The Perfect Crime: Brig. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis and the murder of Wm. "Bull" Nelson

Michael W.

First Sergeant
Joined
Jun 19, 2015
Location
The Hoosier State
I have always been an admirer of Brig. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis (he is from my home state of Indiana). Mexican War vet, on duty at Fort Sumter when the war began, and Western Theatre officer. But he clearly committed what at the very least would today be considered second degree murder when he borrowed a pistol from a fellow officer and shot Maj. Gen. William "Bull" Nelson. Davis really should not have been in the area in the first place. He was on leave from duty and was then under Rosecrans's command in Missouri. While on leave in Indiana the Confederate invasion of Kentucky commenced. Davis, on his own actions offered his services to Maj. Gen. Horatio C. Wright in Cincinnati, who ordered him to report to Nelson in Louisville. Skipping all the details here, the final result after their two separate confrontations at the Galt House was the death of Nelson. Davis openly admitted what he had done, and was placed under arrest. Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell and the Army of the Ohio were by this time now in Louisville, and were preparing to move south to confront Bragg. Buell agreed that Davis needed to be tried, but with the crisis on hand of what would culminate to be the Battle of Perryville, he wired Gen. Halleck and stated: ".....a court-marshal should take place immediately, but I can't spare officers from the army now in motion to compose a court." Davis was left in custody in Louisville while Buell moved to confront Bragg. 5 days after the Battle of Perryville, on Oct. 13, 1862, Davis was released from custody by order of Gen. Wright. Military regulations required that a general court had to be assembled within 45 days of the arrest, or all charges would have to be dropped. With the Kentucky campaign underway, and all senior officers tied up with active military operations in the region, Davis was never tried within the 45 day limit, and never would be. Because that was the law. Davis committed the perfect crime. Your thoughts?
 
I can understand Sickles and the Dr. who offed Van Dorn not being tried, don't agree with it, but understand it. However, Davis should have been tried, he committed murder plan and simple.
It is interesting that Sickles was the first one in U.S. history to get off the murder rap on the "temporary insanity" plea. The doctor who murdered Van Dorn(can't remember his name) also in a sense committed a perfect crime, in that, he fled the scene and headed north, and once in Union occupied territory, not only had no fear of prosecution, but was probably thanked for doing the U.S. a big fat favor.....
 
I think Davis got away with murder, too, but that wasn't all so uncommon in that day. John Mosby did the same and it was considered self-defense. A man he had had a bad encounter with had threatened to come kill him, so when he saw the man headed into the hotel he was staying at he went back upstairs and got his gun. Coming down, he shot the guy dead as a door nail! Never knew what or who hit him, not sure if he even knew Mosby was at the hotel...
 
Remember reading then re-reading this years ago, then deciding I'd missed something, being such a beginner with Civil War matters- it made so little sense. Still convinced I'm missing something ( for the same reasons ) , better than years ago, still feel something must be missing for the story to be so bald-faced ' He murdered someone, The End '. So that really is the whole thing? Gosh. Thanks for bringing this up, btw, one of those events which has always been baffling.

I do remember reading one hysterical account where Nelson was painted as a veritable Hoss, of Bonanza fame, some benign, genial fellow, which he was not, not that this excuses murder. He really was the opposite, clashed with Davis; their last encounter was a threat to have him arrested or sent back over the Ohio River plus he just hated the stuffing out of all people Indiana, who knows why. Davis was more than whipped up, Gov. Morton inclusive, came back and did the deed- also not that this absolves him. I'm guessing court procedings would have been incredibly long, dragged politicians into the fray and who knows, how many character witness could muddy the waters? One site said there were any number of Indiana troops ready to swear they were out to shoot Nelson.

Sorry, not sure what was wanted for the thread? It's just always been baffling and the more you read the less clear it becomes, everything being allowed to just drop. Why? Was it really because the war swept events along so quickly? Was it because names like Morton would have been involved ( he was with Davis when he tracked down Nelson at the hotel ) in the end, political pressure was applied? Was it because, as valuable and sterling a military man as Nelson was, had he become so incendiary over this Indiana thing, tough to defend? Indiana sent a lot of troops to the war, many Federal dead were Indiana soldiers- really unfair and dismissive to hold some bizarre grudge against all-things-Indiana. Must have been a huge news story at the time but we really don't hear a lot about that?
 
Incidentally, I might clarify that Mosby received the threat some several months earlier - the man walked into the hotel without a clue Mosby was even in existence...suddenly - BLAM!

