Jefferson Davis's Moral Conscience and the Confederacy’s Surrender
Jefferson Davis dissolved the Confederate Government on May 5, 1865, in Washington, Georgia. Days earlier, Beauregard and Joe Johnston convinced Davis and the remaining ministers that the war was lost. Davis agreed to let Johnston seek surrender terms. Sherman offered very generous terms, but these were rejected by Congress. Eventually, they settled on the same terms as Grant gave Lee at Appomattox.
Once Johnston surrendered, the remaining armies followed suit. Davis tried to flee to Cuba to head a Confederate government-in-exile but it did not work. He and his remaining ministers were caught by the Federals on May 10, 1865. Vice President Alexander Stephens was arrested at his home on May 11, 1865. Historians often debate whether Davis truly surrendered the South. The so-called Confederacy collapsed, and the United States did not recognize the Confederacy. Accordingly, Davis was seen as an insurrectionist rebel rather than a political leader.
The Confederate government never surrendered. Technically, it still exists. No running out of an army between himself and Union forces led to Davis fleeing to try and find another army still functioning. Instead, Davis's pursuit to remain in the fight was fueled by his moral conscience.
Jefferson Davis's Last Proclamation
Facing the imminent end of the conflict, Davis issued a final proclamation. Here is the excerpt from his last proclamation just before running out of Richmond:
“It would be unwise even were it possible to conceal the great moral as well as material injury to our cause that must result from the occupation of Richmond by the enemy. It is equally unwise and unworthy of us as patriots engaged in a most sacred cause to allow our energies to falter, our spirits to grow faint, or our efforts to become relaxed under reverses, however calamitous.... We have now entered upon a new phase of a struggle the memory of which is to endure for all ages and to shed an increasing luster upon our country. Relieved from the necessity of guarding cities and particular points important but not vital to our defense with an army free to move from point to point and strike in detail the detachments and garrisons of the enemy operating on the interior of our own country where supplies are more accessible and where the foe will be far removed from his own base and cut off from all succor in case of reverse, nothing is now needed to render our triumph certain but the exhibition of our own unquenchable resolve. Let us but will it and we are free and who in the light of the past dare doubt your purpose in the future? It is my purpose to maintain your cause with my whole heart and soul; that I will never consent to abandon to the enemy one foot of the soil of any one of the States of the Confederacy.”
Monty Python's Dramatization
For a humorous take on the complexity of this historical moment, Monty Python provided a dramatization of this proclamation, which you can find online. This slapstick comedy reinterprets the serious and poignant sentiments of Davis through a comedic lens, making the experience more accessible to a wider audience.
Despite the defeat, the memory of the Confederacy endures. It is a testament to the intensity and devotion of those who fought, particularly figures like Jefferson Davis. Behind the scenes, Davis's decision-making reflected a deep sense of moral conscience, which shaped the final moments of the Confederate struggle.
In conclusion, Jefferson Davis's moral conscience and the eventual surrender of the Confederacy were complex and intertwined. Understanding this period requires a nuanced approach, recognizing both the historical facts and the human elements that drove the actions of key figures like Davis.