved the holy work of emancipation for an enslaved race, were making their way homeward, everywhere received with the warmest demonstrations of gratitude and affection. With the exception of a few left in 1 Written for the occasion by George H. Boker, of Philadelphia. 2 In almost every village and city there were public receptions of the returning regiments. As these demonstrations had all features in common, the writer will endeavor to convey to the reader an idea of the manner in which the citizen-soldiers were received, by giving an outline sketch of the reception of the rem |