Jefferson Davis Ex-President Of The Confederate States Of America, A Memoir By His Wife - free ebook by Varina Davis

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Jefferson Davis Ex-President Of The Confederate States Of America, A Memoir By His Wife

Varina Davis

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130 chapters

Ancestry And Boyhood

Ancestry And Boyhood

Jefferson Davis was born in 1808. He died in 1889. During the intervening period of over fourscore years, by his stainless personal character; by his unflagging and unselfish devotion to the interests of the South; by his unsurpassed ability as an exponent and champion of her rights and principles, as well as by his distinguished public services in peace and war, and his high official station, he was universally regarded, both at home and abroad, as pre-eminently the representative of a great er

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Early Education

Early Education

The Kentucky Catholic School, called St. Thomas' College, when I was there, was connected with a church. The priests were Dominicans. They held a large property; productive fields, slaves, flour-mills, flocks, and herds. As an association they were rich. Individually, they were vowed to poverty and self-abnegation. They were diligent in the care, both spiritual and material, of their parishioners' wants. When I entered the school, a large majority of the boys belonged to the Roman Catholic Churc

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At Transylvania University

At Transylvania University

From the Academy presided over by Mr. Shaw I went to Lexington, Ky., to enter the Transylvania University. Having usually been classed with boys beyond my age, I was quite disappointed to find that the freshmen of the college I wanted to enter were much younger than myself, and I felt my pride offended by being put with smaller boys. My chief deficiency was in mathematics, which had been very little taught in the Academy. The professor of mathematics, Mr. Jenkins, kindly agreed to give me privat

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Enters West Point

Enters West Point

Mr. Davis continued his autobiography by saying: No son could have loved a father more tenderly. When Mr. Davis was Thirty-nine, he came accidentally upon a letter of his father's which he tried to read aloud, but handed it over unread and left the room unable to speak. Below is a quaint, pitiful letter from the bereaved boy to his sister-in-law, after hearing of his father's death. The formal manner of the letter he retained as long as he lived. It is gratifying to hear from a friend, especiall

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West Point, 1818-25

West Point, 1818-25

Genealogy of the Howell family-Lieutenant Howell's visit to Natchez-his marriage-purchase of Hurricane plantation-visit to West Point. The friendship between the Davis family and my own began about this time. My grandfather, Major Richard Howell, was born in Delaware. His great-grandfather was a Howell of Caerleon, Monmouth County. One of the sons moved to Caerphilly, Glamorganshire, Wales, where he was “Seated” until he moved to Delaware about 1690, and became a large planter there. One of his

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Fort Crawford, 1828-29

Fort Crawford, 1828-29

Cadet Davis graduated in July, 1828, received the usual brevet of Second Lieutenant of Infantry, went to visit his family on a short furlough, and then reported for duty at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis. There he found Lieutenants Gustave Rousseau, Kinsman, Thomas Drayton, Sidney Johnston, and several other old and dear friends. Very soon after Lieutenant Davis arrived there he was sent up to Fort Crawford, built on the site of what is now Prairie du Chien, in Wisconsin. The Fort was then in an

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Fort Winnebago, 1829-31

Fort Winnebago, 1829-31

In the autumn of 1829 Lieutenant Davis was ordered down to Fort Winnebago, where he remained until 1831. This fort was built in 1828, opposite the portage, about Two miles from the junction of the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. As late as 1830 the only mode of reaching Green Bay from Chicago, and from thence to Fort Winnebago, was by schooner, and the journey sometimes consumed Three months. The intermediate country in many portions was unexplored by white men, and was generally occupied by friendly

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Yellow River, 1831

Yellow River, 1831

In 1831, while Fort Crawford was still in the process of construction, Lieutenant Davis was ordered up to Yellow River to superintend the building of a sawmill. While he was commanding his small force at Yellow River, where he built a rough little fort, he succeeded in conciliating the neighboring Indians, and gained their regard to such a degree that he was adopted by a chief within the sacred bond of brotherhood, which exists among the aborigines of the West, as it does among the Greek races o

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The Galena Lead Mines, 1831-32

The Galena Lead Mines, 1831-32

In 1824 the First steam-boat reached Prairie du Chien. In 1827 Red Bird's capture gave a sense of security to the settlers, and they went in numbers to the lead mines at Galena, where, Seven years before, only One house was standing. In 1829, the lead extracted amounted to Twelve millions of pounds, but the treaties with the Indians, which secured this teeming country, had not been formally closed, though the fact of a treaty having been initiated was known. Colonel Willoughby Morgan, commanding

