The Long Surrender: The Collapse of the Confederacy & the Flight of Jefferson Davis

by Burke Davis

A panoramic history of the collapse of the Confederacy.

Genres: History, Civil War, American Civil War, Nonfiction, War, American History, Biography

319 pages, Paperback

First published February 12, 1985

Reviews

[Bill FromPA · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

– The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance


Given the many virtues of this book, I can’t justify giving it less than three stars, but I have serious problems with its historical interpretation.
The main thread of this book is the story of Jefferson Davis from the fall of Richmond in 1865 through his death in 1889. Interspersed with the story of the Confederate president’s flight, capture, imprisonment, parole, pardon, and subsequent career, Burke Davis also tells the stories of the post-war lives of other leaders of the Confederate States of America, along with vignettes relating to the collapse of the Southern government. The author handles his large cast of characters skillfully, delineating both major and minor characters with the skill of a novelist.
Underlying the events being narrated is a shadow story: how the military defeat of the Confederacy and the failure of succession became the story of The Lost Cause, a narrative depicting the South as fighting for the worthiest cause in the conflict and fielding the better army, from the top generals down to the enlisted men, suffering defeat only through a series of chances which went against them, on which the North with its advantage in numbers and industrial might was able to capitalize. The problem with this 1985 book is that Burke Davis does not just chronicle the rise of this myth and its eventual acceptance by both north and south as the actual history of the conflict, he also accepts the truth of the Lost Cause narrative. This leads him to repeat the canard about “states’ rights” rather than the perpetuation of slavery as the primary cause of Southern succession, and to accept a discredited view of Reconstruction as “a subjugated South ruled by carpetbaggers and ex-slaves” (pg. 110).
Perhaps because of this embrace of the Lost Cause story, Davis has written a white people’s history of the collapse of the Confederacy, with only a few mentions of slavery and little mention of the experiences of suddenly liberated ex-slaves. The only named African-American characters are servants, slaves, and dependents of the Jefferson Davis household; unlike the sharply etched portraits of the many white characters, the characterization of these barely rises above stereotypes of dedicated servitude.
If you want to read an engaging true-life narrative of a fall from power and its aftermath, populated with a score of memorable characters, The Long Surrender gets my qualified recommendation. But for the history, go to James McPherson for the Civil War and its causes and John Hope Franklin or Eric Foner for Reconstruction.

[Jeffrey Bloomfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

May 10, 1865. It's not a date that many of us are familiar with - not like April 9, 1865, when Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant, nor April 14/15 1865, which marked the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and his final hours the next morning (at 7:22 A.M., in the Peterson House across the street from Ford's Theater). Yet most Southern born whites are aware of May 10th. On that day, more than when Lee surrendered (or when Joe Johnston Surrendered to William Sherman on April 26, 1865) a dream finally ended in Irwinsville, Georgia. It was the final minutes of the existence of the government of the Confederate States of America, when it's leader Jefferson Davis was captured by Yankee soldiers on patrol. To most of the nation it was like a final squib in a noisy, bloody war, and soon many would be screaming for the trial and conviction of Davis for high treason, and his (in Northern eyes) execution. This book by Burke Davis covers the events of April - May 1865 from Davis' perspective, and also his post-Civil War career. It is a fascinating story in it's own right.

Davis was one of the most prolific southern historians writing on the American Civil War, and while reading this book one can see he is repeating a few of the anecdotes he put into other volumes he wrote on subjects like Sherman's Atlanta Campaign and march to the sea. But Davis is always an interesting anecdotist, so wondering through is books and finding the cadence and points of his repeated stories is like finding an old friend again. By the way Burke Davis was not a relative (as far as I know) of Jefferson Davis, but he was capable of getting the story correct to past down to present day readers.

We have to back-track a little, to April 2, 1865. That day Davis was attending Church when he got word that General Lee had to retreat from a previously held position at "Five Forks", due to a breakthrough there by Federal Cavalry under Major General Philip Sheridan and Major General Gouveneur Morris the previous day. Had Five Forks held the still existing stalemate on the Petersburg line against the Union would have continued, but it didn't. Lee's sad message was that he advised Davis and the Confederate Government to vacate the capital at Richmond, as it was no longer tenable for the Army of Northern Virginia to protect the capital. Davis hastily called together his cabinet, and informed them of the disaster, and that he was going to flee Richmond with the Confederate treasury, and archives, and advised them to do the same. They agreed to do so, and that afternoon Davis and his wife Varina and their family left Richmond for the last time in the war. With them were several hundred thousand dollars in Confederate gold, and some other major figures of the government, including Secretary of State Judah Benjamin. Orders were also given to torch all military stores in Richmond so that the Union forces could not use them - but (as in the case with Atlanta the previous fall) the fires got out of control and many non-government dwellings were burnt as well. Two days afterwards, Abraham Lincoln accompanied by his son Tad and Admiral David Dixon Porter toured Richmond (and Lincoln would actually spend an hour in Davis's Richmond "White House", sitting at Davis's desk).

