The Long Surrender
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Overview
A panoramic and spellbinding history of the last days of the Confederacy and the flight, capture, and imprisonment of Jefferson Davis
In April 1865, Richmond fell to the Union army and Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to his Northern counterpart, Ulysses S. Grant, at the Appomattox Court House. But the Civil War was far from over.
Determined to keep Confederate dreams of secession alive, President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet fled the burning capital city. With Union troops in pursuit, the fugitives rallied loyalists across the South and made plans to escape to Cuba. In the aftermath of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, a $100,000 bounty was placed on Davis’s head. Finally captured in Irwinville, Georgia, the former US senator and secretary of war became a prisoner of the American government. The harsh treatment he received would inflame tensions between North and South for years to come.
Meticulously researched and brilliantly told, The Long Surrender brings these dramatic events to vivid, unforgettable life and paints a fascinating portrait of Davis, one of history’s most enigmatic figures. By shining a light on this forgotten chapter of the Civil War, bestselling author Burke Davis examines the lasting impact of America’s bloodiest conflict on the national character.
In April 1865, Richmond fell to the Union army and Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to his Northern counterpart, Ulysses S. Grant, at the Appomattox Court House. But the Civil War was far from over.
Determined to keep Confederate dreams of secession alive, President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet fled the burning capital city. With Union troops in pursuit, the fugitives rallied loyalists across the South and made plans to escape to Cuba. In the aftermath of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, a $100,000 bounty was placed on Davis’s head. Finally captured in Irwinville, Georgia, the former US senator and secretary of war became a prisoner of the American government. The harsh treatment he received would inflame tensions between North and South for years to come.
Meticulously researched and brilliantly told, The Long Surrender brings these dramatic events to vivid, unforgettable life and paints a fascinating portrait of Davis, one of history’s most enigmatic figures. By shining a light on this forgotten chapter of the Civil War, bestselling author Burke Davis examines the lasting impact of America’s bloodiest conflict on the national character.
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Part 1: Flight
- 1. “Now … they will repent”
- 2. “We should abandon our position to-night”
- 3. “Blow her to hell”
- 4. “A fire bell in the night”
- 5. “We could rally our forces”
- 6. “I cannot feel myself a beaten man!”
- Part 2: The Pursuit
- 7. “Why are you still in the field?”
- 8. “You’re Southern gentlemen, not highway robbers”
- Part 3: The Capture
- 9. “God’s will be done”
- 10. “He must be executed”
- 11. “This is not like being Secretary of State”
- Part 4: The Prisoner
- 12. “Oh, the shame! The shame”
- 13. “Ankle deep in gold and silver”
- 14. “Watch and wait for the morning”
- 15. “We cannot convict him of treason”
- 16. “The President is bailed!”
- Part 5: The Phoenix
- 17. “Preserve the traditions of our fathers”
- 18. “Alas for frail humanity!”
- 19. “My ambition lies buried”
- 20. “No infidelity to the Union”
- Epilogue
- A Note on Sources
- Bibliographical Notes
- Image Gallery
- Index
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
“Burke Davis, that fine chronicler of the Confederacy, tells the story of a little-known aspect of the Civil War and handles it with an eye for narrative detail that turns history into storytelling.” —The New York Times Book Review
“This is a marvelous book, wonderfully written, with keen insight into the way past personalities and events have shaped the nations we know today.” —The Denver Post
“Burke Davis has contributed a worthy addition to the literature of the war, and done so with all the reportorial and interpretive skills we’ve come to expect from him.” —The Washington Post Book World
“This is a marvelous book, wonderfully written, with keen insight into the way past personalities and events have shaped the nations we know today.” —The Denver Post
“Burke Davis has contributed a worthy addition to the literature of the war, and done so with all the reportorial and interpretive skills we’ve come to expect from him.” —The Washington Post Book World
Product Details
- Title : The Long Surrender
- Author: Davis, Burke
- Publisher: Open Road Media
- Publication Date: 2016
- ISBN: 9781504034401
Burke Davis (1913–2006) was an American author and journalist best known for his narrative histories of the Civil War, including To Appomattox: Nine April Days, 1865 (1959), Sherman’s March (1980), and The Last Surrender (1985). His acclaimed biographies of military and political figures include They Called Him Stonewall (1954), Gray Fox: Robert E. Lee and the Civil War (1956), Marine!: The Life of Chesty Puller (1962), and Old Hickory: A Life of Andrew Jackson (1977). A longtime special projects writer for Colonial Williamsburg, Davis also published many works of historical nonfiction for young readers. His numerous honors include the Mayflower Cup, the North Carolina Award for Literature, and election to the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame.