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Below is a section a report by Maj. Gen. James H. Wilson, Commanding Cavalry, Department of the Mississippi, submitted post war on January 17, 1867 from Davenport, IA where Wilson was serving post-war as a Lt. Col. of the 35th Infantry. It discusses the capture of Jefferson Davis in April 1865, note the use of Federal cavalry dressed as Confederate troopers who rode with Davis' party for a time before his capture. Recall that Wilson was in Georgia with a force of 13,000 federal troopers, having just concluded his famous raid through Alabama and Georgia, having defeated Forrest at Selma and destroying huge amounts of Confederate stores there and also at Columbus and West Point, GA. Wilson had a large force of cavalry at his disposition, and literally blocked Davis from escaping along a line from Chattanooga, TN to Tallahassee, FL. Also of interest is Wilson's statement that many of the orders issued in this scenario were verbal and that there was nothing put in writing. The report is pasted below:
"The first direct information I received of Davis' movements was on the 23d of April from a citizen who had seen him at Charlotte, N. C., only three or four days before, and had learned there that he was on his way with a train and an escort of cavalry to the south intending to go to the Trans-Mississippi Department. This information was regarded as entirely reliable, and hence the officers in charge of the different detachments afterward sent out were directed to dispose of their commands so as to have all roads and crossings vigilantly watched. It was first thought that Davis would call about him a select force and endeavor to escape by marching to the westward through the hilly country of Northern Georgia. To prevent this Colonel Eggleston was directed to watch the country in all directions from Atlanta. Bvt. Brig. Gen. A. J. Alexander, with the Second Brigade of Upton's division, having reached Atlanta in advance of the division, was directed by General Winslow to scout the country to the northward as far as <ar103_373> Dalton, or until he should meet the troops under General Steedman in that region. On beginning his march from Macon, General Alexander was authorized to detach an officer and twenty picked men, disguised as rebel soldiers, for the purpose of trying to obtain definite information of Davis' movements. This party was place under the command of Lieut. Joseph A. O. Yeoman, First Ohio Cavalry, and at the time acting inspector-general of the brigade. Verbal instructions were also given to other brigade and division commanders to make similar detachments. General Croxton was directed to send a small party toward Talladega by the route upon which he had marched from that place, while Colonel Eggleston was directed to send a party by rail to West Point. By these means it was believed that all considerable detachments of rebels would be apprehended, and that such information would be obtained as would enable us to secure the principal rebel leaders if they should undertake to pass through the country in any other way than as individual fugitives. In declaring the armistice of Sherman null and void the Secretary of War had directed that my command should resume active operations and endeavor to arrest the fugitive rebel chiefs. I accordingly notified him and General Thomas by telegraph of the dispositions I had made, and that I had no doubt of accomplishing the desired object, but having forwarded the records of my command to the Adjutant-General's Department, as required by Army Regulations, and been denied copies of the documents relating to these matters, I cannot now fix the exact dates of these dispatches.
After a rapid march toward the upper crossings of the Savannah River in Northeastern Georgia, Lieutenant Yeoman's detachment met and joined Davis' party, escorted by Dibrell's and Ferguson's divisions of cavalry, probably under Wheeler in person, and continued with them several days, watching for an opportunity to seize and carry off the rebel chief. He was frustrated by the vigilance of the rebel escort. At Washington, Ga., the rebel authorities must have heard that Atlanta was occupied by our troops, and that they could not pass that point without a fight. They halted and for some time acted with irresolution in regard to their future course. The cavalry force which had remained true to Davis, estimated at five brigades and probably numbering 2,000 men, now became mutinous and declined to go any farther. They were disbanded and partially paid off in coin, which had been brought to that point in wagons. Lieutenant Yeoman lost sight of Davis at this time, but dividing his party into three or four small detachments sought again to obtain definite information of his movements, but for twenty-four hours was unsuccessful. Persevering in his efforts he became convinced that Davis had relinquished his idea of going into Alabama, and would probably try to reach the Gulf or South Atlantic Coast and escape by sea. Couriers were sent with this information to General Alexander, and by him duly transmitted to me at Macon. The same conclusion had already been forced upon me by information derived from various other sources, and from the nature of the case it seemed quite probable. With railroad communications through Northern Georgia, and a division of 4,000 national cavalry operating about Atlanta, it would have been next to impossible for a party of fugitives, however small, to traverse that region by the ordinary roads. This must have been clear to the rebels. From these circumstances I became fully convinced that Davis would either flee in disguise and unattended, or endeavor to work his way southward into Florida. With the view of intercepting him in this attempt, I directed the crossings of the Ocmulgee River to be watched with renewed vigilance <ar103_374> all the way from the neighborhood of Atlanta to Hawkinsville, and on the evening of May 6, I directed Brigadier-General Croxton to select the best regiment in his division, and to send it under its best officer, with orders to march eastward via Jeffersonville to Dublin, on the Oconee River, with the greatest possible speed, scouting the country well to the northward, and leaving detachments at the most important cross-roads, with instructions to keep a sharp lookout for all detachments of rebels. By these means it was hoped that Davis' line of march would be intersected and his movements discovered, in which event the commanding officer was instructed to follow wherever it might lead, until the fugitives should be overtaken and captured. General Croxton selected for this purpose the First Wisconsin Cavalry, commanded by Lieut. Col. Henry Harnden, an officer of spirit, experience, and resolution. During that day and the next the conviction that Davis would try to escape into Florida became so strong that I sent for General Minty, commanding Second Division, and in person directed him to select his best regiment and order it to march without delay to the southeastward, along the right bank of the Ocmulgee River, watching all the crossings between Hawkinsville and the Ohoopee River. In case of discovering the trail of the fugitives they were directed to follow it to the Gulf Coast, or till they should overtake and capture the party of whom they were in pursuit. General Minty selected for this purpose his own regiment, the Fourth Michigan Cavalry, commanded by Lieut. Col. Benjamin D. Pritchard, an excellent and dashing officer.
