The 1862 Plot to Kidnap Jefferson Davis - Hardcover

Vifquain, Jean-Baptiste Victor; Vifquain, Victor; Tucker, Phillip Thomas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0811712710 ISBN 13: 9780811712712

Publisher: UNKNO, 1998

Synopsis

& 15 b/w illustrations & 6 x 9 . Never-before-known plot to kidnap Jefferson Davis & A fresh perspective on Richmond during the Civil War In early 1862, three Frenchmen, formerly of d'Epineuil's Zouaves, hatched a plot to ride into Richmond and capture Jefferson Davis. Using the pseudonyms Athos, Porthos, and Aramis from Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers, the young adventurers slipped into Richmond but were captured and thrown into Libby Prison. Victor Vifquain, later awarded the Medal of Honor for his valiant action at Fort Blakely, was one of the brash threesome, and he kept copious notes during the escapade. His memoir written from those notes, recently unearthed from the Nebraska Historical Society and thoroughly edited and annotated, is a stunning tale of intrigue and daring. Jeffrey Smith, a descendent of Victor Vifquain, is a history professor at Bellevue University, Nebraska. Phillip Thomas Tucker, currently the chief historian at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D. C., is the author of several books on the Civil War, including the Douglas Southall Freeman Award-winning The Confederacy's Fighting Chaplain.

About this title

About the Author

Victor Vifquain (1836–1904) was born in Belgium. His family was among the first European settlers in the Nebraska Territory. Vifquain was awarded the nation’s highest military honor for his valor in the Civil War. Jeffrey H. Smith is a professor of history at Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska, and is the author of A Frenchman Fights for the Union: Victor Vifquain and the 97th Illinois. Phillip Thomas Tucker is a historian at the Air Force History Office in Washington DC. He is the author of several books on the Civil War, including The Confederacy’s Fighting Chaplain, winner of the Douglas Southall Freeman Award.

Review

"Jeffrey H. Smith grew up hearing tales of the exploits of his great-great grandfather, Victor Vifquain . . . By the same time, Phillip Thomas Tucker had already achieved a reputation as an accomplished military historian [and] By coincidence and common interest brought the two together to work on the editing . . . Taking cues from fellow Frenchmen Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo, Vifquain tells his story with an air of daring-do that inspires a sense of awe in the reader."
--Daily Nebraskan

"'The Three Musketeers Do Richmond' would be an apt subtitle for Victor Vifquain's tale of this youthful escapade behind enemy lines . . . all young and prominent Frenchmen who were devotees of the American Union, hatched a plan to kidnap Confederate President Jefferson Davis . . . ."
--The Civil War Courier

"An important addition to the already rich selection of Civil War literature."
--Nebraska History

"Recounting an uncelebrated but singular part of American history, The 1862 Plot to Kidnap Jefferson Davis deserves a place in the library of Civil War literature."
--International Security Review

"Victor Vifquain authored this memoir of his and his friends' daring attempt to kidnap Jefferson Davis . . . The plot was so secret and limited to so few that there is very little historical proof of it.  There is a record, though, of the plotters having been arrested and having been in Richmond.  Vifquain's memoir . . . indeed flows very well."
--Curled Up With A Good Book

"lively account by one of the principals of a free-lance conspiracy among four French and Belgian officers in Union service to kidnap the Confederate President. . . worth reading for anyone who with more than a passing interest in the Civil War."
--New York Military Affairs Symposium

"this book offers a new look at Civil War-era Richmond and a scheme to end the war early. The editors highlight archived chronicles of this previously unknown and daring plot."
--Universitas

"Victor Vifquain's life reads like a Hollywood screenplay . . . Unbeknownst to most of the American public, Vifquain and three French comrades joined forces in an attempt to infiltrate the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va, kidnap the Confederate president and bring an early end to the bloody war."
--Daily Nebraskan

"It would seem to be the height of fantasy: four young adventurous Frenchmen going by the names of Dumas's fictional musketeers hatch a plot to kidnap Jefferson Davis early in the Civil War and almost get a chance to carry it off . . . The adventure is true . . . Now, edited and carefully annotated by two modern historians . . . his story amazes, engages, and provides rare insight into a momentarily lighter side of the Civil War."
--Kliatt

"This is history with gusto, an exhuberant, ornate telling of a true tale.  It is an old-fashioned story of the swashbuckling sort, full of color and drama . . . "
--Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Newsletter

Edition details

• Publisher: UNKNO
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0811712710
• ISBN 13: 9780811712712
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 182
• Editor: Smith Jeffrey H., Tucker Phillip Thomas