PA RT TAKE N BY WI S CO N s l N TR OOPS HE NRY HARN DE N BREVET BR I GA DI ER; GENE RA L; LATE CO MMANDE R ’ O E THE Fl kssr NJ EQGNSJ N CAVA QRJ 3 ) MA DI N I . SO , W S 1 898 A PR E F C E . THE following account of the par t taken by the First Wisconsin Cav al ry in the Capture of Jefferson Davis was originally prepared substantially as it is n o w p r e C m sented , at the request of o rades of h . R . t e . G A , and has already been given m before a nu ber of the different Posts . It has been p u t into its present for m for the r eason that it is believed it w ill be a pleasure to the surviving m e m bers of th e r m t an d egi ents, and to heir children friends to have the sam e for convenient perusal . My personal r ecollection has been r e freshed as far as possible by r e - reading the official records and r eports m ade at m b r the ti e , and also y letters and cor e s p o n d e n ce had w ith per sons wh o took part in the capture . I have endeavored t o m r ake it as cor ect as possible, and the 3 r e a ce 4 P f . m ore so on account of the very u n fo r tu nate collision w hich took place between the First Wi s consin and the Fourth a C a m w h Michig n av lry , ention of hic it seem s al m ost necessary to m ake in an y I narrative concerning the m at ter . have endeavored to tell a pl ain story in a pl ain wa an d I m y, as such sub it it to the j ud g m ent of m y co m r ades wh o took part with m e in th e struggle which occurred al m os t a gener ation since . H E N R Y HA R N D E N . m 8 1 8 8 . Madison , Nove ber , 9 (the s tory" of the Ganture of 3efters on D avis . F TE R the defeat of Hood ’s N army at ashville , Tennes b see y General Thomas , 1 th 1 6 on the s and th of December, 1 86 4, the Un ion cavalry under Ge n eral W ilson p ursued the retreating rebels until the remnants of thei r army escaped across the Tennessee W il river i nto Mississipp i . General son e ncam ped his cavalry at Gravelly W Spri ngs and aterloo , along the li ne of the Ten nessee , p rep aratory to the commencement of his great raid through Alabama and Georgia , w hich resulted i n the rout of the 6 Tbe Captu r e of rebel General Forest , and the scat terin g and cap ture of the greater part of his army , also the capture of Selman and Montgomery , Ala W bama , and Columbus and est w u poi nt , Georgia , finally inding p w ith the cap ture of Macon , Georgia . The First W isconsin Cavalry com posed a p art of these forces , and bore a consp ic uous part i n all that w as accom plished on this , the great est and most successful cavalry rai d of the w ar . The rebel army w hich General Thomas defeated at N ashville w as the same that had opposed General Sherman from Chattanooga to A t lanta the p revious su mmer , and w as , at the ti me of the battle of N ashville , composed of about forty thousand of the best troops of the w as confederacy , but so total thei r defeat and rout that w hen they ‘ e r s on D avis jfi . 7 n fi nally got across Te nessee , there w as only about t w elve thousand of W t h ir in fan t r . e y left General ilson , w ith the First , Second , and Third D ivi sions of the Cavalry Corp s , and t o three bat eries of artillery , ab ut s fifteen thousand m en , cros ed the Tenn essee river o n the 1 1 t h d ay of 1 86 w March , 5 , at Chi ckasa , Ala m ba a , arriving at Macon , Georgia , 8 2 0 1 6 . April , 5 W hile resti ng quietly i n camp about t w o m iles north of the city on e Ma 6 1 86 I r e the ev ning of y , 5 , c e iv e d orders to rep ort at once to m headquarters . I mounted y horse and rode o ver to headquarters as o r dered . I there found General J . G . Croxton i n command , i n the absence of Gen eral Mc cook . The General i nformed me that it w as reported w as that Jeff . Davis in South Caro w a lina , maki ng his y south i nto ‘ 8 Tfie Capzu r e of Georgia , that a portion of his cab w as w h im i net ith , and that they w ere accom p anied by s ix or sev en h undred men ; that I had been se l e c t e d to co m mand a detachment of one hundred and fifty men from the Fi rst W isconsi n Cavalry to go and endeavor to c ut him o ff and capture hi m if possible ; that I m ust march w i mmediately and not ait for rations . I enquired if he thought on e hun dred and fifty men a s u fficien t n u m d ber to take on the expe ition . He “ replied That i n the Op i nion of ” W w as . General ilson , it He said that the escort of Davis w as greatly z m w demoral i ed , and any ere leaving him ; that they w ould be poorly w as armed , and it doubtful if they w ould fight at all , but if they should w fight , he ould risk our being able to take care of them . He also said the cou ntry through w hich our route jef er s on D avis . 9 l a w as w y very poor , and that it ould ffi be d i c ult to subsist a large p arty , and that w e m ust start i mmediately w and not ait for rations , adding , as I l e ft him w as , that if there a fight and Jeff . Davis should get hurt , General W ilson w ould not feel very bad over it . m I then returned to y cam p , and soon had a detail of one hundred and w fifty men selected , all ell armed and mounted , ready to march . It w as about sunset w hen w e passed through Macon , and c rossed the bridge o ver the O ch e m u lg e e river, and then took a li ne of march r o x tow ards Savan nah . General C ton had furnished me w ith a large m a w as p of Georgia , so that I able to shap e ou r course correctly . Dur i ng the n ight w e came to a p lanta w w as w e tion here there forage , so halted and fed o ur horses . U p to 1 0 Tbe Captu r e of this time the men had no idea as to where we w ere goi ng or for w hat w e p urp ose had been ordered out . W hen ready to mou nt our horses , I made kno w n the object of our ex i p e d t io n . I frankly told them t hat if w e encountered Davis and his e s cort they w ould greatly outnumber us , and were p robably the pick of the Confederate army ; that they w ould no doubt fight desp erately ; w that it ould be a battle to the death , f and that Je f . Davis m ust not be w an allo ed to escap e i n y event , but w e w as had never been hipped , I had no fear of being w hipped n o w All of which w as greeted w ith cheers . W e continued our march all night and the next d ay (May 7 th ) until w w e near eveni ng, hen arrived at w D ublin , a considerable to n , sit u at e d on the w est bank of the Oconee ' e er s on D a is 1 1 jfi v . ar river . I had sent out scouti ng p d a e n ties d uri ng the night and y , to d e av o r to get i nformation i n regard to p arties w h o were conti nually crossing our road , to ascertai n i f some of the m might not be the w Davis party , but these men al ay s p roved to be from General John ’ s t o n s w h o h ar m y , , avi ng surre n dered a short ti me before to General a Sherman , were going home on p role .