In the meantime General Upton, at Augusta, had sent me a dispatch advising me to offer a reward of $100,000 for the capture of Davis, urging that the Secretary of War would approve my action, and that it would induce even the rebels to assist in making the capture. Not caring, however, to assume the responsibility of committing the Government in this way, I authorized him to issue a proclamation offering a reward of $100,000 to be paid out of such money as might be found in the possession of Davis or his party. This was done, and copies were scattered throughout the country as early as the 6th of May. As soon as it was known at Atlanta that Davis' cavalry escort had disbanded, General Alexander, with 500 picked men and horses of his command, crossed to the right or northern bank of the Chattahoochee River, occupied all the fords west of the Atlanta and Chattanooga Railroad, watched the passes of the Allatoona Mountains and the main crossings of the Etowah River, and, with various detachments of his small command, patrolled all the main roads in that region day and night until he received news of Davis' capture in another quarter. The final disposition of my command may be described as follows: Major-General Upton with parts of two regiments occupied Augusta, and kept a vigilant watch over the whole country in that vicinity, and informed me by telegraph of everything important which came under his observation. General Winslow, with the larger part of that division, occupied Atlanta and scouted the country in all directions from that place. General Alexander, with 500 picked men, patrolled the country north of the Chattahoochee, while detachments occupied Griffin and Jonesborough, closely watching the crossings of the Ocmulgee and scouting the country to the eastward. Colonel Eggleston, commanding the post of Atlanta, had also sent a detachment to West Point to watch the Alabama line in that quarter. General Croxton, with the main body of the First Division in the vicinity of Macon, had sent a detachment, under my direction, to the mountain region of Alabama, marching by the way of Carrollton to Talladega, and another through Northeastern <ar103_375> Georgia toward North Carolina, and was also engaged in watching the Ocmulgee from the right of the Fourth Division to Macon, and in scouting the country to his front and rear. General Minty, commanding the Second Division, was scouting the country to the southeast, watching the lower crossings of the Ocmulgee, and had small parties at all the important points on the Southwestern Railroad and in Western and Southwestern Georgia. Detachments of the Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry occupied Cuthbert, Eufaula, Columbus, and Bainbridge, and kept a vigilant watch over the lower Flint and Chattahoochee, while General McCook, with a detachment of his division at Albany, and 700 men between there and Tallahassee, Fla., was scouting the country to the north and eastward. We also had rail and telegraphic communication from my headquarters at Macon with Atlanta, Augusta, West Point, Milledgeville, Eatonton, Albany, and Eufaula. By inspecting the map herewith it will be seen that my force of nearly 15,000 cavalry were occupying a well-defined and almost continuous line from Kingston, Ga., to Tallahassee, Fla., with detachments and scouts well out in all directions to the front and rear. From this it will be difficult to perceive how Davis and his party could possibly hope to escape. From the time that they were reported at Charlotte till the final capture I was kept informed of their general movements, and was enabled thereby to dispose of my command in such a manner as to render their capture morally certain. As reported by General Winslow, rumors came in from all directions, but by carefully weighing them the truth became sufficiently manifest to enable me to act with confidence and decision. It is to be regretted now, however, that the hurry of events precluded the use of written orders. In nearly every instance my instructions were given verbally to the division commanders, and by them in turn transmitted verbally to their subordinates. Such written dispatches and orders as were given are preserved in the records pertaining to the Cavalry Corps of the Military Division of the Mississippi, now on file in the Adjutant-General's Office.
