Jefferson Davis Memorial Historic Site, Historic site and museum in Irwin County, Georgia, United States

The Jefferson Davis Memorial Historic Site is a historic landmark in Georgia with a granite monument and bronze bust marking a significant moment from the Civil War. The grounds include walking trails, picnic areas, and a museum displaying artifacts and documents from the 1860s.

Confederate president Jefferson Davis and his party camped in a pine forest here on the evening of May 9, 1865. At dawn on May 10 the 1st Wisconsin and 4th Michigan Cavalry surrounded the camp; the two Union regiments briefly fired on each other, killing two cavalrymen, before Davis was arrested. He was charged with treason and held two years at Fort Monroe, Virginia. The United Daughters of the Confederacy dedicated the monument on June 3, 1936.

The monument was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and dedicated on June 3, 1936; its bronze bust was modeled by Atlanta sculptor Laurence Tompkins. The front relief shows Davis captured between two Union soldiers, the back a battle scene, and the sides the Confederate flag. The museum, built in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration, holds Civil War-era weapons, uniforms and an exhibit on Davis's 1865 flight from Richmond.

The site lies in Irwin County near Irwinville, about 14 km west of Fitzgerald, reached by road through farmland. A one-third-mile nature trail loops through the pine woods around the monument, and thirteen picnic sites plus a group shelter seating 100 are on the grounds. The monument stands in a gravel bed inside a low iron fence.

A tragic misunderstanding during the events led to the death of two soldiers who did not recognize each other and became involved in conflict. This unexpected twist in the story is often overlooked when focusing on the main events of the day.