When Davis fled Richmond he knew that Lee cold only slow down his own inevitable surrender to the forces of Grant, thus buying Davis some time to get as far away as possible. By this time Lee felt the war was basically finished, but he figured that Davis (due to his notoriety as head of the Confederate Government) could use the chance to flee the country. He really under-estimated his former chief. Davis knew that there was a large pair of armies in North Carolina under Joseph Johnston, Pierre Beauregard, and William Hardee, plus still large forces in Alabama under Davis' old brother - in - law, General Richard Taylor, and a final large army under Edmund Kirby Smith in Texas. Davis felt that as long as he was active and on the move he could stir these forces to continue the fight, until he could reorganize the still willing Confederate supporters to form guerilla armies in the mountains and hills of the West. Now today we sought of dismiss this idea as a hopeless pipe dream of President Davis. War weariness was sweeping the entire South after four years of active struggle for independence. In 1862-63 there were some moments (following Lee's victories in Virginia, and even Bragg's victory at Chickamauga) when the Confederates almost had victory in their grasp. But for every Second Manassas there was an Antietam Creek, for every Chancellorsville there was a Gettysburg, and for that close victory at Chickamauga there was a devastating Chattanooga Campaign a few months later. Those pendulum swings became bigger and bigger, and chances of final Confederate recovery less and less. Also Davis forgot that while such fighters as John Singleton Mobley proved that guerilla warfare could be honorable when conducted by a fair fighter, to most Southerners the term "Guerilla" suggested criminal types like William Quantrill of Missouri. Davis' hopes were so desperate that they may never have been likely to have succeeded to begin with.

He soon learned this for himself when he met Johnston, Beauregard, and Hardee in Carolina. It must have been galling to Davis to meet Johnston and Beauregard at all at a time like this. His history of dealing with Joseph Eggleston Johnston had always been prickly, and one can say the fault was not entirely Davis's (although his own egotism certainly did not help matters). Both had argued over strategy from day one of the war, Johnston had been opposing Sherman through most of 1864 in Georgia, and had proved an able opponent to the latter (as a curious result both men ended up highly respecting each other's military abilities, and became close friends after the war ended). But Johnson tried to avoid a formal fight with Sherman until he could pick the right location for the battle for his own advantage. Davis got tired of his "fabian" tactics, and in August 1864 replaced Joe with John Bell Hood. Hood was a believer in attacking at all costs - as a result, Atlanta (which Johnston had successfully prevented from falling to Sherman all through the summer of 1864) fell to Sherman's troops on September 2, 1864, after a series of bloody battles the Confederates could not afford to lose. Johnston was on a sideline for months, while watching Hood destroy the Army of Tennessee in a doomed campaign in that state at the battles of Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville. The small remnants of that army were now under Johnston, Beauregard, and Hardee in North Carolina, and two of the commanders there had little patience with Davis in terms of his military ideas. Beauregard too had been demoted and pushed about after some public rows with Davis, and while he and Johnston were rarely in agreement on strategy they both were determined not to listen to any ideas by the Confederate President. Hardee had never disagreed with Davis, but he followed the leads of the other two commanders.