In pursuance of my instructions to General Croxton, heretofore recited, Lieut. Col. Henry Harnden, with three officers and 150 men of the First Wisconsin Cavalry, left Macon on the evening of May 6, 1865, and marched rapidly, via Jeffersonville, toward Dublin, on the Oconee River. At Jeffersonville Colonel Harnden left one officer and thirty-five men, with orders to scout the country in all directions for reliable information in regard to the route of Davis' flight. With the balance of his command he continued the march all night and the next day, about 7 p.m. reaching Dublin. During the night and day he had sent out scouts and small parties on all the side roads, in the hope of finding the trail of the party for whom he was looking. Nothing of importance occurred till after he had bivouacked for the night. The white inhabitants of that place expressed entire ignorance and indifference in regard to the movements of important rebels, but were unusually profuse in their offers of hospitality to Colonel Harnden. This, together with the conduct of the colored servants, excited his suspicions, though he gained no valuable intelligence till about midnight, at which time he was informed by a negro man, who went to his camp for that purpose, that Davis with his wife and family had passed through Dublin that day, going south on the river road. The negro reported that the party in question had eight wagons with them, and that another party had gone southward on the other side of the Oconee River. His information seems to have been of the most explicit and circumstantial character. He had heard the lady called Mrs. Davis, and a gentleman spoken of as "President Davis," and said that Mr. Davis had not crossed the <ar103_376> river at the regular ferry with the rest of the party, but had gone about three miles lower down and crossed on a small flat-boat, and rejoined the party with the wagons near the outskirts of the town, and that they had all gone toward the south together. The colored man reported Mr. Davis as mounted upon a fine bay horse, and told his story so circumstantially that Colonel Harnden could not help believing it. The ferryman was called up and examined, but either through stupidity or design, succeeded in withholding whatever he knew in regard to the case. But in view of the facts already elicited, after detailing Lieutenant Lane and sixty men to remain at Dublin, and to scout the country in all directions, Colonel Harnden, at an early hour in the morning, began the pursuit of the party just mentioned. Five miles below Dublin he obtained additional information from a woman which left him no room to doubt that he was on the track of Davis in person. He dispatched a messenger to inform General Croxton of his good fortune, and pushed rapidly in pursuit. The trail led southward through a region of pine forests and cypress, almost uninhabited, and therefore affording no food for either men or horses. The rain began to fall, and as there was no road, the tracks of the wagon wheels upon the sandy soil were soon obliterated. A citizen was pressed and compelled to act as guide till the trail was again discovered. The pursuit was continued with renewed vigor, but, as the wagon tracks were again lost in the swamp bordering on Alligator Creek, the pursuing party were again delayed till a citizen could be found to guide them to the road upon which the trail was again visible. Colonel Harnden reports this day to have been one of great toil to both men and horses. They had marched forty miles through an almost trackless forest, much of the way under the rain, and in water up to their saddle girths. They bivouacked after dark on the borders of Gum Swamp, and during the night were again drenched by rain. Before daylight of the 9th they renewed their march, their route leading almost southwest, through swamp and wilderness, to Brown's Ferry, where they crossed to the south side of the Ocmulgee River. In his anxiety to ferry his command over rapidly, Colonel Harnden allowed the boat to be overloaded. A plank near the bow was sprung loose, causing the boat to leak badly, and, as no means were at hand with which to make repairs, lighter loads had to be carried. This prolonged the crossing nearly two hours. Colonel Harnden learned from the ferryman that the party he was pursuing had crossed about 1 a.m. that morning, and were only a few hours ahead of him on the road leading to Irwinville. At Abbeville, a village of three families, he halted to feed, and just as he was renewing his march he met the advance party of the Fourth Michigan Cavalry, Lieut. Col. B. D. Pritchard commanding, moving on the road from Hawkinsville. Ordering his detachment to continue its march, Colonel Harnden rode to meet Colonel Pritchard, and gave him such information in regard to Davis' movements as he had been able to gather. This was about 3 p.m. After a conversation between these officers, the precise details of which are variously reported, they separated, Colonel Harnden to rejoin his command, already an hour or more in advance, and Colonel Pritchard continuing his march along the south side of the Ocmulgee.
It will be remembered that Colonel Pritchard had begun his march from the vicinity of Macon, on the evening of May 7, under verbal orders given him by General Minty, in pursuance of my instructions. His attention was particularly directed to the crossings of the Ocmulgee River, between Hawkinsville and Jacksonville and the mouth of the Ohoopee, with the object of intercepting Davis and such other rebel chiefs as might be making their way out of the country by the <ar103_377> roads in that region. He had not gone more than three miles before he obtained such additional information in regard to the party as convinced him that it was his duty to join in the pursuit. In this he was clearly right, and had he done otherwise would have been censurable for negligence and want of enterprise. Colonel Harnden having informed him that he had force enough to cope with Davis, Colonel Pritchard determined to march another road, leading to Irwinville by a more circuitous route. Why he did not send a courier on the trail pursued by Colonel Harnden, to notify the latter of his intentions, has not been explained. This would probably have prevented the collision which afterward occurred between his regiment and that of Colonel Harnden, and would not have rendered the capture of Davis less certain. This is not intended to reflect upon the conduct of Colonel Pritchard, for it is believed that this omission was simply an oversight which might have occurred to any confident and zealous officer. In carrying out the plan which he had adopted, Colonel Pritchard selected from his regiment 7 officers and 128 men, and at 4 o'clock began the pursuit, leaving the balance of his regiment under the command of Captain Hathaway, with orders to picket the river and scout the country in accordance with previous instructions. The route pursued by Colonel Pritchard led down the river nearly twelve miles to a point opposite Wilcox's Mill, and thence southwest for a distance of eighteen miles, through the pine forest to Irwinville. He reached this place at 1 a.m. of the 10th, and by representing his command as the rear guard of Davis' party, he succeeded in learning from the citizens that the party which he was searching for had encamped that night at dusk about a mile and a half out on the road toward Abbeville. Having secured a negro guide he turned the head of his column toward that place, and after moving out to within half a mile of the camp, halted, and dismounted twenty-five men under Lieutenant Purinton. This party was directed to move noiselessly through the woods to the north side of the camp, for the purpose of gaining a position in its rear, and preventing the possibility of escape. In case of discovery by the enemy they were directed to begin the attack, from wherever they might be, while Colonel Pritchard would charge upon the camp along the main road. Lieutenant Purinton having reached the point assigned him without an alarm, the attack was delayed till the first appearance of dawn, at which time Colonel Pritchard put his troops in motion, and continued his march to within a few rods of the camp, undiscovered. Having assured himself of his position he dashed upon the camp without delay, and in a few moments had secured its occupants and effects, and placed a guard of mounted men around the camp, with dismounted sentries at the tents and wagons. No resistance was offered, because the enemy had posted no sentries, and were, therefore, taken completely by surprise. Almost simultaneously with this dash of Colonel Pritchard and his detachment, sharp firing began in the direction of Abbeville and only a short distance from the camp. This turned out to be an engagement between the party under Lieutenant Purinton and the detachment of the First Wisconsin Cavalry, which, it seems, had followed the rebel trail the night before till it was no longer distinguishable in the dark, had gone into camp only two or three miles behind the party they had been pursuing so long, and had renewed the pursuit as soon as they could see to march. Both Colonel Pritchard and Colonel Harnden were informed that Davis had been reported as having with him a well armed body guard of picked men, variously estimated at from ten to fifty. They therefore expected desperate resistance, and hence in the collision which occurred the men of both detachments seemed <ar103_378> inspired by the greatest courage and determination. It was several moments before either party discovered that they were fighting our own people instead of the enemy. In this unfortunate affair two men of the Fourth Michigan were killed, and one officer wounded, while three men of the First Wisconsin were severely and several slightly wounded.
