By 1865 hanging Jefferson Davis would have been a kindness, ending his misery and making him a martyr.
Much better to let him live in personal and financial trouble, planning every public appearance based on whether or not he would be able to avoid other key Confederate figures and to be remembered as a traitor to most of the country and as an incompetent who lost a winnable and worthy cause by the rest.
Much better to let him live in personal and financial trouble, planning every public appearance based on whether or not he would be able to avoid other key Confederate figures and to be remembered as a traitor to most of the country and as an incompetent who lost a winnable and worthy cause by the rest.