The 1862 Plot to Kidnap Jefferson Davis

by Vifquain, Victor

• ISBN13: 9780803296305
• ISBN10: 0803296304
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-11-20
• Publisher: Bison Books

Summary

Victor Vifquain's memoir is an engaging, firsthand account of a bold attempt to kidnap the president of the Confederate States of America. Archived for nearly a century, the chronicle of this previously unknown and daring plot has been brought to light by historians Jeffrey H. Smith, Vifquain's great-great grandson, and Phillip Thomas Tucker in a meticulously edited and annotated volume.The plot to ride into Richmond and capture Jefferson Davis was concocted by three brash adventurers, who, using pseudonyms from The Three Musketeers, were soon involved in escapades worthy of Dumas's trio. This stunning story provides a fresh perspective on Richmond during the Civil War and a personal account of a scheme devised to bring an early end to the war.Victor Vifquain (1836-1904) was born in Belgium. His family was among the first European settlers in the Nebraska Territory. Vifquain was awarded the nation's highest military honor for his valor in the Civil War. Jeffrey H. Smith is a professor of history at Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska, and is the author of A Frenchman Fights for the Union: Victor Vifquain and the 97th Illinois. Phillip Thomas Tucker is a historian at the Air Force History Office in Washington dc. He is the author of several books on the Civil War, including The Confederacy's Fighting Chaplain, winner of the Douglas Southall Freeman Award.

Author Biography

Victor Vifquain (1836–1904) was born in Belgium. His family was among the first European settlers in the Nebraska Territory. Vifquain was awarded the nation’s highest military honor for his valor in the Civil War. Jeffrey H. Smith is a professor of history at Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska, and is the author of A Frenchman Fights for the Union: Victor Vifquain and the 97th Illinois. Phillip Thomas Tucker is a historian at the Air Force History Office in Washington DC. He is the author of several books on the Civil War, including The Confederacy’s Fighting Chaplain, winner of the Douglas Southall Freeman Award.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	vii
Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
Victor Vifquain: A Brief Biography	xv
1. In Washington	1	(5)
2. On the Way to Richmond	6	(5)
3. A Martial Concert	11	(3)
4. Prisoners of Fitzhugh Lee	14	(7)
5. At the Cottage by the Roadside	21	(7)
6. In Fredericksburg; News from Pittsburg Landing	28	(9)
7. The Field of Battle	37	(4)
8. In Libby Prison	41	(5)
9. On Parole in Richmond	46	(8)
10. Plan for the Kidnapping	54	(4)
11. Mr. Mercier in Richmond	58	(5)
12. The Flowers	63	(4)
13. Mr. Mercier Leaves	67	(3)
14. The Heart Bowed Down	70	(6)
15. A Visit to the Tug	76	(2)
16. Aramis and Alice	78	(7)
17. Confessions of Love	85	(5)
18. John Walker	90	(9)
19. The Great Naval Battle	99	(9)
20. Last Day in Richmond	108	(6)
21. Away from Richmond	114	(11)
22. Fight at the Mansion	125	(10)
23. The Death of Walker	135	(4)
24. The Gap	139	(8)
25. Alice Arrived	147	(4)
26. Crossing the Shenandoah	151	(9)
27. Under the Old Flag	160	(8)
Epilogue: From the Year 1901	168	(1)
Notes	169	(16)
Bibliography	185	(6)
Index	191