It is difficult under the circumstances as detailed to perceive how this accident could have been avoided. Colonel Harnden certainly had no means of knowing and no reason to suspect that time party whom he had found in his front were any other than the rebels he had been pursuing, while Colonel Pritchard claims that he had cautioned Lieutenant Purinton particularly to keep a sharp lookout for the First Wisconsin, which he knew would approach from that direction. The hurry with which my command was subsequently mustered out of service and the absence of the principal officers prevented an investigation of the details of this affair and the circumstances which led to it. At this late day nothing more can be said of them than what is contained in the official documents already submitted, except that not the slightest blame was ever intended to be cast by me upon Colonel Harnden, as seems to have been assumed by the commission convened by the Secretary of War for the purpose of awarding the prize offered for the capture of Davis. During the firing of the skirmish just referred to the adjutant of the Fourth Michigan, Lieut. J. G. Dickinson, after having looked to the security of the rebel camp and sent forward a number of the men who had straggled, was about to go to the front himself when his attention was called by one of the men to three persons in female attire who had apparently just left one of the large tents near by and were moving toward the thick woods. He started at once toward them and called out "halt!" but not hearing him or not caring to obey they continued to move off. Just then they were confronted by three men under direction of Corporal Munger, coming from the opposite direction. The corporal recognized one of the persons as Davis, advanced carbine, and demanded his surrender. The three persons halted, and by the actions of the two who afterward turned out to be women, all doubt as to the identity of the third person was removed. The individuals thus arrested were found to be Miss Howell, Mrs. Davis, and Jefferson Davis. As they walked back to the tent from which they had tried to escape, Lieutenant Dickinson observed that Davis' high-top boots were not covered by his disguise, which fact probably led to his recognition by Corporal Munger. As the friends of Davis have strenuously denied that he was disguised as a woman, it may not be improper to specify the exact articles of women's apparel which he had upon him when first seen by Lieutenant Dickinson and Corporal Munger. The former states that he "was one of the three persons dressed in woman's attire," and had "a black mantle wrapped about his head, through the top of which could be seen locks of his hair." Capt. G. W. Lawton, Fourth Michigan Cavalry, who published an account of the capture in the Atlantic Monthly of September, 1865, states explicitly, upon the testimony of the officers present, that Davis, in addition to his full suit of Confederate gray, had on "a lady's water-proof cloak, gathered at the waist, with a shawl drawn over the head, and carrying a tin pail." Colonel Pritchard says, in his official report, that he received from Mrs. Davis, on board the steamer Clyde, off Fortress Monroe, a water-proof cloak or robe, which was worn by Davis as a disguise, and which was identified by the men who saw it on him at the time of the capture. He secured the balance of the disguise the next day. It consisted of shawl, which was identified in a similar manner by both Mrs. Davis <ar103_379> and the men. From these circumstances there seems to be no doubt whatever that Davis sought to avoid capture by assuming the dress of a woman or that the ladies of the party endeavored to pass him off upon his captors as one of themselves [boldface mine].
In addition to Davis and his family, Colonel Pritchard captured, at the same time, John H. Reagan, the rebel Postmaster-General; Col. B. N. Harrison, private secretary; Colonels Lubbock and Johnston, aides-de-camp to Davis; four inferior officers, and thirteen private soldiers, besides Miss Howell, two waiting maids, and several colored servants. As soon as breakfast could be prepared Colonel Pritchard, preceded by Colonel Harnden, began his march, with prisoners and wagons, for Macon, about 120 miles to the northwest of Irwinville. The next day he met a courier with copies of the President's proclamation offering a reward of $100,000 for the capture of Davis. This proclamation had been received and promulgated by me on the 9th, and hence the officers and men in pursuit of Davis were in no way inspired by the promise it contained. They performed their part from a higher sense of duty, and too much praise cannot be awarded to Colonels Pritchard and Harnden and the officers and men of their regiments who participated in the pursuit. Colonel Pritchard arrived at Macon on the 13th and reported at once with his prisoners at corps headquarters. Arrangements had already been made, under instructions from the Secretary of War, for forwarding Davis to the North, via Atlanta, Augusta, and Savannah. Colonel Pritchard, with a detachment of his regiment, was directed to deliver his prisoners safely into the custody of the Secretary of War. I also placed in his charge the person of James B. Clay, jr.,(*) for whose arrest a reward had also been offered by the President. Mr. Clay surrendered himself to me at Macon about the 11th of May, having informed me by telegraph from Western Georgia the day before that he would start for my headquarters without delay. A.H. Stephens was arrested by General Upton at Crawfordsville about the same time and also placed in charge of Colonel Pritchard. Brevet Major-General Upton was charged with making the necessary arrangements for forwarding the prisoners and escort safely to Savannah, in the department of General Gillmore. These arrangements were successfully carried out and the prisoners delivered at Fortress Monroe for safe-keeping on the 22d of May. My command had also arrested Mr. Mallory, the rebel Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Hill, senator, and Joseph E. Brown, Governor of Georgia. Breckinridge and Toombs managed to escape by traveling alone and as rapidly as possible, the former having passed through Tallahassee, Fla., only a few hours before the arrival of General McCook at that place."