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Fort Crawford, 1832-33

Fort Crawford, 1832-33

Mr. Davis wrote: “In 1832, Zachary Taylor became colonel of the First Infantry, with Headquarters at Fort Crawford, Prairie du Chien. The barracks were unfinished, and his practical mind and conscientious attention to every duty were manifest in the progress and completion of the work.” After the duty had been performed at Yellow River, Lieutenant Davis was ordered to Fort Crawford, where he was again active in the building of the fort. Several of the brightest men of Lieutenant Davis's class, h

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The Black Hawk War

The Black Hawk War

The events of this period, called the “Black Hawk War,” have become so shrouded in the mists of time that a short statement of the causes will not seem inappropriate. The name Sauke, now abbreviated to Sac, means yellow earth; Musquakee, now Fox, red earth. These Two warlike tribes eventually became amalgamated; they were originally from the St. Lawrence River. The Foxes First settled at Green Bay, and the river near which they made their abode still bears their name. There they sustained a sign

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Fort Gibson

Fort Gibson

Lieutenant Davis and Major Boone.-engagement at Stillman's run.-Battle of Bad Axe.-end of the Black Hawk War. The watchfulness, capacity, and bravery of these Two men contributed largely to the success of the campaign which would otherwise have proved disastrous to them on account of the want of provisions and the inexperience of the troops. It was here that Lieutenant Davis First observed that very few men could live upon animal food alone. This and other hardships compelled Major Boone to esta

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At Lexington And Galena

At Lexington And Galena

Galena lead mines.-recruiting service.-cholera in Lexington.-return to Fort Crawford.-Fort Gibson.- Adventure with Indians.— Washington Irving and Eleazur Williams.-New regiment created.-promotion.— Smith T. After the Black Hawk War closed in 1831 Lieutenant Davis was sent up to Galena on a tour of inspection to the lead mines, where he remained long enough personally to know some of the miners, and they had so many manly qualities that his relations with them were very kind, and his appreciatio

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Fort Gibson, 1834

Fort Gibson, 1834

There was a sergeant-major at Fort Gibson of more than ordinary education and dignity of character who lay in hospital desperately ill and gradually sinking. Mr. Davis had visited him for a while each day, and had a friendly regard for him. When marching orders were received the poor fellow pleaded with his lieutenant to take him, too. Mr. Davis said he could scarcely restrain his tears when he had to tell him that he was too ill to go; but the man begged so hard he had him wrapped up and took h

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Resignation From The Army.-Marriage To Miss Taylor.-Cuban Visit.-Winter In Washington.-President Van Buren.-Return To Brierfield, 1837

Resignation From The Army.-Marriage To Miss Taylor.-Cuban Visit.-Winter In Washington.-President Van Buren.-Return To Brierfield, 1837

Lieutenant Davis's service had been arduous, and from his First day on the frontier until his last, he had always been a candidate for every duty in which he could be of use, and his conduct had been recognized by the promotion accorded to him by his government. The snows of the Northwest had affected his eyes seriously; his health was somewhat impaired and, naturally domestic in his tastes, he began to look forward longingly to establishing a restful home and to a more quiet life. His engagemen

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Hurricane And Brierfield, 1837-45

Hurricane And Brierfield, 1837-45

Joseph E. Davis.-treatment of slaves.-life at Hurricane and Brierfield. During the Eight years after this period Mr. Davis rarely left home, and never willingly. Sometimes a year would elapse without his leaving his plantation. Intercourse with his Brother Joseph was well calculated to improve and enlarge the mind of the younger brother. Joseph Davis was a man of great versatility of mind, a student of governmental law, and took an intense interest in the movements of the great political parties

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Begins His Political Life, 1843

Begins His Political Life, 1843

Canvass as elector for Polk and Dallas. “In 1843,” said Mr. Davis, in a brief autobiographical sketch, dictated to a friend during the last month of his life, for a new Biographical Cyclopaedia, “I, for the First time, took part in the political life of the country. Next year I was chosen One of the Presidential electors at large of the State, and in the succeeding year was elected to Congress, taking my seat in the House of Representatives in December, 1845. The proposition to terminate the joi

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Marriage, 1845

Marriage, 1845

My father, W. B. Howell, lived in a large old-fashioned house called “The briers,” on a “Bluff” near Natchez, Miss.The ground sloped on each side, on the west to a “Dry bayou” about One hundred feet or more deep, the sides of which were covered with pines, oaks, and magnolia trees. On the west there were deep caving bayous, washed in the yellow clay by the drainage to the river bank, about One-Eighth of a mile from us. Mr. Joseph E. Davis came to see the family when I was Sixteen, and urged my m

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In The Twenty-Ninth Congress, 1845-46

In The Twenty-Ninth Congress, 1845-46

In the summer of 1845 Mr. Davis's name began to be mentioned very often as the proper nominee for a seat in Congress. In that day the nomination was equivalent to an election; it was not by districts but was by a vote of the State at large. The question of the payment of the Union and Planters' Bank bonds had about this time brought many bickerings and much dissatisfactions into the party. Mr. Briscoe, the leader of his party in Mississippi, and a repudiator Per se, announced that he would not v

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Visit Of Calhoun, 1845

Visit Of Calhoun, 1845

Mr. John C. Calhoun had always been such a strict constructionist of the Constitution that encroachment, in defiance of the restrictions imposed upon the appropriation by Congress of money to improve One State or harbor at the expense of the rest, had been with him a constant cause of excited debate whenever such propositions were urged. About this time the effort had been renewed to obtain grants for the improvement of the different harbors on the Lakes, and especially that of Chicago, which wa

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Mr. Davis's First Session In Congress

Mr. Davis's First Session In Congress

Mr. Davis took his seat as a member of the House of Representatives on Monday, December 8, 1845. On the 29th of the month he offered Two resolutions— the First: That the Committee on Military Affairs be instructed to inquire into the expediency of converting a portion of the forts of the United States into schools for military instruction, on the basis of substituting their present garrisons of enlisted men by detachments furnished from each State of our Union, in ratio of their several represen

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The Secret Service Fund— Charges Against Webster, 1845-46

The Secret Service Fund— Charges Against Webster, 1845-46

Mr. Davis saw that he had been approved by Mr. Adams, and generally recognized as a personage in the House, without any One having an exact reason to assign for this distinction, and was subsequently brought more prominently into notice by an attack made upon Mr. Webster by Mr. Charles Jared Ingersoll in the House of Representatives. The hands of the public men of the time had been clean of plunder, or the imputation of dishonesty— it was not a day of personal “Investigations.”Wall Street had no

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The Senate In 1845

The Senate In 1845

The Personnel of the House was at this time not so notable as that of the Senate; it was more noisy, less distinguished, if One might so say, than when Ex-President Adams was there and the Two Ingersolls, besides many others who became notable afterward. Judge Stephen A. Douglas was just beginning to figure in the public eye as a leading man of pronounced opinions. Mr. Lincoln, I have heard since, was also there. Vice-President George Mifflin Dallas presided over the Senate with matchless grace

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The Storming Of Monterey, 1846

The Storming Of Monterey, 1846

The army arrived at Walnut Springs, Two or Three miles from Monterey, September 19, 1846. Two days afterward offensive operations were begun. They ended in the capitulation of Monterey, a city strongly fortified and stubbornly defended. Mr. John Savage, in his “Living representative men,” gives a brilliant account of the part taken in these operations by the Mississippi Rifles. “In the storming of Monterey,” he writes, Colonel Davis and his riflemen played a most gallant part. The storming of On

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The Storming Of Monterey-Report Of Mr. Davis

The Storming Of Monterey-Report Of Mr. Davis

Professor William Preston Johnston, the son of the distinguished General Albert Sidney Johnston, in the life of his father, furnishes another account of the storming of Monterey, written by Mr. Davis in a private letter. The Professor thus quotes: The First attack was made on Fort Taneria, a stone building covered by a low and hastily constructed redoubt. Twigg's brigade, led by Colonel Garland, was in advance, and, after a brief attempt, was moved out to the right in a cornfield. Then the Tenne

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After The Battle Of Monterey

After The Battle Of Monterey

After the Battle of Monterey my anxiety and depression were so great, and my health s6 much impaired by this and other causes, that my husband obtained Sixty days leave of absence, which, in those days of slow travel, were required in order to spend Two weeks in the United States. In an entry in Adjutant Griffith's reports, dated “Camp Allen, near Monterey, October 19th,” I find this note: “Colonel Davis left on furlough for Sixty days.”He left the camp with a corporal's guard, went at great ris

