Manhunt for Jefferson Davis

16/06/2025 11 min
Manhunt for Jefferson Davis

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Episode Synopsis

In the waning days of the Civil War, with Richmond in ruins and Confederate armies surrendering across the South, one man refused to accept defeat: Jefferson Davis. This episode follows the desperate final flight of the Confederate president as he evades Union troops across the crumbling Southern landscape, clinging to a dream already buried. From his escape from Richmond to his capture in Georgia dressed in a cloak that became the stuff of legend, this is the gripping true story of the last days of the Confederacy and the symbolic collapse of the cause Davis refused to abandon. What You'll Hear in This Episode: The fall of Richmond and the disintegration of the Confederate government Davis's refusal to accept Lee's surrender as the end of the war The frantic effort to relocate the Confederate capital and keep the dream alive Davis's journey through Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia, carrying the remnants of the Confederate treasury The $100,000 bounty, fueled by suspicions (and propaganda) that Davis had ties to Lincoln's assassination The drama of Davis's capture near Irwinville, Georgia, and the enduring controversy over whether he was disguised as a woman His imprisonment at Fortress Monroe, the debate over treason charges, and his eventual release The rise of Lost Cause mythology and Davis's postwar legacy as a self-styled martyr   DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! SPONSORED BY THE PODCAST REPUBLIC: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/    LEARN MORE AT: www.historyshortspodcast.com SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise    SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/