Jefferson Davis's Flight from Richmond

April 2, 1865 is perhaps the most famous night in American history. In the space of a few hours the Confederate capital was evacuated and burned, the government fled, slavery was finished in North America, Union forces entered Richmond, and the Civil War came to an end. Yet there were no official documents to tell this story. By far the most important eyewitness was Navy Secretary Mallory. Most of what we know today comes from Mallory, but Mallory, and all the other eyewitnesses, are not what they seem.