The Long Surrender

I'm a longtime fan of Burke Davis' narrative histories of the Civil War (although I must admit that all such histories--including Shelby Foote's--drive me up the wall with their total or near lack of endnotes!). He was a fantastic writer with a storyteller's ability to keep a reader spellbound. The Long Surrender is, I think, one of his very best. The first 170-odd pages of the book are devoted to the southward flight of Jeff Davis, his family, and a handful of Confederate cabinet members, soldiers, and sailors from Richmond. Jeff Davis comes across pretty well in these pages. Although his belief that the Confederate government was still intact seems, in hindsight, hopelessly delusional, one has to admire his courage and apparent lack of regard for his own safety during the flight. The cabinet members that accompanied him, as well as the small unit of soldiers guarding them, also come across as brave and loyal. But the part of the book that I found most captivating was the last 100 pages that deal primarily with Davis' imprisonment in Fortress Monroe. Brig. General Nelson Miles, who would go on to become Sitting Bull's nemesis and General in Chief of the entire U.S. Army, was Davis' jailer, and treated him so harshly--partly on the orders of Stanton, partly on his own initiative--that similar treatment in our day would likely generate charges of human rights abuse. On the one hand, one winces at the treatment of Davis. On the other, given the heated times, one wonders that he wasn't executed as summarily as the assassins of Lincoln. And this in turn prompts the question of what might've happened had the North turned to executing as traitors the leaders of the late Confederacy. Although the eventual release and nonprosecution of Rebel leaders seems to have been prompted more by weariness and legal embarrassments than an absence of rancor on the part of the victorious North, it can hardly be denied that war trials would've done little to heal the nation.

The Long Surrender is a good book with the wrong title, because Jefferson Davis certainly did not surrender. This book chronicles the events beginning in April of 1865, when Lee surrendered and Richmond fell. Jefferson Davis and his entourage fled with the remaining treasury. The author gives a well-researched and even-handed account of the flight of Davis. It captures his determination to somehow rally the remaining forces and continue the war, despite the advice of his generals. I bought this book because I wanted to understand Davis better and learn what is known about his postwar days. It's a bit dry, but nevertheless interesting. Davis spent two long and miserable years in confinement, and was treated inhumanely by his captors. It recounts the anguish of his wife and her efforts to obtain at first better treatment and finally his release. The book is chock full of little known facts about this dark period of history. It gives a fairly detailed accounting of the Confederate treasury and the personal funds of Davis. There is no glossing over the flaws in judgment and intransigent attitute of Jefferson Davis, but the book also illuminates his courage, conviction, and many good qualities. For those who want to see the bitter end of his "presidency" this book is a must.

Most people think the Civil War ended at Appomattox with Lee's surrender to Grant. Actually, the fighting carried on for a couple more months and included many events, including General Joseph Johnson's surrender, Lincoln's assassination, the flight of Jefferson Davis, a steamboat tragedy on the Mississippi River, the final land battle in Texas (ironically, a Confederate victory), the escape through Florida of several Confederate political leaders including John Breckinridge and the continued plundering of Union merchant shipping by a Confederte raider well into the fall of 1865. Burke Davis chronicles all of this as well as Jefferson Davis's post Civil War life as an unreconstructed rebel. It is a fascinating read for those interested in the Civil War.

This is a terrific book by Burke Davis. This book follows Jefferson Davis and his cabinet during the last days of the Civil War using first-hand accounts, newspaper articles, memoirs, and other never-before-published materials.. The books follows Davis, his cabinet, Lee, the Confederate treasury, Davis' family and others. Even though there are many people, Burke Davis writes in a way that is easy to follow and enjoyable to read. This book also looks at Davis' imprisonment and the post-war years of Davis, Lee, and the others above mentioned. It also attempts to answer the question of what happened to the Confederate treasury. This is a great book about a little-written about part of the Civil War.