He cheered his faithful Adherents with words of Encouragement— little children blessed him and brought him flowers.
[This deeply interesting narrative was published on the date of the laying of the corner-stone of the monument to
, July 2, 1896.
has been a constant supporter, and is a life member of the Southern Historical Society, and has been meritedly highly successful in his progressive business enterprises.—Ed.]
A notable personage who comes into considerable prominence at this time is
Micajah H. Clark, of
Clarksville, Tenn., who served for a period as acting treasurer of the
Confederate States of America, and again as confidential secretary to
President Jefferson Davis.
At the time of the evacuation of
Richmond Mr. Clark was acting in the capacity of chief and confidential clerk of the Executive Office.
Under the orders of the
Confederate President, he packed up all the papers of the office, and left with
Mr. Davis and his Cabinet.
At
Danville the departments were reopened and a temporary capitol was established there.
Upon receipt of dispatches, April 10th, conveying the news of the surrender of
General Lee's army, the
President and Cabinet retired to
Greensboro, N. C., where
General Beauregard had his headquarters.
The party afterwards returned to
Charlotte, remaining there during the truce declared between
Johnston and
Sherman.
At
Charlotte the
President gave
Mr. Clark a staff appointment with military rank.
While in
Richmond Mr. Clark was, like all clerks, in the
Local Defence Troops.
Beginning as a private in the company, he was assigned to duty in the
Medical Purveyor's office.
From
Charlotte he went with
President Davis and his party to
Abbeville, S. C., where the last Cabinet meeting was held.
From that place the party repaired to
Washington, Ga., where the
Confederate Cabinet dispersed,
Hon. John H. Reagan alone remaining with the
President.
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The treasury train caught up with the party of which
Mr. Clark was a member at
Washington, Ga., and the
President appointed Hon.
Mr. Reagan, the
Postmaster-General,
Acting Secretary of the Treasury, and
Mr. Clark Acting Treasurer
An interesting account of the winding — up of the Treasury Department is published in
Southern Historical Society Papers (vol.
IX, p. 542,
et seq, by
Ex-Acting Treasurer C. S. A., and Confidential Clerk Executive Office, C. S. A.)
Mr. Clark's record as a Confederate is unique in some particulars.
As he was on duty watching papers of the Confederate Government until December, 1865, he never gave his parole.
His commission as
Acting Treasurer of the
Confederacy bore the last official signature of the
President of the
Confederate States.
The commission is now on deposit at the
Confederate Museum here.
All the
gold and
silver bonds and contents of the Treasury were turned over to the
Acting Treasurer, without bond being required of him.
President Davis honored
Mr. Clark with two personal visits to his home at
Clarksville, and on one occasion declared his high admiration for him, saying that
Mr. Clark was the last man on duty and was faithful to the end.
Micajah H. Clark was a Richmond boy and was born here, as his mother was before him, who was
nee Miss Caroline Virginia Harris.
His father was
Dr. Micajah Clark, a distinguished physician of his generation, born in
Albemarle county, the son of
William Clark, who saw service in the Revolution.
William Clark was the son of
Micajah Clark, the son of
Captain Christopher Clark, who patented many thousand acres of Crown lands, and located some of the tracts in what is now
Albemarle county, near
Charlottesville, in 1702-4, and was said to have been the pioneer settler of that county.
This is one of the historical
Clark families of
Virginia, which furnished many legislators, generals and governors of States.
Micajah H. Clark was a ‘Hill-cat’ (as the uptown boys of the city were then known), and his first taste of war was in the battles between the ‘Hill-cats’ and the ‘Butcher-cats’ and ‘Basin-cats’ —a distinctive
Richmond war waged with varying fortunes for more
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than one hundred years, the ‘cats’ of all three armies finally fighting side by side in the war between the States.
New pages of history.
In response to a request made of him, that he would write some personal reminiscences of the late
Chief of the
Southern Cause, with whom he was so closely identified, and whose most implicit confidence he enjoyed during the last days of the
Confederacy,
Mr. Clark has edited, for the perusal of readers of
The Times, the following absorbing story:
Partial histories of the evacuation of the
Confederate Capitol have been written by many, but few sketches have been given by those who followed the civil government in its retreat South until by surrender of its chief armies it lost the power to defend the country and protect itself from capture, when natural disintegration took place, executive power ceased, and all hope of the cause was lost, except by the most sanguine.
It was my privilege to be with the
President and Cabinet from the evacuation of
Richmond until within a few days of the capture of himself and family, a portion of his staff, and the sole Cabinet officer remaining with him.
As the government slowly fell to pieces, as quartermaster and commissary of the party, and member of his military family, I was naturally thrown nearer and nearer to his person, until below
Sandersville, Georgia, on the 6th or 7th of May, 1865, giving me my final orders, he sent me on with my train of supplies to
Florida, he said: ‘abandoning for the present everything on wheels,’ and left to temporarily join and protect his family.
The history of the capture of his party and family has been written.
The government was established for a week at
Danville, Virginia, where the various departments were opened, and routine business taken up.
The surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia necessitated retirement to
Greensboro, North Carolina.
The surrender of this hitherto invincible army came with the paralyzing shock of a sudden earthquake, stoutly denied by many as a thing impossible, but
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repeated dispatches at last left no room for doubt of the awful disaster.
Then came the breaking of some of the bonds which held the government together, and some who had followed to this point, seeing that they could be of no real service, and might be an incumbrance, sought the
President to express their profound grief, and seek his advice for their own actions.
These he received with his quiet dignity, advised them with warm friendship, and set them free to private life and duties.
Then I saw for the first time the man. His record as soldier, legislator, and ruler of what was for four years a powerful nation, is a part of the history of the country, North and South, and need not be touched on here.
At
Greensboro, under his orders through
Colonel William Preston Johnston, A. D. C., I made up a team of wagons, with supplies and ambulances for baggage, and after a short stay, took the road for
Charlotte, N. C., where Cabinet meetings were held, and communication kept up with
Johnston's army and others, still in the field.
When the truce between
Johnston and
Sherman expired, the line of march was taken up for
Abbeville, S. C., and finally to
Washington.
Ga., where the closing scenes of the Confederate Government came on 4th May, 1865, with the winding up of the last remaining department—that of the Treasury.
Courage, fortitude, and all hope had not, however, left the head of the government, for the intention was to reach the TransMissis-sippi Department,
via Florida and
Cuba, and carry on the war for independence until the great river could be crossed again.
Bureaus abandoned.
All along the route the various bureaus of the departments had been abandoned, and the
President left
Washington, Ga., with a portion of his staff.
Colonel F. R. Lubbock, A. D. C.,
ex-Governor of
Texas;
Colonel John Taylor Wood, A. D. C.;
Colonel William Preston Johnston, A. D. C.; also
Colonel Thorburn, a naval adjutant,
Captain Given Campbell and eight scouts, my train, with its quartermaster and a small following.
Hon. John H. Reagan,
Postmaster-General and
Acting Secretary of the Treasury, and myself caught up with the party next morning at sunrise, after traveling all night.
Up to
Washington, Ga., the march had no sign of a retreat, and was made leisurely day by day. An escort of cavalry was furnished
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at
Greensboro, but it was kept generally on parallel roads.
From
Washington, Ga., the idea was to reach the Trans-Mississippi Department with safety, and by steady traveling, as no speed could be made.
From
Danville on I saw the government, with its personnel, slowly but surely falling to pieces.
Grief, sorrow, and often indignation was felt and expressed by the immediate party among themselves, but the face of the Great Chief was serene, courteous and kind always, beguiling the tedium of the weary miles with cheerful conversation, reminiscences and anecdotes—as a gracious host entertaining his guests—reviving the spirits, strengthening the hearts and courage of all who were with him.
A horseback ride from
Greensboro, N. C., to far
Southern Georgia was no holiday excursion, with the dusty roads, weary riding, and generally coarse fare, yet he made it one, in part, in many pleasant ways to those who rode with him, and it will never leave their living memories.
I never heard one hasty or petulant expression escape his lips, yet all knew how his proud heart was suffering, so weighted with anxieties for his beloved people, who had given the pick and flower of their families for the cause.
Admiration, love and intense personal devotion to him grew day by day, until laying down life for him would have been a willing tribute.
With all the weariness of the month's retreat, on the road were found many passing compensations.
The people, though they felt and knew that the end of all their hopes was near, were true and hospitable always.
Houses flew open to give what meagre cheer they held.
Touching Demonstrations.
Through the little towns we passed, the ladies (who never gave up) and the children flocked around us with flowers, eager to see, grasp the hand, and bless their
President, God-speeding him on his way.
In every house which sheltered him at night he left a blessing, with cheerful words of faith that God would not desert his people, and left with his entertainers renewed fortitude and strength to meet, endure, and try to overcome the trials soon to come upon them, and with fatherly advice as to their action.
And so it was all the way to
Abbeville, S. C., where the whole
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town was thrown open to the party.
And at
Washington, Ga., where the bitter end was known to be reached, the welcome, though tearful, was full of love, warmth, and tenderness.
Dr.Robertson and
Mrs. Robertson, who received in their hospitable home, the
President and his immediate following, lavished every attention that thoughtful, loving, patriotic hearts could furnish, uncaring the consequences that might follow from an incoming Federal garrison, and speeded the going guest with prayer for his safety.
This family proved the traditional elasticity of Southern homes in caring for guests.
And the end came.
And so the end came.
History records the achievements of
Jefferson Davis as soldier, statesman, and
Chief Magistrate, but to those who saw him and knew him, in those gloomy days when the Southern Confederacy was dying the death, will say that his grand spirit rose the highest and shone the brightest, and his Christian character was more fully exemplified during hours of adversity and defeat.
And those he blessed with his presence will hand down to their children's children in unrecorded traditions, the precious and tender memories he left with them.
It is my great good fortune to share this gracious legacy.
