Confederacy Collapses: Davis Captured by Union Troops
Union cavalry captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis near Irwinville, Georgia, on May 10, 1865, ending his attempt to flee south after the fall of Richmond. Davis had hoped to reach the Trans-Mississippi Department and continue the war from Texas. He was captured wearing his wife's shawl over his shoulders, which Northern newspapers gleefully distorted into claims he had been disguised in women's clothing. Davis was imprisoned at Fort Monroe, Virginia, for two years, including several months in leg irons. He was indicted for treason but never tried; the government feared a trial might raise constitutional questions about secession and acquit him. He was released on bail in 1867. He never regained citizenship, which was posthumously restored by Congress in 1978.
May 10, 1865
161 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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