Lawton, in "The Sept., 1865, during which only one or two Federal soldiers CH. XIII. remained in the camp. One of these had secured Davis's horse, which had stood saddled since the Atlantic," previous evening, and which a colored servant had just brought to his tent. Of what ensued, we give Mr. Davis's own account: p. 344. I stepped out of my wife's tent and saw some horsemen, whom I immediately recognized as cavalry, deploying around the encampment. I turned back and told my wife these were not the expected marauders, but regular troopers. She implored me to leave her at once. I hesi- May 10,1865. tated, from unwillingness to do so, and lost a few precious moments before yielding to her importunity. My horse and arms were near the road on which I expected to leave, and down which the cavalry approached; it was, therefore impracticable to reach them. I was compelled to start in the opposite direction. As it was quite dark in the tent, I picked up what was supposed to be my "raglan," a waterproof light overcoat, without sleeves; it was subsequently found to be my wife's, so very like my own as to be mistaken for it; as I started, my wife thoughtfully threw over my head and shoulders a shawl. I had gone perhaps fifteen or twenty yards when a trooper galloped up and ordered me to halt and surrender, to which I gave a defiant answer, and dropping the shawl and raglan from my shoulders advanced toward him; he leveled his carbine at me, but I expected, if he fired, he would miss me, and my intention was in that event to put my hand under his foot, tumble 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 I turned back, and, the morning being damp and chilly, passed on to a fire beyond the tent. 1 1It is but just to give the following narrative of Captain G. W. Lawton of the 4th Michigan Cav alry. It was printed in "The Davis, "Rise and Fall of the erate Govpp. 701, 702. Confed ernment,' CH. XIII. Colonel Pritchard relates in his official report: May 10,1864. "Upon returning to camp I was accosted by Davis from among the prisoners, who asked if I was the officer in command, and upon my answering him that I was, and asking him whom I was to call him, profitably compare it with Jefferson Davis's own narrative which is quoted in the text. "Andrew Bee, a private of Company L went to the entrance of Davis's tent, and was met by Mrs. Davis, 'bareheaded and barefoot,' as he describes her, who, putting her hand on his arm, said: "Please don't go in there till my daughter gets herself dressed.' "Andrew thereupon drew back, and in a few minutes a young lady (Miss Howell) and another person, bent over as with age, wearing a lady's 'waterproof,' gathered at the waist, with a shawl drawn over the head, and carrying a tin pail, appear, and ask to go to 'the run' for water. Mrs. Davis also appears, and says: "For God's sake, let my old mother go to get some water!' "No objections being made, they passed out. But sharp eyes were upon the singular looking 'old mother.' Suddenly, Corporal Munyer of Company C, and others, at the same instant, discovered that the old mother' was wear. ing very heavy boots for an aged female, and the corporal exclaimed: "That is not a woman! Don't you see the boots?' and spurring his horse forward and cocking his carbine, compelled the withdrawal of the shawl, and disclosed Jeff. Davis. of his unmanliness, Jeff. struck an attitude, and cried out: "Is there a man among you? If there is, let me see him!' 666 'Yes,' said the corporal, 'I am one; and if you stir, I will blow your brains out!' "I know my fate,' said Davis, ' and might as well die here.' "But his wife threw her arms around his neck, and kept herself between him and the threatening corporal. "No harm, however, was done him, and he was generally kindly spoken to; he was only stripped of his female attire. "As a man he was dressed in a complete suit of gray, a light felt hat, and high cavalry boots, with a gray beard of about six weeks' growth covering his face. "He said he thought that our Government was too magnanimous to hunt women and children that way. "When Colonel Pritchard told him that he would do the best he could for his comfort, he answered: "I ask no favors of you.' "To which surly reply the colonel courteously responded by assuring him of kind treatment. "Arrangements were forthwith made to return to Macon. . . "The members of Davis's staff submitted with better grace than he to the capture and march, and were generally quite com"As if stung by this discovery municative." he replied that I might call him what or whomsoever CH. XIII. I pleased. When I replied to him that I would call him Davis, and after a moment's hesitation he said that was his name, he suddenly drew himself up in true royal dignity and exclaimed, 'I suppose that you consider it bravery to charge a train of defense- to Stanton, less women and children, but it is theft, it is vandalism!"" That the correctness of the report may not be questioned, we add the corroborating statement of Postmaster-General Reagan, the sole member of the rebel Cabinet remaining with the party: "Colonel Pritchard did not come up for some time after Mr. Davis was made a prisoner. When he rode up there was a crowd, chiefly of Federal soldiers, around Mr. Davis. He was standing, and dressed in the suit he habitually wore. He turned toward Colonel Pritchard and asked, 'Who commands these troops?' Colonel Pritchard replied, without hesitation, that he did. Mr. Davis said to him, 'You command a set of thieves and robbers. They rob women and children.' Colonel Pritchard then said, 'Mr. Davis, you should remember that you are a prisoner. And Mr. Davis replied: 'I am fully conscious of that. It would be bad enough to be the prisoner of soldiers and gentlemen. I am still lawful game, and would rather be dead than be your prisoner."" Colonel Pritchard's official report gives the following list of the persons who fell into his hands: "I ascertained that we had captured Jefferson Davis and family (a wife and four children); John H. Reagan, his Postmaster-General; Colonels Harrison and Lubbock, A. D. C. to Davis; Burton N. VOL. X.-18 Pritchard May 25, 1865. J. H. Reagan, in "Annals of the War," p. 155. |