[nolu chan]

In November 1868, a nolle prosequi [unwilling to prosecute] was entered in the case of Jefferson Davis, and he was released from custody. No jeopardy attaches to this action, and it does not bar future prosecution.

In a proclamation dated December 25, 1868 (15 Stat. 711), President Johnson proclaimed and declared:

* * * unconditionally, and without reservation, to all and every person who directly or indirectly participated in the late insurrection or rebellion, a full pardon and amnesty for the offence of treason against the United States, or of adhering to their enemies during the late civil war, with restoration of all rights, privileges, and immunities under the Constitution and the laws which have been made in pursuance thereof.

This general pardon applied equally to Jefferson Davis as it did to others. It is this general pardon which terminated the possible prosecution of Jefferson Davis.

[4CJ]

'Nothing fills me with deeper sadness than to see a Southern man apologizing for the defense we made of our inheritance. Our cause was so just, so sacred, that had I known all that has come to pass, had I known what was to be inflicted upon me, all that my country was to suffer, all that our posterity was to endure, I would do it all over again.'
Jefferson Davis.