Jefferson Davis' Florida Escape Plan

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

I'm reading Flight Into Oblivion about the Confederate cabinet's flight from Richmond and came across some passing mentions I would like to find out more details about.

pg 96: "Colonel [Charles E.] Thorburn, who had devoted almost one month to maturing plans for the escape of the Confederate leaders, had decided that theonly safe route led through Florida..."

pg 97: "Near Lake City [Thorburn] met Captain Louis M. Coxetter...and arranged with him to make ready the vessel which Coxetter had kept waiting in the Indian River on the East Coast to take Davis and the Cabinet to the Bahamas, Cuba, or Texas."

pg 132: "The boat which Colonel Thorburn, after such careful planning with Captain Coxetter, had held in readiness in the Indian River for the presidential party, had been destroyed when the capture of Jefferson Davis was learned..."

I'm wondering if there are any further details known of Davis' planned escape via the Indian River.

 

[Sid J.]

I'm reading Flight Into Oblivion about the Confederate cabinet's flight from Richmond and came across some passing mentions I would like to find out more details about.

pg 96: "Colonel [Charles E.] Thorburn, who had devoted almost one month to maturing plans for the escape of the Confederate leaders, had decided that theonly safe route led through Florida..."

pg 97: "Near Lake City [Thorburn] met Captain Louis M. Coxetter...and arranged with him to make ready the vessel which Coxetter had kept waiting in the Indian River on the East Coast to take Davis and the Cabinet to the Bahamas, Cuba, or Texas."

pg 132: "The boat which Colonel Thorburn, after such careful planning with Captain Coxetter, had held in readiness in the Indian River for the presidential party, had been destroyed when the capture of Jefferson Davis was learned..."

I'm wondering if there are any further details known of Davis' planned escape via the Indian River.

Not sure what plans were made specifically for Davis, but War Secretary Breckenridge did make it to Cuba using a similar route.

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

Not sure what plans were made specifically for Davis, but War Secretary Breckenridge did make it to Cuba using a similar route.

Yes, and according to Hanna's book Judah Benjamin considered going the same way. However, unlike Breckinridge, he wasn't able to arrange a vessel on that coast so went via the Gamble Plantation and Gulf Coast instead.

 

[jackt62]

Wasn't Davis planning to make his escape to Mexico?

 

[Drew]

I'm pretty sure Davis was headed for Shreveport, LA, the provisional capitol of the Confederacy after the fall of Richmond, when he was caught.

Never heard about boats from Florida to anywhere before.

 

[Pollaco]

I always understood it to be that Davis was headed to Texas or Mexico.Now was he planning on sailing directly to Texas and then entering Mexico or sailing to Mexico and entering Texas?

 

[jackt62]

I'm pretty sure Davis was headed for Shreveport, LA, the provisional capitol of the Confederacy after the fall of Richmond, when he was caught.

Never heard about boats from Florida to anywhere before.

Breckenridge and Benjamin both made their escape in small boats from Florida to Caribbean ports, although their pathways were not the same.

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

I'm pretty sure Davis was headed for Shreveport, LA, the provisional capitol of the Confederacy after the fall of Richmond, when he was caught.

Never heard about boats from Florida to anywhere before.

Yes, but by the time of his capture had concluded there were too many Union patrols to cross Alabama and Mississippi so he needed to go via boat from Florida.