After a few days with Johnston (who told Davis that he would be asking Sherman for surrender terms as soon as possible), Davis left to get into Georgia, and hopefully turn west towards Alabama and then Texas. While in Carolina he lost two of his major Cabinet figures: Judah Benjamin and Secretary of War John C Breckenridge. Both felt they should head for the coast and possible passage to Cuba by blockade runner. Both made it, and Benjamin ended up (eventually) in England. He would soon begin a new career there returning to his own first love, the law. Passing through the Inns of Court there, Benjamin (although in his 50s) was soon a junior barrister on some cases involving corporate law. His big chance occurred in 1866 (less that a year after his arrival and beginning of cramming at an inn of court). The case he was on dealt with the cargo of a ship and some arcane point of law regarding manifests. Suddenly listening to the discussion in the British court, Benjamin realized he had argued a case identical to it some twenty years earlier in America - before the U.S. Supreme Court). Frantically he forced his senior barrister to stop talking and explained that he know how to resolve the problem. This sort of behavior was rarely heard in British courts, but the flustered senior barrister told the Lord Justice that Mr. Benjamin insisted on being heard. Judah proceeded to explain what had been determined in the 1853 case he handled, and it was on the mark as good law. Only one confusion for "M'lud" - he had to get clarification of the court hearing the earlier case. In 1866 British courts rarely heard references to "the United States Supreme COurt". Judah explained it to the satisfaction of the justice, and the case was won by Judah for his client. It made the man. By the time he retired in 1880 (and there are nice photos of the smiling Judah Benjamin wearing the traditional wigs of British courts) Judah was one of the leading figures of the British bar, and had authored a treatise (still in print, by the way) on commercial paper. Only one thing was denied to him - regretfully. The U.S. government refused to allow the British government to make Judah a justice. But when he retired the entire British legal establishment would give him a hugely attended farewell dinner (which is a great and rare honor).
As for Breckenridge, he would get away to Europe too, but in the late 1860s returned to the U.S., and eventually returned to live out his last years (he died in 1875) in his native Kentucky.

Davis had sent Varina and their children ahead from North Carolina, and caught up with them in Georgia. But the dangers were increasing as there were more and more Yankee patrols. Furthermore Davis was widely suspected of being involved in the murder of President Lincoln (Davis was still highly critical of Lincoln's war policies, but he felt that Booth's actions were more harmful for the South than the actor-assassin thought; Davis felt Lincoln would have been more generous to the South than either President Andrew Johnson (an old foe on the U.S. Senate floor from the period before Mississippi seceded from the Union) or Secretary of War Edward Stanton). Davis was still hoping he would avoid capture and get to Alabama and finally Texas for a final stand to save the Confederacy. But on May 10, 1865 a patrol caught up with Davis and his party. Unfortunately for his reputation, Davis put on a shawl that belonged to Varina when he was captured. Rumors would circulate that Davis was captured wearing his wife's dress! Images of the cross-dressing (apparently cowardly) Davis were widely circulated in the North. It seemed like the final nail on his public persona.

He was taken to Fortress Monroe in Virginia as a prisoner, put into the hands of Northern Cavalry general Nelson Miles. Miles saw to it that Davis was force to wear fetters and chains as he was seriously being considered for a treason trial. Davis (who suffered from several illnesses, such as neuralgia) began physically sufferring. He was visited by some distinguished people, and they started complaining of this treatment. Miles quickly relaxed the regimen. Soon the public began pressing the government about when Davis would stand trial. He was brought up on treason charges, but then his bail was paid by some distinguished Northerners, Horace Greeley and Commodore Vanderbilt among them. Released on bail, Davis went back to his family. I may add that there never was any treason trial. It was 1867 and the split between President Johnson and the Radical Republicans ended any possible cooperation on a treason trial (indeed, within a year, Andrew Johnson would be facing impeachment and possible removal from office). Also there was backlash about the harsh fate of Mrs. Mary Surratt at the Lincoln Conspiracy Trial in May to July 1865, ending in her execution. Mrs. Surratt's trial was a military tribunal, but in 1867 her son John was returned to the U.S. to face a trial regarding his involvement. it was a civilian trial. It ended in a hung jury. The times had changed.

Davis returned to Mississippi and his still existing plantation. He would be involved in some attempts at being a business man, and also he would write his own study of his involvement in the Civil War. Burke Davis also suggests that the ex-President may have also had an affair with the wife of a close friend. His life would end in 1889, but a year or so prior to his death he toured Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia, and everywhere he went the crowds of White Southerners cheered him. Even if one disagrees with Davis's still fully active racist support for first Slavery and then Jim Crow, one has a sense that it was nice for him to be still a hero to millions of his fellow southerners. There were (of course) carping critics. Johnston and Beauregard never stopped attacking him for major policy and military mistakes they disagreed with him on. Also there were Northerners. One memorable moment involved the nephew of the Bulloch brothers of Atlanta, active Confederate agents. The nephew had been born in 1858 and lived with his southern mother and northern father in New York City, and had grown up to be something of a politician and historian. In a memorable newspaper squabble Davis defended himself and his reputation from the young man's claims that he was a traitor. Davis felt he had always been faithful to his real country, the Confederacy. The young man disagreed to the end - and would later learn what it was to be a President in his own right. His name was Theodore Roosevelt.

