Download or read book The 1862 Plot to Kidnap Jefferson Davis written by Victor Vifquain and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Victor Vifquain?s memoir is an engaging, firsthand account of a bold attempt to kidnap the president of the Confederate States of America. Archived for nearly a century, the chronicle of this previously unknown and daring plot has been brought to light by historians Jeffrey H. Smith, Vifquain?s great-great grandson, and Phillip Thomas Tucker in a meticulously edited and annotated volume. ø The plot to ride into Richmond and capture Jefferson Davis was concocted by three brash adventurers, who, using pseudonyms from The Three Musketeers, were soon involved in escapades worthy of Dumas's trio. This stunning story provides a fresh perspective on Richmond during the Civil War and a personal account of a scheme devised to bring an early end to the war.
Download or read book The Papers of Jefferson Davis written by Jefferson Davis and published by LSU Press. This book was released on 1995 with total page 753 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ?
Download or read book Pursuit written by Clint Johnson and published by Citadel. This book was released on 2009-06-01 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "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
Download or read book The Papers of Jefferson Davis 1862 written by Jefferson Davis and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Kill Jeff Davis written by Bruce M. Venter and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2016-01-22 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ostensible goal of the controversial Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid on Richmond (February 28–March 3, 1864) was to free some 13,000 Union prisoners of war held in the Confederate capital. But orders found on the dead body of the raid’s subordinate commander, Colonel Ulric Dahlgren, point instead to a plot to capture or kill Confederate president Jefferson Davis and set Richmond ablaze. What really happened, and how and why, are debated to this day. Kill Jeff Davis offers a fresh look at the failed raid and mines newly discovered documents and little-known sources to provide definitive answers. In this detailed and deeply researched account of the most famous cavalry raid of the Civil War, author Bruce M. Venter describes an expedition that was carefully planned but poorly executed. A host of factors foiled the raid: bad weather, poor logistics, inadequate command and control, ignorance of the terrain, the failures of supporting forces, and the leaders’ personal and professional shortcomings. Venter delves into the background and consequences of the debacle, beginning with the political maneuvering orchestrated by commanding brigadier general Judson Kilpatrick to persuade President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to approve the raid. Venter’s examination of the relationship between Kilpatrick and Brigadier General George A. Custer illuminates the reasons why the flamboyant Custer was excluded from the Richmond raid. In a lively narrative describing the multiple problems that beset the raiders, Kill Jeff Davis uncovers new details about the African American guide whom Dahlgren ordered hanged; the defenders of the Confederate capital, who were not just the “old men and young boys” of popular lore; and General Benjamin F. Butler’s expedition to capture Davis, as well as Custer’s diversionary raid on Charlottesville. Venter’s thoughtful reinterpretations and well-reasoned observations put to rest many myths and misperceptions. He tells, at last, the full story of this hotly contested moment in Civil War history.
Download or read book Lionel Jobert and the American Civil War written by Stephen D. Bosworth and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2021-09-01 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Millions of soldiers and civilians passionately supported one side or the other in the American Civil War. For Colonel Lionel Jobert d'Epineuil of the Fifty-Third New York Volunteer Regiment, however, his own advancement mattered more than the outcome of the conflict. This biography analyzes the remarkable exploits of a man driven by ambition—and unhindered by scruples—to attain position and prestige in the Atlantic region during the second half of the nineteenth century. Lionel Jobert (1829–1881) was born in France, but is described as having an Atlantic identity. A ship captain by trade, Jobert exploited unstable governmental conditions in Haiti and the United States to pursue his private interests. Drawing on previously unused sources, Stephen D. Bosworth allows us to view the Civil War from the perspective of a foreign participant whose life constitutes one colorful tile in the vast mosaic that makes up the history of the nineteenth-century Atlantic.
Download or read book Public Executions in Richmond Virginia written by Harry M. Ward and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2012-08-14 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Virginia's capital city knew poverty, injustice, slavery, vagrancy, substandard working conditions, street crimes, brutality, unsanitary conditions, and pandemics. One of the biggest stains in the city's past was the spectacle of public executions, attended by throngs. Thousands, including the old and the very young, reveled in a carnival-like atmosphere. This book narrates the history of the executions--hangings, and during the Civil War also firing squads--that formed a large part of Richmond's entertainment picture. Revulsion slowly mounted until the introduction of the electric chair. The history has a cast of unusual characters--the condemned, the crime victims, family members, the executioners, and not least an 182 pound "gallows" dog.
