STANLY COUNTY, NC - HOFFMAN - Civil War Stories - The Capture of Jeff Davis
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From the Notebook of Lilly Carter Hoffman:
(1965)
 
Part of the address of R. Lane Brown September 5, 1925 upon the occasion of 
the unveiling of the Confederate Monument dedicated to the memory of Stanly's 
Veterans of the Sixties:
page 13 of the "History of the Albemarle Chapter, United Daughters of the 
Confederacy from 1906 to 1932."
 
"When Richmond was about to be destroyed, Jeff Davis with his staff retreated 
to Danville and from Greensboro and on through North Carolina in company with 
his wife and young daughter, Winnie Davis and crossed the Yadkin River at or 
near Swift Island. Mr. Henry Mills grandfather of Bill Lentz, put the party 
across the river and President Davis handed him a dollar. This dollar was kept 
by Mr. Mills for a long time but was destroyed when his house burned. 
President Davis was clothed in the Confederate gray uniform and any report 
that he was clothed in the wearing apparel of a woman in oder to diguise 
himself, is a vile slander of the whole cloth. President Davis passed through 
North and South Carolina and was captured in Georgia. His identity was 
disclosed by a negro man who met the company in a road and heard some members 
of the same speak to President Davis and call his name. The man rushed into 
town and informed the Federal Soldiers. Detachments were sent out in search of 
President Davis and one squad came upon his company about 2 o'clock in the 
morning. Upon arriving there, they observed three forms moving in the darkness 
and upon being halted, it was discovered that it was President Davis, his wife 
and daughter. The President wore a raincoat and had a woman's shawl wrapped 
around his head. Otherwise he was clothed in Confederate gray. Hence, no 
doubt, arises the slanderous report that Jefferson Davis, the brave and true 
patriot of a great cause, was disguised in a woman's apparel for the purpose 
of preventing his identity. At the time of his capture, Jefferson Davis had a 
walking cane, the handle of which was made of deer horn, having been killed by 
him. Being a little excited, he dropped his cane and his old negro servant by 
the name of Jones picked it up and concealed it under his long coat. Jefferson 
Davis was carried to Fort Monroe and imprisoned, and while on the way there a 
stop was made one night. The President and his servant, who was taken with 
him, were put into the same room at a hotel. President Davis paced the room 
most of the night. During the night the officer in charge came to the room and 
Jones asked permission to give the walking cane to the President, which was 
granted. This incident was related to me by a friend of mine living in 
Salisbury who had talked with Jones. I might add that his cane later came into 
possession of Jones and he presented it to the North Carolina Historical 
Society.
My friend also told me that this old man, this same servanty, related to him 
that when Richmond was about to fall, President Davis had all the gold coins, 
which was thirteen million dollars, put in some nail kegs and placed in a 
railroad car with some horses and sent to Charleston. Jones was also put in 
the car with the purpose of looking after the horses, the horses being put in 
as a blind. The old man says that the money was safely delivered to 
Charleston, but after he turned it over to the officers, he doesn't know what 
became of it, except tradition says that it was buried between Charleston and 
Columbia but Jones discounts this part of the story.
At the request of President Davis, this old servant placed the great seal of 
the Southern Confederacy in a water proof box and buried it in a deep body of 
water, with the injunction never to reveal its place of concealment. Jones 
said he kept the faith and the real seal of the Confederacy has never been 
found."