Davis died in 1889. His reputation has been clouded again because of his stands regarding slavery and Jim Crow, which is unfortunate, and for his failures as a leader when measured against Lincoln's. But people like Lincoln are extremely rare in history, and even he has been knocked about for not being in the forefront of seeking racial equality from the start of the period that he was a political figure. Davis, given his strong will, his character flaws, his moral inflexibility, did not do a totally uncreditable job as President of the Confederate States. It was just he was not Lincoln. The Burke Davis volume is a good place to take another look at this fascinating if flawed man, and see how with his back to the wall in April 1865 he really tried to keep a momentum under the government he presided over.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Downfall: Confederate Edition." A fast paced, exciting, manhunt as the world crumbles.

Davis' 1985 history of the final days of the Confederate government focuses mostly on the flight of Jefferson Davis, his family, and his entourage with oodles of Confederate gold. While Davis does spend some time on other prominent Confederates during the final days (including Lee, firebrand Edmund Ruffin, and CSA Cabinet members), the real focus is on Jeff Davis' flight and his attempts to stay up to date on the war and keep it (and the government) going despite nearly everyone realizing it was lost. That they're carrying hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold and silver just makes it all the more interesting.

The narrative is energetic, with multiple direct quotations and quotes that help propel things along and it reads very similarly to James Swanson's "Manhunt" which told the history of the hunt for John Wilkes Booth (which took place at the same time).

A fascinating element is how long it took Davis to finally realize that the war was lost and could not be effectively prosecuted any longer in any capacity. At one point, Davis tries to rally a group of Confederates to defend his entourage from possible Union cavalry and a young private says words to the effect of "We value our lives just as highly as you value yours. We're going home."

The book also chronicles in great detail Davis' capture by Union forces, harsh treatment immediately thereafter, eventual return to society and attempts to forge a new post-war life. As with all post-Civil War history, the conflict between the Lincolnian "let em up easy" and the Johnsonian "treason must be made odious" schools of thought is ever present and author Davis does a fine job weaving both views into his coda.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wonder what happened to various Confederate leaders after the Civil War? Maybe, maybe not. But if so, this is the book to read. Author Burke Davis tells an interesting story about the fates of Jefferson Davis, Judah Benjamin, and other officials. There are even cameo appearances by Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and O. Henry (really!).

The Confederate cabinet fled Richmond by train the night it fell, and continued to run from Federal pursuers through the Carolinas and Georgia. Davis and some otheres were caught in Georgia; sonme like Breckenridge and Benjamin made it to Florida and eventually Cuba, after some Hollywood-like adventures. Benjamin ended up in England and enjoyed a prosperous career as a lawyer.

Davis ended up in chains (quite needlessly) in Fort Monroe, his jailer being General Nelson Miles, more well-known for fighting Indians in the West. Miles does not come across very well. He inflicted what Davis called "petty tortures," such as the chains, and it's hard to disagree with that.

Davis was eventually released, of course, as were other arrested officials. Only Henry Wirz, the commander of the notorious Confederate prison Andersonville, was convicted and executed - for war crimes, not treason. The Confederates' post-Civil War careers were all, to varying degrees, interesting and successful. Some went into business, some wrote books, some fled to Mexico to start anew.

An interesting and well-written account that Civil War buffs should enjoy.

[Cateline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burke Davis is one of the historians that is able to make history interesting, and tell it in a sometimes non-linear fashion that satisfies. This is the story of Confederate President Jefferson Davis's long journey to surrender, and his final acceptance of that fate. General Lee had already surrendered at Appomattox, it was obvious to all that the War was lost to the South. But Davis still had hopes of running a war from Texas or Mexico, and finally winning. This book is the story of his long journey, both physical and emotional to capture and acceptance. We learn of his cabinet members fates, his family and supporters as well.

The book talks about how the War was actually fought over States Rights, not slavery as purported by many. I can't put my finger on it atm, but there is a quote to the effect that with good Congressional debate the War could have been avoided all together. I've heard that before, and I believe it. Most of the men "in charge" really didn't want a war, they wanted peaceful resolution, but the hotheads took over. That's hotheads in both the North and the South.

Recommended.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read Davis' biography of Robert E. Lee previously and liking it, I snapped this one up upon finding it at a book sale. It wasn't disappointing.