Download or read book Dawn of Victory written by Edward S. Alexander and published by Savas Beatie. This book was released on 2015-04-01 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After the unprecedented violence of the 1864 Overland Campaign, Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant turned his gaze south of Richmond to Petersburg, and the key railroad junction that supplied the Confederate capital and its defenders. Nine grueling months of constant maneuver and combat around the Cockade City followed. As massive fortifications soon dominated the landscape, both armies frequently pushed each other to the brink of disaster. As March 1865 drew to a close, Grant planned one more charge against Confederate lines. Despite recent successes, many viewed this latest task as an impossibilityand their trepidation had merit. These lines might well have been looked upon by the enemy as impregnable, admitted Union Maj. Gen. Horatio G. Wright, and nothing but the most resolute bravery could have overcome them. Grant ordered the attack for April 2, 1865, setting the stage for a dramatic early morning bayonet charge by his VI Corps across half a mile of open ground into the strongest line of works ever constructed in America. Dawn of Victory: Breakthrough at Petersburg by Edward S. Alexander tells the story of the men who fought and died in the decisive battle of the Petersburg campaign. Readers can follow the footsteps of the resolute Union attackers and stand in the shoes of the obstinate Confederate defenders as their actions decided the fate of the nation.
Download or read book When Hell Came to Sharpsburg written by Steven Cowie and published by Savas Beatie. This book was released on 2022-08-11 with total page 553 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover a forgotten chapter of American history with Steven Cowie's riveting account of the Battle of Antietam. The Battle of Antietam, fought in and around Sharpsburg, Maryland, on September 17, 1862, was the bloodiest day in American history. Despite the large number of books and articles on the subject, the battle’s horrendous toll on area civilians is rarely discussed. When Hell Came to Sharpsburg: The Battle of Antietam and Its Impact on the Civilians Who Called It Home by Steven Cowie rectifies this oversight. By the time the battle ended about dusk that day, more than 23,000 men had been killed, wounded, or captured in just a dozen hours of combat—a grim statistic that tells only part of the story. The epicenter of that deadly day was the small community of Sharpsburg. Families lived, worked, and worshipped there. It was their home. And the horrific fighting turned their lives upside down. When Hell Came to Sharpsburg investigates how the battle and opposing armies wreaked emotional, physical, and financial havoc on the people of Sharpsburg. For proper context, the author explores the savage struggle and its gory aftermath and explains how soldiers stripped the community of resources and spread diseases. Cowie carefully and meticulously follows the fortunes of individual families like the Mummas, Roulettes, Millers, and many others—ordinary folk thrust into harrowing circumstances—and their struggle to recover from their unexpected and often devastating losses. Cowie’s comprehensive study is grounded in years of careful research. He unearthed a trove of previously unused archival accounts and examined scores of primary sources such as letters, diaries, regimental histories, and official reports. Packed with explanatory footnotes, original maps, and photographs, Cowie’s richly detailed book is a must-read for those seeking new information on the battle and the perspective of the citizens who suffered because of it. Antietam’s impact on the local community was an American tragedy, and it is told here completely for the first time.
Download or read book Burnside s Bridge written by Phillip Thomas Tucker and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2000 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of the two Georgia regiments that held a key bridge against repeated attacks.
