Pursuit:: The Chase, Capture, Persecution & Surprising Release of Jefferson Davis

Clint Johnson

Jun 2009 · Citadel

About this ebook

"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

About the author

Fascinated by the American Civil War since the fourth grade, CLINT JOHNSON has written eight books on the subject, including the acclaimed Civil War Blunders. Originally from Florida, he counts Confederate soldiers from Florida, Georgia, and Alabama among his ancestors. He is active as a Civil War re-enactor and has portrayed soldiers from both the Confederacy and the Union. In researching “A Vast and Fiendish Plot,” he spent days reading musty newspapers and poring over maps of 1864 New York to track the details of the plot to burn down the city. A graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in journalism, he lives in the mountains of North Carolina with his wife, Barbara. Please visit his website: clintjohnsonbooks.com.