This is the story of the end of the Confederate States of America and the beginning of reconciliation. It starts with the fall of Richmond, Lee's surrender and the flight of the Confederate cabinet. It continues to detail the fates of the leadership and their families, focusing primarily on President Jefferson Davis. Then, with his capture in Georgia, it details his two years in prison and his life after release, contrasting his views of post-war America with those of General Lee.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Audiobook) (3.5 stars) This work looks at the final days of the Confederacy and the last couple of chapters of the life of Jefferson Davis. The President of the Confederacy, this work sees Jeff Davis overseeing the final destruction of the Confederacy, no matter how much he tried to will it otherwise. The decentralized nature of the CSA, along with its religious adherence to the supremacy of the white race, eliminating the ability to mobilize and use the 10 million slaves as potential armed troops to counter the Union, ensure that by 1865, the CSA had no viable path to survival. Thus, Jeff Davis, along with many others in the CSA hierarchy, fled Richmond to escape the Union Forces.

While some did manage to escape the US for Mexico, Cuba and South America, Davis was not among them. He was captured (not wearing women’s clothes) and imprisoned, with the expectation that he would face inevitable execution. Yet, the US could not bring themselves to do that. Despite the Radical Republicans in power, Davis did somehow engender enough sympathy (mainly by reports of his less-than-honorable treatment in prison) to escape the gallows. While he would never regain his pre-war prominence, Davis did end his life as a revered figure by more Americans than should have done so.

Ultimately, this work tries to keep a neutral veneer about the man, but it is still mind-boggling that Davis, perhaps the most prominent of all the CSA traitors, did not face execution. Only the Commandant of Andersonville would see that fate. Yet, Davis was the leader and sworn enemy of an entity that would seek the destruction of the Union. Hard to accept that treason is a crime if someone like him escape justice. Few others in his shoes would do so.

While generally an engaging account, the audiobook narrator doesn’t seem to help this work. It comes across a little muffled, and while the gruff speech does befit the Civil War era, I think this is a case that the hard-copy/Kindle would work a bit better than the audiobook. Still, some lessons, good and bad, can be taken from this work.

[Brian Manville · Rating 3 out of 5]

The end of the Civil War is generally portrayed as wrapping up in a nice, tidy fashion with the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox. However, there is, as the late Paul Harvey used to say, "the rest of the story." Burke Davis tells that long, sad, and sordid trail.

The battle outside Richmond focuses the Confederate government to flee with its important papers, officials, and its hard money. The resulting train ride, and later horseback ride, is retold in detail. At times (with over 150 years of hindsight), it becomes a very pitiable exodus. At its heart, Jefferson Davis refuses to surrender to the Union Army and firmly believes that there are still 40,000 southerns out there who will rise up at this late hour to support him. His delusion is perhaps the saddest part of this story. You can literally see him going though the stages of grief until he finally decides - albeit too late - to just run for his life.

His imprisonment at Fort Monroe in Virginia slowly begins the process of redemption as he is almost immediately chained up despite being completely emaciated due to the vengeful hearts of radical Republicans. Over the years, Davis comes to be seen as a source of southern pride and not revolt in the eyes of people on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. Although technically unreconstructed (he never sought to regain his citizenship), he continued to exhibit a gentlemanly grace as well as undying love for his wife Varina.

This book serves well to fill in that part of post-Civil War history usually dominated by the carpetbaggers and Reconstruction. It is a book that deserves to be given its place in that history.

BOTTOM LINE: Essential reading for Civil War historians.

[Mark Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers the time from just before the end of the Civil War to the roughly the death of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy. The first part of the books focuses on Davis’s attempt to escape capture from the U.S. government. It was interesting reading it now, when so many of the statues and monuments of the Confederate generals and leaders are being toppled. I got the sense (maybe incorrectly) that the author had an affinity for the Confederates and their “Lost Cause.” He definitely seemed to appreciate Robert E. Lee, a man who was a traitor to the country and fought to protect slavery. There was a section of the book dedicated to the building and unveiling of Lee’s grotesque statue in Richmond, Virginia. Why should a traitor and loser and a racist get a statue? It’s bizarre. It’s strange, but in some ways it feels like the Civil War still lingers with us today. Overall, I enjoyed the book. I’m interested in U.S. history. It feels like the mythology around the “Lost Cause” may finally be put to rest.

[Natalie Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing!!!

