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Jefferson Davis is captured...
Jefferson Davis is captured...
Item # 705686
May 14, 1865
NEW YORK TIMES, May 14, 1865
* Jefferson Davis captured (1st report)
* Irwinville, Irwin County, Georgia
A very historic issue with larger column heads than typical: "GLORIOUS ! " "JEFF. DAVIS CAPTURED" "Official Announcement by Secretary Stanton" "Davis and His Family Surprised at Irwinsville" "The Fourth Michigan Cavalry are the Fortunate Boys" "They Surround the Arch Rebel at Daylight on Wednesday" "Nearly All of Davis' Personal Staff Captured" with more.
Nice to have in this venerable newspaper title.
Eight pages, some minor staining and wear to the upper left corner, otherwise good condition.
AI notes: The capture of Confederate President Jefferson Davis occurred in May of 1865, near Irwinville, Georgia, marking a symbolic end to the Confederate government after the Civil War. Following the fall of Richmond on April 3 and General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, Davis fled south with a small entourage, hoping to reach the Trans-Mississippi or possibly escape abroad to continue resistance. Union cavalry units from the 4th Michigan and 1st Wisconsin regiments finally cornered Davis at a campsite near Irwinville, where a brief and confused skirmish erupted between Union troops themselves in the early morning darkness. Davis was captured while attempting to flee, reportedly wearing a shawl or cloak, a detail later exaggerated into claims he was disguised as a woman—an accusation used to ridicule him in the Northern press. He was imprisoned at Fort Monroe, Virginia, for two years under harsh conditions and charged with treason, though he was never brought to trial; in 1868, he was released on bail, and in 1869 the federal government dropped the charges, effectively closing the final legal chapter of the Confederacy’s collapse.
Category: Post-Civil War
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