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In The Thirtieth Congress, 1847-48

In The Thirtieth Congress, 1847-48

Mr. Davis had not long to wait for the most signal expressions of gratitude and homage which his State could offer him. Governor A. G. Brown, within less than Two months after his return home, appointed him to fill the vacancy in the United States Senate occasioned by the death of Senator Jesse Speight. His appointment was unanimously ratified by the Legislature. Through all avenues of public opinion, in popular meetings, and by the press, the people of the State enthusiastically endorsed the Go

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The Oregon Question

The Oregon Question

In the Thirtieth Congress the most important issue was the question of admitting the Territory of Oregon into the Union. Mr. Davis took a conspicuous part in the debates. On June 23d he offered, as an amendment to the Twelfth section of the pending bill to admit Oregon, a resolution declaring that “Nothing contained in this act shall be so construed as to authorize the prohibition of domestic slavery in said Territory while it remains in the condition of a Territory in said United States.” He re

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“Cuban Offers.”

“Cuban Offers.”

In the spring of 1848, we lived in the house next door to the United States Hotel, and went in to our meals across a little bridge that communicated with the dining-room. Governor McWillie, of Mississippi, and his family, Mr. and Mrs. Toombs, of Georgia, and Mr. and Mrs. Burt, of South Carolina, made up our “Mess.”Mrs. Burt was the niece of Mr. Calhoun, and a very handsome and amiable woman. Her husband was a strong-hearted, faithful, honest man who agreed with Mr. Calhoun in most things. We did

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Anti-Slavery Agitation

Anti-Slavery Agitation

Mr. Randolph thought and expressed the opinion to Mr. Buchanan, that the Anti-slavery agitation in the North was the only thing that had prevented the passage of a law in the Southern States for gradual emancipation. When the agitation was fairly inaugurated the legitimate uses of the Post-office Department were perverted from their end by packing the mails full of incendiary documents urging our slaves to servile insurrections. General Jackson, on December 2, 1835, recommended that a penalty sh

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Thirty-First Congress, 1849-50

Thirty-First Congress, 1849-50

The First session of the Thirty-first Congress opened on Monday, December 3, 1849. In no preceding Senate had been seen more brilliant groups of statesmen from both South and North. Among the distinguished senators then, or soon subsequently to be, famous, were Davis, Calhoun, Clay, Webster, Benton, Corwin, Cass, Fillmore, Johnson, Stephen A. Douglas, Seward, Chase, Houston, Badger, of North Carolina; Butler, of South Carolina; Hamlin, Hunter, and Mason, of Virginia; Berrien, Mangum, and Pierre

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Missouri Compromise

Missouri Compromise

In 1819-20, the question of admitting Missouri into the Union gave rise to heated discussions as to the right to impose restrictions upon slavery in any of the Territories, the common property of the whole United States. The Northern States desired to deny Missouri admission as a State and hold her in a territorial condition, unless a restriction could be imposed upon the holding of slaves within her borders. The Southern States felt this an unjust discrimination against their property rights, a

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From Plantation To Cabinet Life

From Plantation To Cabinet Life

After the canvass resulted against the Democratic party, we began to put our home in order; for, on our return, after a long absence, the little woman who had charge of the house told me, with friendly sympathy, “Missis, ‘tain't no use to talk; what isn't broke is crack, and what isn't crack is broke.”So, finding we had met the usual fate of absentees, we began to rehabilitate our home and grounds as best we might. My husband was very fond of cultivating trees and of seeing roses and ornamental

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First Year In The Cabinet

First Year In The Cabinet

Mr. Davis's First report as Secretary of War was transmitted to Congress on December 1, 1853. Like all his public documents, it was marked by a lucidity and dignity of style which not only invested the dead facts with living interest, but added an irresistible force to his arguments and recommendations. The report showed that, during the preceding year, the War Department, with an army the actual strength of which was only a little over 10,000 men, actively and constantly employed, had been unus

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Mr. Davis's Second Report

Mr. Davis's Second Report

Mr. Davis opened his Second report as Secretary of War (presented to Congress December 4, 1854), with the gratifying announcement that the difference between the authorized and actual strength of the army was fast disappearing under the operation of the law (passed at his urgent recommendation in August) “To increase the pay of the rank and file of the army and to encourage enlistments.”The actual strength was I, 745, against an authorized strength of 14,216. After tersely describing the distrib

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Third Year As Secretary Of War