Imo, it got off to a little of a slow start, but a few chapters in I was not wanting to set it down. The author did an amazing job of making history come to life. It is full of original quotes, and contains a 16 page section of bibliographical notes. I learned a LOT reading this book and now want to read more by this author.

My only complaints are a few words that needed marked out (nothing extreme) and some content. There was multiple mentions of suicide, and a scandalous gossip story was shared which I would have rather had left out.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book!

[Tim Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good. I think my enjoyment of it was hurt because I read An Honorable Defeat: The Last Days of the Confederate Government recently and I found that book to be the better of the two. Still if you are looking for an account of the final days of the Confederacy and the capture of Jefferson Davis, this book will meet that bill.

[Red Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history tracking how the South lost, and why, and, based on the DeVoto poem below, how close many in the South think that war was:

The whisper of a great Perhaps
Almost...four hours in
Hampton Roads
a shot in the spring dusk at
Chancellorsville..
Spindthrift blown back from
where the high tide broke
on Cemetery Ridge.
A passionate if! sleeps
uneasily in the grandson's blood.

[Dennis Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished The Long Surrender by Burke Davis, the 1985 account of the last days of the Confederacy and the attempted escape of its leaders from Richmond in the closing days of the Civil War. An interesting read that helps explain the persistence of the Lost Cause aspect of rationalizing the Confederate Cause and its impact down to this day.

[D. Wickles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about the last days of Jefferson Davis and the Confederacy. In school you learn that the Union defeated the Confederacy but what happened afterward is glossed over. Very informative book.

[Phillip Steinmetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting account of the fall of the Confederate government and the flight and capture of Jefferson Davis. Was very easy to read and the text flowed into a novel-like narrative. 10/10 Would highly recommend to history buffs especially those interested in the Civil War and postwar years.

[Sekhar N Banerjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read

An excellent account of the later years of the key characters of Confederacy. Though little bit tiring with details, I enjoyed reading the book.

[John Burnham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the last 100 pages but had a hard time getting there.

[Reggiefras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burke Davis is a good Civil War writer. Enjoyable!!!

[Yves · Rating 2 out of 5]

For those who don’t mind anecdotes.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting! An aspect of the Civil War that I knew absolutely nothing about. Readable, and well-organized.

[Robert Woodman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried and tried, but I couldn't finish it. It wasn't engaging or interesting to me.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An introspective look at an obstinate man and those who stood by him even after most realized the Civil War was over. Well worth the read.

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a thoroughly researched and arresting tale of what happened to Confederate President Jeff Davis and his Cabinet following President Lincoln's assassination and General Lee's surrender to General Grant at Appomattox.

It was a good book to follow up "The Team of Rivals," to fill in the contemporaneous goings-on in the secessionist states.

I would give it four stars, but I found some of the author's phraseology a bit distracting in places, forcing me to reread sections from time to time.... although to be fair, my new progressive lenses might have played a role in that.

[Joshua]

Enjoyable history of end of the Confederate government and the return to civilian life of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and various members of the Confederate cabinet. The more I read about the War Between the States, the more I appreciate its immense tragedy. I can also understand the long standing appreciation felt towards these individuals long after their death---a far more nuanced portrait than was depicted in my (Northern) childhood education.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting story on the end of the Confederacy but the tale of Jefferson Davis and his escape party only takes up the first half of the book. The second part, about Davis's captivity and the ultimate fates of the Confederacy's leading lights, is interesting but doesn't have the same fast-paced readability and just feels like padding.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

During the last days of the Civil War, Lee was fighting a losing battle with lack of equipment and a starving army. The only thing holding the army was the loyalty of his men to Marse Lee. When he did surrender, Confederate President Jefferson Davis fled Richmond seeking safety leading Union troops on a prolonged chase.

[Lenny Herman · Rating 2 out of 5]

"the old man" for 25 years this author referred to Davis as "the old man. Was this to make the reader feel sorry or sympathetic to the fool.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, exciting, and interesting--a part of civil war history that most authors ignore. This book examines the enigma of Jefferson Davis but leaves the reader to make conclusions about his personality and ability. Lots of history and challenging ideas.

[Jeff Crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

We tend to think of the war ending at Appomatax Courthouse. I was totally unaware of the attempts by the confederate politicians to escape and preserve their treasury. This reads like an exciting chase as the politicians fled south.

[Bill]

Wow! Burke Davis is (was) an incredible writer, researcher, and historian. I sprained my wrist turning pages and did not even notice until Jefferson Davis was captured 100 pages later. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in the Civil War.