"The first direct information I received of Davis' movements was on the 23d of April from a citizen who had seen him at Charlotte, N. C., only three or four days before, and had learned there that he was on his way with a train and an escort of cavalry to the south intending to go to the Trans-Mississippi Department. This information was regarded as entirely reliable, and hence the officers in charge of the different detachments afterward sent out were directed to dispose of their commands so as to have all roads and crossings vigilantly watched. It was first thought that Davis would call about him a select force and endeavor to escape by marching to the westward through the hilly country of Northern Georgia. To prevent this Colonel Eggleston was directed to watch the country in all directions from Atlanta. Bvt. Brig. Gen. A. J. Alexander, with the Second Brigade of Upton's division, having reached Atlanta in advance of the division, was directed by General Winslow to scout the country to the northward as far as <ar103_373> Dalton, or until he should meet the troops under General Steedman in that region. On beginning his march from Macon, General Alexander was authorized to detach an officer and twenty picked men, disguised as rebel soldiers, for the purpose of trying to obtain definite information of Davis' movements. This party was place under the command of Lieut. Joseph A. O. Yeoman, First Ohio Cavalry, and at the time acting inspector-general of the brigade. Verbal instructions were also given to other brigade and division commanders to make similar detachments. General Croxton was directed to send a small party toward Talladega by the route upon which he had marched from that place, while Colonel Eggleston was directed to send a party by rail to West Point. By these means it was believed that all considerable detachments of rebels would be apprehended, and that such information would be obtained as would enable us to secure the principal rebel leaders if they should undertake to pass through the country in any other way than as individual fugitives. In declaring the armistice of Sherman null and void the Secretary of War had directed that my command should resume active operations and endeavor to arrest the fugitive rebel chiefs. I accordingly notified him and General Thomas by telegraph of the dispositions I had made, and that I had no doubt of accomplishing the desired object, but having forwarded the records of my command to the Adjutant-General's Department, as required by Army Regulations, and been denied copies of the documents relating to these matters, I cannot now fix the exact dates of these dispatches.
After a rapid march toward the upper crossings of the Savannah River in Northeastern Georgia, Lieutenant Yeoman's detachment met and joined Davis' party, escorted by Dibrell's and Ferguson's divisions of cavalry, probably under Wheeler in person, and continued with them several days, watching for an opportunity to seize and carry off the rebel chief. He was frustrated by the vigilance of the rebel escort. At Washington, Ga., the rebel authorities must have heard that Atlanta was occupied by our troops, and that they could not pass that point without a fight. They halted and for some time acted with irresolution in regard to their future course. The cavalry force which had remained true to Davis, estimated at five brigades and probably numbering 2,000 men, now became mutinous and declined to go any farther. They were disbanded and partially paid off in coin, which had been brought to that point in wagons. Lieutenant Yeoman lost sight of Davis at this time, but dividing his party into three or four small detachments sought again to obtain definite information of his movements, but for twenty-four hours was unsuccessful. Persevering in his efforts he became convinced that Davis had relinquished his idea of going into Alabama, and would probably try to reach the Gulf or South Atlantic Coast and escape by sea. Couriers were sent with this information to General Alexander, and by him duly transmitted to me at Macon. The same conclusion had already been forced upon me by information derived from various other sources, and from the nature of the case it seemed quite probable. With railroad communications through Northern Georgia, and a division of 4,000 national cavalry operating about Atlanta, it would have been next to impossible for a party of fugitives, however small, to traverse that region by the ordinary roads. This must have been clear to the rebels. From these circumstances I became fully convinced that Davis would either flee in disguise and unattended, or endeavor to work his way southward into Florida. With the view of intercepting him in this attempt, I directed the crossings of the Ocmulgee River to be watched with renewed vigilance <ar103_374> all the way from the neighborhood of Atlanta to Hawkinsville, and on the evening of May 6, I directed Brigadier-General Croxton to select the best regiment in his division, and to send it under its best officer, with orders to march eastward via Jeffersonville to Dublin, on the Oconee River, with the greatest possible speed, scouting the country well to the northward, and leaving detachments at the most important cross-roads, with instructions to keep a sharp lookout for all detachments of rebels. By these means it was hoped that Davis' line of march would be intersected and his movements discovered, in which event the commanding officer was instructed to follow wherever it might lead, until the fugitives should be overtaken and captured. General Croxton selected for this purpose the First Wisconsin Cavalry, commanded by Lieut. Col. Henry Harnden, an officer of spirit, experience, and resolution. During that day and the next the conviction that Davis would try to escape into Florida became so strong that I sent for General Minty, commanding Second Division, and in person directed him to select his best regiment and order it to march without delay to the southeastward, along the right bank of the Ocmulgee River, watching all the crossings between Hawkinsville and the Ohoopee River. In case of discovering the trail of the fugitives they were directed to follow it to the Gulf Coast, or till they should overtake and capture the party of whom they were in pursuit. General Minty selected for this purpose his own regiment, the Fourth Michigan Cavalry, commanded by Lieut. Col. Benjamin D. Pritchard, an excellent and dashing officer.
