On Tuesday, May 2, 1865 President Andrew Johnson issued a proclamation in which he accused Jefferson Davis and other high ranking Confederates of inciting the murder of Abraham Lincoln and of procuring those who perpetuated the actual crime. A reward of $100,000 was offered for information leading to Davis’ arrest. With no reliable historian ever connecting Davis to Lincoln’s assassination, this proclamation must be seen in light of the national hysteria resulting from Lincoln’s death. On the same day, Jefferson Davis and his entourage arrived at Abbeville, South Carolina where the contents of the Confederate Treasury were given to him. That night, following the resignation of Confederate Secretary of the Navy Stephen Mallory, Davis’ party moved further south into Georgia in an attempt to elude his Federal pursuers.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.