The Daily Telegram
MACON TWP. The 112th annual Memorial Day service at Macon Cemetery on Sunday, honored the service of the fallen as well as Cpl. William H. Crittenden, one of the soldiers responsible for capturing Jefferson Davis during the Civil War.
Crittenden, also known as “Tip,” belonged to Company E of the 4th Michigan Cavalry, which departed for war in 1862. He originally was from the Macon and Tecumseh areaand is buried at Macon Cemetery.
Bob Elliot, a local historian, was a guest speaker at the ceremony and told attendees a little about Crittenden. He was married to Rosetta, and they had five children. He was only 24 years old when he was called to fight. He died on Nov. 29, 1924, as the last soldier still alive who captured Davis.
By Bob Wessel
Go back to March, 1865.
The end of a long and bloody Civil War is just weeks away. On March 21, General Robert E. Lee reported to Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, that Union forces were on the way to Richmond and nothing more could be done to slow the advance.
On April 2, Lee advised Davis that the fall of Richmond was imminent, and that the President and his family should flee immediately. Davis heeded his trusted General and fled before the advancing army of General Sheridan.
One week later, on April 9, Lee surrendered his Army of Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse just outside of Richmond. Contrary to popular belief, the war was not yet over, and the hunt was on to locate and capture Jefferson Davis before he could flee west and regroup an event that could prolong the war.