Third Year As Secretary Of War

Mr. Davis's Third report was presented to the House of Representatives December 3, 1855. The army consisted of 15,752 officers and men— only 2,115 less than the authorized strength— and enlistments were progressing so satisfactorily that the difference was rapidly being overcome. This was the result of the measures formerly recommended by Mr. Davis. Over 10,000 men had enlisted during the year, and over 20,000 had been refused on account of minority or unfitness. Four additional regiments had be

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Fourth Report

Fourth Report

Mr. Davis's Fourth annual report was presented to Congress December I, 1856. The actual strength of the army was 15,— 562. During the year an expedition had been sent to the Indian districts of Minnesota; the Indian difficulties on the Plains had ended, except with the Cheyennes; in Texas and New Mexico Indian outbreaks had been unfrequent, but in Florida the efforts of the Department had been unavailing to effect the removal of the Seminole Indians. General Harney had been sent with a force to

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Secretary Of War, 1853-57

Secretary Of War, 1853-57

“While in the Senate,” Mr. Davis wrote, I had advocated the construction of a railway to connect the Valley of the Mississippi with the Pacific coast; and, when an appropriation was made to determine the most eligible route for that purpose, the Secretary of War was charged with its application. We had then but little of that minute and accurate knowledge of the interior of the continent which was requisite for the determination of the problem; several different parties were, therefore, organize

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Cabinet Life

Cabinet Life

In the summer of 1853 I left New Orleans, under the care of Major T. P. Andrews of the army, to join Mr. Davis in Washington, with my baby, my little sister, Margaret Graham, and brother, Becket Kempe Howell; the Two latter were going to school. We remained a day in Mobile, and the little Ten-year old boy went to dinner alone. He had never been at a hotel before. The waiter laid down the wine card before him, of which the child ordered several bottles. He drank a teaspoonful of it and then told

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Social Relations And Incidents Of Cabinet Life, 1853-57

Social Relations And Incidents Of Cabinet Life, 1853-57

The wives of Mr. Pierce's Cabinet officers labored in their sphere as well as their husbands. We each endeavored to extend hospitality to every member of Congress, of both Houses, at least once during the winter. We did not “Bank the mantels with flowers” as is done now, for very good reasons— it was not the fashion, and many of us, I, for One, could not bear the heavy odor in a crowded room. We bought, out of our private purses, all the flowers we used, and we were none of us what would in this

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The Winter Of 1859

The Winter Of 1859

In 1859 there was an unspoken feeling of avoidance between the political men of the Two sections, and even to some extent between such of their families as had previously associated socially together. Unconsciously, all tentative subjects were avoided by the well-bred of both sections; it was only when some “Bull in a china shop” galloped over the barriers good breeding had established, that there was anything but the kindest manner apparent. Still the restraint was unpleasant to both sides, and

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Summer Outing

Summer Outing

Mr. Davis still continued so weak and had so little appetite that our medical man ordered him to a higher latitude for a month or Two, after the adjournment of Congress. So we took our Two little children, Margaret and Jefferson, and embarked on a steamer from Baltimore for Boston. It was not a pleasant route, but Mr. Davis always improved at sea, and in this case he became much stronger; until, when we arrived at Boston, he was quite cheerful, and able to dispense with the shade over his eyes f

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Thirty-Sixth Congress— Squatter Sovereignty, 1859-61

Thirty-Sixth Congress— Squatter Sovereignty, 1859-61

While the best men of the Two parties were endeavoring to calm the extremists and give time for their better judgment and feelings to assert themselves, a most unfortunate incident occurred which still further divided the Two sections. A pestilent, forceful man, who had courage with an insane prejudice to urge him, added to total disregard of the rights of any except the colored race, organized a conspiracy, an account of which, written by President Buchanan, is subjoined. John Brown was a man v

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Charleston Convention, 1860

Charleston Convention, 1860

In 1790, the sections were so nearly equal in numbers that they felt able to protect their own interests by parliamentary resistance, but in 1860 the admission of many States in which the prohibition of slave property had been the principal clause requisite to their acceptance, had changed the face of things for the South. The large excess of territory belonging to the Southern States was decreased by portions ceded by Louisiana, Florida, and Texas. Virginia ceded the Northwest territory to the

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Mr. Davis Withdraws From The Senate