Download or read book A Secret Society History of the Civil War written by Mark A. Lause and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2011-12-01 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This unique history of the Civil War considers the impact of nineteenth-century American secret societies on the path to as well as the course of the war. Beginning with the European secret societies that laid the groundwork for Freemasonry in the United States, Mark A. Lause analyzes how the Old World's traditions influenced various underground groups and movements in America, particularly George Lippard's Brotherhood of the Union, an American attempt to replicate the political secret societies that influenced the European revolutions of 1848. Lause traces the Brotherhood's various manifestations, the most conspicuous being the Knights of the Golden Circle (out of which developed the Ku Klux Klan), and the Confederate secret groups through which John Wilkes Booth and others attempted to undermine the Union. Lause profiles the key leaders of these organizations, with special focus on George Lippard, Hugh Forbes, and George Washington Lafayette Bickley. Antebellum secret societies ranged politically from those with progressive or even revolutionary agendas to those that pursued conservative or oppressive goals. This book shows how, in the years leading up to the Civil War, these clandestine organizations exacerbated existing sectional tensions in the United States. Lause's research indicates that the pervasive influence of secret societies may have played a part in key events such as the Freesoil movement, the beginning of the Republican party, John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, Lincoln's election, and the Southern secession process of 1860-1861. This exceptional study encompasses both white and African American secret society involvement, revealing the black fraternal experience in antebellum America as well as the clandestine operations that provided assistance to escaped slaves via the Underground Railroad. Unraveling these pervasive and extensive networks of power and influence, A Secret Society History of the Civil War demonstrates that antebellum secret societies played a greater role in affecting Civil War-era politics than has been previously acknowledged.
Download or read book Abraham Lincoln s Path to Reelection in 1864 written by Fred J. Martin Jr. and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2013-12-20 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: PRAISE FOR ABRAHAM LINCOLNS PATH TO REELECTION IN 1864 OUR GREATEST VICTORY Political polls consistently record a substantial lack of confidence in national political leaders of both major parties and a disturbing sentiment that the United States is on the wrong track in current policy developments.. These sentiments lead to unfortunate summaries of alleged failures of our democratic institutions and proposals.. Fortunately, at this moment in our history, Fred J. Martin Jr. has stepped forward with a comprehensive analysis of politics in 1860s and most importantly, the political genius Abraham Lincoln as he led our country through a series of perilous crises into new paths of confidence and greatness. I admire, especially, Fred Martin's mastery of political detail and the large variety of motivations, strategies, and actions of a wide assortment of political players. -Former Senator Richard Lugar Arguably the most consequential election in American history, the presidential contest of 1864 has cried out for a more sophisticated analysis than it has heretofore received. Fortunately, Fred Martins background in political journalism and in banking has enabled him to provide such an analysis in this book, which is a welcome addition to the Lincoln literature. --Michael Burlingame, Author, Abraham Lincoln: A Life; Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies, History Department, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences University of Illinois, Springfield IL Fred Martin has written an illuminating account of the roots of Lincolns success as president, culminating in his victory in the critical election of 1864. Effectively using Lincolns words as well as those of his contemporaries, Martin demonstrates how it became possible for Lincoln to overcome his early background and become a skillful and ethical political leader who saved the Union and ended slavery. The book clearly is a labor of love for Martin, a long-time student of Abraham Lincoln. Every person interested in Lincoln and his presidency should have this well researched and well-written book in his/her library. -- William C. Harris, author of Lincoln and the Border States: Preserving the Union (2011) and Lincoln and the Union Governors (2013)
Download or read book The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln written by John Fazio and published by Pen and Sword History. This book was released on 2023-10-31 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Covering one of the most defining moment of America's history, The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln aims to lay the multitude of theories surrounding Lincoln’s assassination to rest. Immediately after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, suspicion naturally fell on Confederate leaders as being responsible for the great crime. The belief in their complicity faded when the case against Jefferson Davis and other unindicted co-conspirators collapsed at the trial of John Wilkes Booth’s action team (Booth was dead) in May and June, 1865. The belief then hibernated for 123 years, during which period the prevailing wisdom was that Booth had in fact acted with the help of no one other than his team, with the possible exception of Dr. Samuel Mudd and Mary Surratt. In 1988, however, assassination historians James O. Hall, William A. Tidwell and David Gaddy thoroughly discredited the simple conspiracy theory in their seminal work Come Retribution, holding that the original suspicions were right after all. In 1995, Tidwell followed with a solo titled April ’65 in which he strengthened the case against Confederate leaders. The authors’ conclusions quickly gained acceptance by many experts in the field, including the author of this work, which is intended to remove any remaining doubt as to the validity of the theory. It does so by describing in detail four subplots in the overall plot to murder the President, subplots that demonstrate unequivocally that Booth was merely a pawn in the hands of far more powerful, influential and purposeful men than he, men whose backs were to the wall and who would therefore stop at nothing to avert the catastrophe that they had fought four long years to prevent and that was now upon them.
