While history primarily credits two other Union regiments with the final, dramatic capture of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry played a critical and often overlooked role in the sprawling manhunt that culminated in his apprehension. Their story is not one of making the final arrest, but of the relentless pursuit, the vital cordons, and the immediate aftermath of securing the fallen leader, providing a more complete picture of one of the Civil War’s final chapters.
The Great Manhunt: Setting the Stage in Georgia
In April 1865, the Confederacy was in its death throes. Following Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox and the fall of Richmond, Jefferson Davis and his cabinet fled south. They were fugitives, hoping to either reach the trans-Mississippi to continue the fight or escape the country entirely.
In response, Union Major General James H. Wilson, commanding the Cavalry Corps of the Military Division of the Mississippi, unleashed his veteran troopers across the South. Having just completed a devastating raid through Alabama and Georgia, Wilson’s men, including the 7th Pennsylvania, were perfectly positioned to intercept Davis. A massive $100,000 reward ($1.8 million in 2024 dollars) was offered for Davis’s capture, adding a feverish intensity to the hunt.
The 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry, a battle-hardened regiment that had fought extensively in the Western Theater from Stones River to Chickamauga and Atlanta, was part of this vast operation. Their specific brigade was tasked with a crucial objective: sealing the escape routes.
The Cordon: The 7th Pennsylvania’s Specific Mission
The 7th Pennsylvania was not riding blindly. Under Wilson’s strategic command, their brigade, led by Lieutenant Colonel Howland, was given a specific and vital task. On May 8, 1865, the regiment, alongside the 3rd Ohio Cavalry, was dispatched from Macon to ride south.
Their orders were to:
- Picket the Rivers: Establish a strong picket line along the Ocmulgee and Oconee Rivers.
- Guard the Crossings: Seize and guard all ferries and bridges as far down as the mouth of the Ohoopee River.
- Prevent Escape: Create an inescapable cordon that would force Davis’s party into the open.
The troopers of the 7th Pennsylvania were, in effect, helping to build the “net” that would ensnare the Confederate president. While other regiments, namely the 1st Wisconsin under Lieutenant Colonel Henry Harnden and the 4th Michigan under Lieutenant Colonel B.D. Pritchard, pursued more active leads, the 7th Pennsylvania’s duty was the grinding, essential work of patrolling the swamps and riverbanks to ensure their quarry could not slip through.
Cooperation and the Final Capture
The hunt reached its climax on May 9. Colonel Pritchard’s 4th Michigan, acting on a tip, struck Davis’s trail near Abbeville, Georgia. Pritchard immediately sent word of his pursuit back to his brigade commander, Colonel Howland.
Upon receiving this intelligence, Howland acted quickly. He ordered Lieutenant Colonel Andress of the 7th Pennsylvania to take the regiment’s “best mounted men” and ride immediately to “co-operate” with Pritchard. The 7th Pennsylvania detachment, with fresh horses, thundered through the night, following about two hours behind the 4th Michigan.
As one regimental history later recounted, the 7th Pennsylvania was “so near at the time” of the actual capture that they “had to get out of the way to allow the procession to pass.”
At dawn on May 10, near Irwinville, Georgia, the 4th Michigan and 1st Wisconsin (who had been tracking Davis on a parallel path) infamously collided in the darkness, tragically exchanging friendly fire before realizing their mistake. In the ensuing confusion, troopers from the 4th Michigan located Davis’s tent and apprehended him. The Confederate president’s flight was over.
The Escort: The 7th Pennsylvania’s Post-Capture Duty
While the 7th Pennsylvania missed the moment of capture, their involvement was far from over. Their most significant and direct interaction with the Confederate president began after he was a prisoner.
Major Charles L. Greenbo of the 7th Pennsylvania provided a detailed account of this period. Once Davis was in hand, men from the 7th Pennsylvania joined the combined force tasked with escorting the high-profile prisoners back to Union headquarters in Macon.
Major Greenbo’s recollections, shared in a 1911 talk, shed light on this tense journey:
- Informing the Captors: Greenbo claimed that it was he who first informed Colonel Pritchard of the $100,000 reward. In the heat of the chase, Pritchard and his men had apparently been unaware of the massive bounty on Davis’s head.
- A Private Conversation with Davis: As the escort moved toward Macon, rumors swirled that the captured president might be lynched by vengeful soldiers or locals. Greenbo, observing Davis’s anxiety, engaged him in a private conversation. He reassured Davis that he was in the custody of professional soldiers under General Wilson’s command and that he “was not being taken back to Macon merely to be ‘strung up.'” This small act of reassurance from a 7th Pennsylvania officer helped defuse a volatile situation.
The 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry, therefore, transitioned from being hunters to being guardians. They helped escort not only Jefferson Davis but also his family and other captured officials, including Postmaster General John H. Reagan, ensuring their safe delivery to Macon, where Davis would begin his long journey into federal imprisonment at Fortress Monroe.
In the end, the story of the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry and the capture of Jefferson Davis is a testament to the fact that historic events are rarely the work of one person or one unit. While the 4th Michigan and 1st Wisconsin earned the fame of the final arrest, the capture would not have been possible without the wider, coordinated effort of regiments like the 7th Pennsylvania, who diligently sealed the borders, provided vital support, and helped manage the complicated aftermath.