"A Spellbinding Tale Of The Last Days Of The Confederacy." —David J. Eicher, author of The Longest Night
In the only book to tell the definitive story of Confederate President Jefferson Davis's chase, capture, imprisonment, and release, journalist and Civil War writer Clint Johnson paints a riveting portrait of one of American history's most complex and enduring figures.
"Riveting And Revealing." —Marc Leepson, author of Desperate Engagement
In the vulnerable weeks following the end of the war and Abraham Lincoln's assassination, some in President Andrew Johnson's administration burned to exact revenge against Jefferson Davis. Amid charges of conspiracy to murder Lincoln and treason against the Union, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton ordered cavalry after Davis. After a chase through North and South Carolina and Georgia, Davis was captured. The former United States senator and Mexican War hero was imprisoned for two years in Fortress Monroe, Virginia, where he was subjected to torture and humiliation—yet he was never brought to trial.
"Engaging. . .Vivid, Fresh, And Entertaining." —Chris Hartley, author of Stuart's Tarheels
With a keen eye for period detail, as well as a Southerner's insight, Johnson sheds new light on Davis's time on the run, his treatment while imprisoned, his surprising release from custody, and his later travels, in this fascinating account of a defining episode of the Civil War.
"Compelling. . .an indispensable volume for any Civil War library." —Daniel W. Barefoot, author of Let Us Die Like Brave Men
"One Of The Most Fascinating And Overlooked Dramas In Civil War History." —Rod Gragg, author of Covered With Glory