Download or read book Civil War High Commands written by John Eicher and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2002-06-01 with total page 1062 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on nearly five decades of research, this magisterial work is a biographical register and analysis of the people who most directly influenced the course of the Civil War, its high commanders. Numbering 3,396, they include the presidents and their cabinet members, state governors, general officers of the Union and Confederate armies (regular, provisional, volunteers, and militia), and admirals and commodores of the two navies. Civil War High Commands will become a cornerstone reference work on these personalities and the meaning of their commands, and on the Civil War itself. Errors of fact and interpretation concerning the high commanders are legion in the Civil War literature, in reference works as well as in narrative accounts. The present work brings together for the first time in one volume the most reliable facts available, drawn from more than 1,000 sources and including the most recent research. The biographical entries include complete names, birthplaces, important relatives, education, vocations, publications, military grades, wartime assignments, wounds, captures, exchanges, paroles, honors, and place of death and interment. In addition to its main component, the biographies, the volume also includes a number of essays, tables, and synopses designed to clarify previously obscure matters such as the definition of grades and ranks; the difference between commissions in regular, provisional, volunteer, and militia services; the chronology of military laws and executive decisions before, during, and after the war; and the geographical breakdown of command structures. The book is illustrated with 84 new diagrams of all the insignias used throughout the war and with 129 portraits of the most important high commanders.
Download or read book The Papers of Jefferson Davis written by Jefferson Davis and published by LSU Press. This book was released on 2003-11-07 with total page 770 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the last nine months of the Civil War, virtually all of the news reports and President Jefferson Davis’s correspondence confirmed the imminent demise of the Confederate States, the nation Davis had striven to uphold since 1861. But despite defeat after defeat on the battlefield, a recalcitrant Congress, nay-sayers in the press, disastrous financial conditions, failures in foreign policy and peace efforts, and plummeting national morale, Davis remained in office and tried to maintain the government—even after the fall of Richmond on April 2—until his capture by Union forces on May 10, 1865. The eleventh volume of The Papers of Jefferson Davis follows these tumultuous last months of the Confederacy and illuminates Davis’s policies, feelings, ideas, and relationships, as well as the viewpoints of hundreds of southerners—critics and supporters—who asked favors, pointed out abuses, and offered advice on myriad topics. Printed here for the first time are many speeches and a number of new letters and telegrams. In the course of the volume, Robert E. Lee officially becomes general in chief, Joseph E. Johnston is given a final command, legislation is enacted to place slaves in the army as soldiers, and peace negotiations are opened at the highest levels. The closing pages chronicle Davis’s dramatic flight from Richmond, including emotional correspondence with his wife as the two endeavor to find each other en route and make plans for the future in the wreckage of their lives. The holdings of seventy different manuscript repositories and private collections in addition to numerous published sources contribute to Volume 11, the fifth in the Civil War period.
Download or read book Jefferson Davis Letter to Genl 1862 June 12 written by Jefferson Davis and published by . This book was released on 1862 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) was President of the Confederacy. Davis was recognized as a Mexican War hero, and won a set in the U.S. Senate, which he held until named the secretary of war (1853-1857) in the Pierce Administration. Davis' letter to Genl. states that Davis found the general so overwhelmed with visitors yesterday I forbade to add to the questions pressed upon your consideration, and now take this method to bring to your notice on which had some time since been presented to Genl. Johnston and had been I hoped disposed of, but by a letter from Capt. Martin of the 19th Regt. Miss. Infy. I learned yesterday that the matter still waited for a decision. Davis discusses his supposition that Capt. Martin's arrest seems to have a clear usurpation, an illegal order which the officer (Capt. Martin) properly resisted. Gift of Dorothy Lamon Teillard. ALS, 2 pp.
Download or read book Jefferson Davis Constitutionalist written by Jefferson Davis and published by . This book was released on 1923 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The true story of the Southern Confederacy lies in the letters, speeches, and State papers of its leaders; and its best justification will come after such historical materials have been made accessible to the truth-loving historian of the future. The private and public papers of such Southern leaders as Calhoun, Davis, and Lee will reveal, as nothing else can, the principles for which they contended, and give to posterity the true estimate of their lives and deeds. -- Introduction.