In the meantime General Upton, at Augusta, had sent me a dispatch advising me to offer a reward of $100,000 for the capture of Davis, urging that the Secretary of War would approve my action, and that it would induce even the rebels to assist in making the capture. Not caring, however, to assume the responsibility of committing the Government in this way, I authorized him to issue a proclamation offering a reward of $100,000 to be paid out of such money as might be found in the possession of Davis or his party. This was done, and copies were scattered throughout the country as early as the 6th of May. As soon as it was known at Atlanta that Davis' cavalry escort had disbanded, General Alexander, with 500 picked men and horses of his command, crossed to the right or northern bank of the Chattahoochee River, occupied all the fords west of the Atlanta and Chattanooga Railroad, watched the passes of the Allatoona Mountains and the main crossings of the Etowah River, and, with various detachments of his small command, patrolled all the main roads in that region day and night until he received news of Davis' capture in another quarter. The final disposition of my command may be described as follows: Major-General Upton with parts of two regiments occupied Augusta, and kept a vigilant watch over the whole country in that vicinity, and informed me by telegraph of everything important which came under his observation. General Winslow, with the larger part of that division, occupied Atlanta and scouted the country in all directions from that place. General Alexander, with 500 picked men, patrolled the country north of the Chattahoochee, while detachments occupied Griffin and Jonesborough, closely watching the crossings of the Ocmulgee and scouting the country to the eastward. Colonel Eggleston, commanding the post of Atlanta, had also sent a detachment to West Point to watch the Alabama line in that quarter. General Croxton, with the main body of the First Division in the vicinity of Macon, had sent a detachment, under my direction, to the mountain region of Alabama, marching by the way of Carrollton to Talladega, and another through Northeastern <ar103_375> Georgia toward North Carolina, and was also engaged in watching the Ocmulgee from the right of the Fourth Division to Macon, and in scouting the country to his front and rear. General Minty, commanding the Second Division, was scouting the country to the southeast, watching the lower crossings of the Ocmulgee, and had small parties at all the important points on the Southwestern Railroad and in Western and Southwestern Georgia. Detachments of the Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry occupied Cuthbert, Eufaula, Columbus, and Bainbridge, and kept a vigilant watch over the lower Flint and Chattahoochee, while General McCook, with a detachment of his division at Albany, and 700 men between there and Tallahassee, Fla., was scouting the country to the north and eastward. We also had rail and telegraphic communication from my headquarters at Macon with Atlanta, Augusta, West Point, Milledgeville, Eatonton, Albany, and Eufaula. By inspecting the map herewith it will be seen that my force of nearly 15,000 cavalry were occupying a well-defined and almost continuous line from Kingston, Ga., to Tallahassee, Fla., with detachments and scouts well out in all directions to the front and rear. From this it will be difficult to perceive how Davis and his party could possibly hope to escape. From the time that they were reported at Charlotte till the final capture I was kept informed of their general movements, and was enabled thereby to dispose of my command in such a manner as to render their capture morally certain. As reported by General Winslow, rumors came in from all directions, but by carefully weighing them the truth became sufficiently manifest to enable me to act with confidence and decision. It is to be regretted now, however, that the hurry of events precluded the use of written orders. In nearly every instance my instructions were given verbally to the division commanders, and by them in turn transmitted verbally to their subordinates. Such written dispatches and orders as were given are preserved in the records pertaining to the Cavalry Corps of the Military Division of the Mississippi, now on file in the Adjutant-General's Office.
In pursuance of my instructions to General Croxton, heretofore recited, Lieut. Col. Henry Harnden, with three officers and 150 men of the First Wisconsin Cavalry, left Macon on the evening of May 6, 1865, and marched rapidly, via Jeffersonville, toward Dublin, on the Oconee River. At Jeffersonville Colonel Harnden left one officer and thirty-five men, with orders to scout the country in all directions for reliable information in regard to the route of Davis' flight. With the balance of his command he continued the march all night and the next day, about 7 p.m. reaching Dublin. During the night and day he had sent out scouts and small parties on all the side roads, in the hope of finding the trail of the party for whom he was looking. Nothing of importance occurred till after he had bivouacked for the night. The white inhabitants of that place expressed entire ignorance and indifference in regard to the movements of important rebels, but were unusually profuse in their offers of hospitality to Colonel Harnden. This, together with the conduct of the colored servants, excited his suspicions, though he gained no valuable intelligence till about midnight, at which time he was informed by a negro man, who went to his camp for that purpose, that Davis with his wife and family had passed through Dublin that day, going south on the river road. The negro reported that the party in question had eight wagons with them, and that another party had gone southward on the other side of the Oconee River. His information seems to have been of the most explicit and circumstantial character. He had heard the lady called Mrs. Davis, and a gentleman spoken of as "President Davis," and said that Mr. Davis had not crossed the <ar103_376> river at the regular ferry with the rest of the party, but had gone about three miles lower down and crossed on a small flat-boat, and rejoined the party with the wagons near the outskirts of the town, and that they had all gone toward the south together. The colored man reported Mr. Davis as mounted upon a fine bay horse, and told his story so circumstantially that Colonel Harnden could not help believing it. The ferryman was called up and examined, but either through stupidity or design, succeeded in withholding whatever he knew in regard to the case. But in view of the facts already elicited, after detailing Lieutenant Lane and sixty men to remain at Dublin, and to scout the country in all directions, Colonel Harnden, at an early hour in the morning, began the pursuit of the party just mentioned. Five miles below Dublin he obtained additional information from a woman which left him no room to doubt that he was on the track of Davis in person. He dispatched a messenger to inform General Croxton of his good