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Irwinville Ga
Confederate President Jefferson Davis was captured near Irwinville on the morning of May 10, 1865, the final major event of the Civil War. Had Davis — who discussed fighting on with remnants of the Confederate army in the trans-Mississippi Department — escaped as he had planned, there may have been more history to write. Davis was making his way south across Georgia, pursued by a detachment of Wilson's cavalry which had recently received the surrender of Macon. He reunited with his family in Dublin on May 7 and travelled to Abbeville where he camped on May 8. The next day he travelled to Irwinville, unaware that his pursuers were close behind, and camped there with his staff for the night. A detachment of Wilson's cavalry quietly surrounded him that evening and waited for dawn. The next morning a separate detachment of cavalry, in a mix-up, rode in to seize Davis, and a skirmish broke out between two sets of Union troops, killing two and wounding four before they realized their mistake.
Davis had heard the firing, just before daylight, and snatched up his wife's cloak by mistake as he left the tent and ran to a horse. Just as he reached the reins, a Federal officer yelled, "Halt!" As Davis turned to look at the soldier, his wife Varina ran up to him and threw her arms around him, fearing he would resist and be shot. In all the confusion, not a single Confederate gun was fired. U.S. Lt. Col. B.D. Pritchard rode up and reportedly said, "Well old Jeff, we've got you at last." The Confederacy was dead.
Address/Directions
Jefferson Davis Memorial Historic Site
338 Jeff Davis Park Rd
Fitzgerald , GA 31750
From I-75 exit #78 go east 14 miles on Ga. Hwy. 32 to Irwinville. Turn left on Jeff Davis Park Road and proceed one mile to the site (on left).
Admission: $1.75-$3
Group rates available with advance notice.
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