Jefferson Davis, Wilcox County

Wilcox County · dedicated 1957 · Across From the Courthouse in Fitzgerald in front of the Library.

Jefferson Davis spent his last days as Confederate President in Georgia fleeing capture by US troops. After stopping in Washington, Georgia, with his advisors, he left with a small staff and escort for the trans-Mississippi Department to regroup and continue fighting if possible. On May 7, Davis traveled southwest towards Abbeville under the pursuit of the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry (US). After joining his family earlier that morning, he reached Dublin (50 miles NE). On May 8, his party crossed the Ocmulgee River toward Irwinville (26 miles SW). He camped a mile north of the town in present-day Jefferson Davis Memorial Historic Site. On May 10, Davis’s camp was surrounded, and he was captured by the 1st Wisconsin and 4th Michigan cavalry regiments (US). Davis was taken to Macon and later imprisoned at Fort Monroe in Virginia.

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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This marker is part of the Georgia Historical Marker Program, administered by the Georgia Historical Society. Marker texts and locations come from the Society's own marker database.

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Jefferson Davis, Wilcox Countyunder 1 mi
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On the National Register nearby

Wilcox County Courthouse140 ft

Places within about 300 feet of this marker that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby listing is not always the marker's own subject.