fortune, and pushed rapidly in pursuit. The trail led southward through a region of pine forests and cypress, almost uninhabited, and therefore affording no food for either men or horses. The rain began to fall, and as there was no road, the tracks of the wagon wheels upon the sandy soil were soon obliterated. A citizen was pressed and compelled to act as guide till the trail was again discovered. The pursuit was continued with renewed vigor, but, as the wagon tracks were again lost in the swamp bordering on Alligator Creek, the pursuing party were again delayed till a citizen could be found to guide them to the road upon which the trail was again visible. Colonel Harnden reports this day to have been one of great toil to both men and horses. They had marched forty miles through an almost trackless forest, much of the way under the rain, and in water up to their saddle girths. They bivouacked after dark on the borders of Gum Swamp, and during the night were again drenched by rain. Before daylight of the 9th they renewed their march, their route leading almost southwest, through swamp and wilderness, to Brown's Ferry, where they crossed to the south side of the Ocmulgee River. In his anxiety to ferry his command over rapidly, Colonel Harnden allowed the boat to be overloaded. A plank near the bow was sprung loose, causing the boat to leak badly, and, as no means were at hand with which to make repairs, lighter loads had to be carried. This prolonged the crossing nearly two hours. Colonel Harnden learned from the ferryman that the party he was pursuing had crossed about 1 a.m. that morning, and were only a few hours ahead of him on the road leading to Irwinville. At Abbeville, a village of three families, he halted to feed, and just as he was renewing his march he met the advance party of the Fourth Michigan Cavalry, Lieut. Col. B. D. Pritchard commanding, moving on the road from Hawkinsville. Ordering his detachment to continue its march, Colonel Harnden rode to meet Colonel Pritchard, and gave him such information in regard to Davis' movements as he had been able to gather. This was about 3 p.m. After a conversation between these officers, the precise details of which are variously reported, they separated, Colonel Harnden to rejoin his command, already an hour or more in advance, and Colonel Pritchard continuing his march along the south side of the Ocmulgee.
It will be remembered that Colonel Pritchard had begun his march from the vicinity of Macon, on the evening of May 7, under verbal orders given him by General Minty, in pursuance of my instructions. His attention was particularly directed to the crossings of the Ocmulgee River, between Hawkinsville and Jacksonville and the mouth of the Ohoopee, with the object of intercepting Davis and such other rebel chiefs as might be making their way out of the country by the <ar103_377> roads in that region. He had not gone more than three miles before he obtained such additional information in regard to the party as convinced him that it was his duty to join in the pursuit. In this he was clearly right, and had he done otherwise would have been censurable for negligence and want of enterprise. Colonel Harnden having informed him that he had force enough to cope with Davis, Colonel Pritchard determined to march another road, leading to Irwinville by a more circuitous route. Why he did not send a courier on the trail pursued by Colonel Harnden, to notify the latter of his intentions, has not been explained. This would probably have prevented the collision which afterward occurred between his regiment and that of Colonel Harnden, and would not have rendered the capture of Davis less certain. This is not intended to reflect upon the conduct of Colonel Pritchard, for it is believed that this omission was simply an oversight which might have occurred to any confident and zealous officer. In carrying out the plan which he had adopted, Colonel Pritchard selected from his regiment 7 officers and 128 men, and at 4 o'clock began the pursuit, leaving the balance of his regiment under the command of Captain Hathaway, with orders to picket the river and scout the country in accordance with previous instructions. The route pursued by Colonel Pritchard led down the river nearly twelve miles to a point opposite Wilcox's Mill, and thence southwest for a distance of eighteen miles, through the pine forest to Irwinville. He reached this place at 1 a.m. of the 10th, and by representing his command as the rear guard of Davis' party, he succeeded in learning from the citizens that the party which he was searching for had encamped that night at dusk about a mile and a half out on the road toward Abbeville. Having secured a negro guide he turned the head of his column toward that place, and after moving out to within half a mile of the camp, halted, and dismounted twenty-five men under Lieutenant Purinton. This party was directed to move noiselessly through the woods to the north side of the camp, for the purpose of gaining a position in its rear, and preventing the possibility of escape. In case of discovery by the enemy they were directed to begin the attack, from wherever they might be, while Colonel Pritchard would charge upon the camp along the main road. Lieutenant Purinton having reached the point assigned him without an alarm, the attack was delayed till the first appearance of dawn, at which time Colonel Pritchard put his troops in motion, and continued his march to within a few rods of the camp, undiscovered. Having assured himself of his position he dashed upon the camp without delay, and in a few moments had secured its occupants and effects, and placed a guard of mounted men around the camp, with dismounted sentries at the tents and wagons. No resistance was offered, because the enemy had posted no sentries, and were, therefore, taken completely by surprise. Almost simultaneously with this dash of Colonel Pritchard and his detachment, sharp firing began in the direction of Abbeville and only a short distance from the camp. This turned out to be an engagement between the party under Lieutenant Purinton and the detachment of the First Wisconsin Cavalry, which, it seems, had followed the rebel trail the night before till it was no longer distinguishable in the dark, had gone into camp only two or three miles behind the party they had been pursuing so long, and had renewed the pursuit as soon as they could see to march. Both Colonel Pritchard and Colonel Harnden were informed that Davis had been reported as having with him a well armed body guard of picked men, variously estimated at from ten to fifty. They therefore expected desperate resistance, and hence in the collision which occurred the men of both detachments seemed <ar103_378> inspired by the greatest courage and determination. It was several moments before either party discovered that they were fighting our own people instead of the enemy. In this unfortunate affair two men of the Fourth Michigan were killed, and one officer wounded, while three men of the First Wisconsin were severely and several slightly wounded.