At least we know Nelson knew of Davis and why he'd been shot. He was a former naval officer, which might have had some bearing on his rugged command style, and I suppose his beef with Hoosiers was mainly a beef with Oliver P Morton, who was present at the scene. Morton was trying to keep Indiana from joining the Confederacy or splitting up, and he was also more-or-less speaking for Kentucky - Nelson's home state. There had been gigantic military movements through Kentucky and Tennessee, starting with the rebel invasion of Kentucky and Nelson had raised troops for the Union there. That might have been a chicken or the egg situation. I'm not sure anybody is clear on when Kentucky's neutrality was violated! Having a rump Confederate government made matters difficult in that regard and eventually straddling the fence became very, very impossible. At any rate, the violation of Kentucky's neutrality and the interventions of Morton along with protest from his friend Jeff C Davis with the shaky situation of Union command after deaths and removals in the aftermath of a major battle...then Nelson slaps Davis and calls him a puppy. :x3:
 
In regard to the Mosby shooting-it was before the War and the man in question was a bully whom Mosby shot and wounded. In regard to the Van Dorn Shooting-see the Civil War Times Illustrated article on Van Dorn's life on another possible motive besides a jealus husband had for shooting the general...
 
In regard to the Mosby shooting-it was before the War and the man in question was a bully whom Mosby shot and wounded. In regard to the Van Dorn Shooting-see the Civil War Times Illustrated article on Van Dorn's life on another possible motive besides a jealus husband had for shooting the general...

You're right on Mosby - thanks! He got jail time, a fat fine and booted out of the university.

Van Dorn... Well, he picked a bad time to get shot at any rate, and Doc waited until the general had written him a pass... Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar and sometimes it isn't!
 
These types of feuds resulting in killings seemed to be an occurrence during the civil war or perhaps that time period in American history. In addition to the murder of "Bull" Nelson, and the other cases pointed out, there was the killing of confederate general Lucius Walker by General Marmaduke in a duel. Marmaduke had accused his superior officer of cowardice but even that is no excuse for taking the law into ones own hands. As far as I know, Marmaduke was also not penalized for that murder.
 
These types of feuds resulting in killings seemed to be an occurrence during the civil war or perhaps that time period in American history. In addition to the murder of "Bull" Nelson, and the other cases pointed out, there was the killing of confederate general Lucius Walker by General Marmaduke in a duel. Marmaduke had accused his superior officer of cowardice but even that is no excuse for taking the law into ones own hands. As far as I know, Marmaduke was also not penalized for that murder.

I'd wondered about the matter with Marmaduke. It seems like if there was a question of honor involved the thing was overlooked if possible. For example, when Lt Willis Gould tried to kill Forrest, who killed him back, neither was charged with anything. Gould was offended at being called a coward and Forrest thought he'd been shot in the guts - inevitable death - which was why he pursued Gould after stabbing him. The provost marshal did his duty by stepping off a curb in front of Forrest, who was covered with blood and carrying a pistol in each hand. "Stop, General," he said. "Get out of my way!" replied Forrest. Duty done, he got!
 
I'd wondered about the matter with Marmaduke. It seems like if there was a question of honor involved the thing was overlooked if possible. For example, when Lt Willis Gould tried to kill Forrest, who killed him back, neither was charged with anything. Gould was offended at being called a coward and Forrest thought he'd been shot in the guts - inevitable death - which was why he pursued Gould after stabbing him. The provost marshal did his duty by stepping off a curb in front of Forrest, who was covered with blood and carrying a pistol in each hand. "Stop, General," he said. "Get out of my way!" replied Forrest. Duty done, he got!

I believe Forrest also provided another memorable quotation in relation to that incident:

"No damned man will kill me and live!"
 
Nelson was despised by many in Buell's army at the time, having reportedly slashed at his own soldiers with his saber when they were retreating from Richmond and earning a reputation for forced marches conducted "in the most unchristian and inhuman manner," according to a captain in the 93rd Ohio Infantry, who attributed his incompetence to "a great lack of courage or capacity." Union officers had mixed feelings about Nelson's death, as I relate in my recent book. Colonel Charles Anderson, writing his wife the day after the shooting, felt that Nelson had no right to "trample upon the rights or even the pride of others," and that Davis was "entirely justified in killing him." Anderson consoled Davis and told him that he "sympathized with the living as well as regretting the dead." The killing was certainly hot-blooded murder, but there may have been few in Nelson's command who mourned his death.
 
Gee what a surprise someone who has political connections getting away with murder I can't believe I'm shocked.
 
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