1862 Plot to Kidnap Jefferson Davis, The [first edition]

& 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.