It is difficult under the circumstances as detailed to perceive how this accident could have been avoided. Colonel Harnden certainly had no means of knowing and no reason to suspect that time party whom he had found in his front were any other than the rebels he had been pursuing, while Colonel Pritchard claims that he had cautioned Lieutenant Purinton particularly to keep a sharp lookout for the First Wisconsin, which he knew would approach from that direction. The hurry with which my command was subsequently mustered out of service and the absence of the principal officers prevented an investigation of the details of this affair and the circumstances which led to it. At this late day nothing more can be said of them than what is contained in the official documents already submitted, except that not the slightest blame was ever intended to be cast by me upon Colonel Harnden, as seems to have been assumed by the commission convened by the Secretary of War for the purpose of awarding the prize offered for the capture of Davis. During the firing of the skirmish just referred to the adjutant of the Fourth Michigan, Lieut. J. G. Dickinson, after having looked to the security of the rebel camp and sent forward a number of the men who had straggled, was about to go to the front himself when his attention was called by one of the men to three persons in female attire who had apparently just left one of the large tents near by and were moving toward the thick woods. He started at once toward them and called out "halt!" but not hearing him or not caring to obey they continued to move off. Just then they were confronted by three men under direction of Corporal Munger, coming from the opposite direction. The corporal recognized one of the persons as Davis, advanced carbine, and demanded his surrender. The three persons halted, and by the actions of the two who afterward turned out to be women, all doubt as to the identity of the third person was removed. The individuals thus arrested were found to be Miss Howell, Mrs. Davis, and Jefferson Davis. As they walked back to the tent from which they had tried to escape, Lieutenant Dickinson observed that Davis' high-top boots were not covered by his disguise, which fact probably led to his recognition by Corporal Munger. As the friends of Davis have strenuously denied that he was disguised as a woman, it may not be improper to specify the exact articles of women's apparel which he had upon him when first seen by Lieutenant Dickinson and Corporal Munger. The former states that he "was one of the three persons dressed in woman's attire," and had "a black mantle wrapped about his head, through the top of which could be seen locks of his hair." Capt. G. W. Lawton, Fourth Michigan Cavalry, who published an account of the capture in the Atlantic Monthly of September, 1865, states explicitly, upon the testimony of the officers present, that Davis, in addition to his full suit of Confederate gray, had on "a lady's water-proof cloak, gathered at the waist, with a shawl drawn over the head, and carrying a tin pail." Colonel Pritchard says, in his official report, that he received from Mrs. Davis, on board the steamer Clyde, off Fortress Monroe, a water-proof cloak or robe, which was worn by Davis as a disguise, and which was identified by the men who saw it on him at the time of the capture. He secured the balance of the disguise the next day. It consisted of shawl, which was identified in a similar manner by both Mrs. Davis <ar103_379> and the men. From these circumstances there seems to be no doubt whatever that Davis sought to avoid capture by assuming the dress of a woman or that the ladies of the party endeavored to pass him off upon his captors as one of themselves [boldface mine].
In addition to Davis and his family, Colonel Pritchard captured, at the same time, John H. Reagan, the rebel Postmaster-General; Col. B. N. Harrison, private secretary; Colonels Lubbock and Johnston, aides-de-camp to Davis; four inferior officers, and thirteen private soldiers, besides Miss Howell, two waiting maids, and several colored servants. As soon as breakfast could be prepared Colonel Pritchard, preceded by Colonel Harnden, began his march, with prisoners and wagons, for Macon, about 120 miles to the northwest of Irwinville. The next day he met a courier with copies of the President's proclamation offering a reward of $100,000 for the capture of Davis. This proclamation had been received and promulgated by me on the 9th, and hence the officers and men in pursuit of Davis were in no way inspired by the promise it contained. They performed their part from a higher sense of duty, and too much praise cannot be awarded to Colonels Pritchard and Harnden and the officers and men of their regiments who participated in the pursuit. Colonel Pritchard arrived at Macon on the 13th and reported at once with his prisoners at corps headquarters. Arrangements had already been made, under instructions from the Secretary of War, for forwarding Davis to the North, via Atlanta, Augusta, and Savannah. Colonel Pritchard, with a detachment of his regiment, was directed to deliver his prisoners safely into the custody of the Secretary of War. I also placed in his charge the person of James B. Clay, jr.,(*) for whose arrest a reward had also been offered by the President. Mr. Clay surrendered himself to me at Macon about the 11th of May, having informed me by telegraph from Western Georgia the day before that he would start for my headquarters without delay. A.H. Stephens was arrested by General Upton at Crawfordsville about the same time and also placed in charge of Colonel Pritchard. Brevet Major-General Upton was charged with making the necessary arrangements for forwarding the prisoners and escort safely to Savannah, in the department of General Gillmore. These arrangements were successfully carried out and the prisoners delivered at Fortress Monroe for safe-keeping on the 22d of May. My command had also arrested Mr. Mallory, the rebel Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Hill, senator, and Joseph E. Brown, Governor of Georgia. Breckinridge and Toombs managed to escape by traveling alone and as rapidly as possible, the former having passed through Tallahassee, Fla., only a few hours before the arrival of General McCook at that place."
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