Mr. Davis Withdraws From The Senate

The story of Mr. Davis's final withdrawal from the Senate of the United States shall be told in his own words: Mississippi was the Second State to withdraw from the Union, her ordinance of secession being adopted on January 9, J861. She was quickly followed by Florida on the 10th, Alabama on the 11th, and, in the course of the same month, by Georgia on the 18th, and Louisiana on the 26th. The conventions of these States (together with that of South Carolina) agreed in designating Montgomery, Ala

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From Washington To Mississippi

From Washington To Mississippi

The task of relating my husband's life in the Confederacy is approached with anxious diffidence, but it must be fairly set forth for his justification. I am unwilling needlessly to antagonize any part of the country, but love my own with devotion proportionate to the great sacrifices made in its behalf. The memories of the Confederacy, its triumphs, its decadence, and fall, are proud, and very bitter. If in dwelling upon the splendid gallantry of our soldiers, the cheerful endurance and unwonted

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Election As President

Election As President

The Convention of the seceding States was held at Montgomery, Alabama, on February 4, 1861. It was composed of delegates legally appointed. Their First work was to prepare a provisional Constitution for the new Confederacy, to be formed of the States which had withdrawn from the Union, for which the style “Confederate States of America” was adopted. The powers conferred upon them were adequate for the performance of this duty, the immediate necessity for which was obvious and urgent. This Consti

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Mr. Davis Continues His Narrative

Mr. Davis Continues His Narrative

While on my way to Montgomery, and waiting in Jackson, Miss., for the railroad train, I met the Honorable William L. Sharkey, who had filled with great distinction the Office of Chief-Justice of the State. He said he was looking for me to make an inquiry. He desired to know if it was true, as he had just learned, that I believed that there would be war. My opinion was freely given, that there would be war, long and bloody, and that it behooved everyone to put his house in order. He expressed muc

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Going To Montgomery.-Appointment Of The Cabinet

Going To Montgomery.-Appointment Of The Cabinet

It was necessary to close up our home and abandon all we had watched over for years, before going to Montgomery; our library, which was very large and consisted of fine and well-closen English books, was the hardest to relinquish of all our possessions. After all was secured, in the best manner practicable, I went to New Orleans en route to Montgomery, and remained a few days at my father's house. While there, Captain Dreux, at the head of his battalion, came to serenade me, but I could not comm

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The Office Was Not Sought

The Office Was Not Sought

One of the most popular political maxims of the country, a maxim more honored in the breach than the observance, is that “The office should seek the man, not the man the office.”This maxim was rigidly observed by my husband from the beginning to the end of his long public career. He never intrigued for any of the public positions he held, either in person or by authorized representatives. An active and zealous participant in all political contests, he never made a canvass for himself, excepting

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Peace Propositions

Peace Propositions

The Provisional Congress, before the arrival of Mr. Davis, passed a law that the Government should immediately take steps to settle everything appertaining to the common property, debts, and common obligations of the late Union upon “Principles of right, justice, equity, and good faith.”On February I th Congress also advised and ordained that Three persons be appointed as early as the President conveniently could, and sent to the Government of the United States, to “Negotiate friendly relations.

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Preparations For War

Preparations For War

The troops received were tendered by independent organizations, “Or who may volunteer by consent of their State” for Twelve months, unless sooner discharged. There was a strong disinclination to a longer term being prescribed. The arms and munitions within the limits of the States were their property, they were received with their State organization, and officered by the State, and on March 16th, the States were recommended to cede the forts, arsenals, navy and dock yards, and all other public e

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The Bombardment Of Sumter

The Bombardment Of Sumter

On March 3d, President Davis appointed General Beauregard to the command of all the Confederate forces in and around Charleston. On arriving there, General Beauregard, after examining the fortifications, proceeded to erect formidable batteries of cannon and mortars bearing on the fort. On April 7th, Lieutenant Talbot, an agent of the Federal Government, conveyed a message to Governor Pickens from President Lincoln, announcing that an attempt would be made to supply Fort Sumter “With provisions o

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The President Arrives In Richmond

The President Arrives In Richmond

Richmond was One great camp-men hurried to and fro with and without uniforms and arms, with that fixed look upon their faces that they acquire when confronted with danger and the necessity for supreme effort. A long war debases a nation, but individuals rise higher then and develop more quickly than in piping times of peace. Upon the President's arrival in Richmond he found General R. E. Lee in command of the Army of Virginia, with the rank of Major-General. Many troops had been sent from other

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Engagement At Bull Run, And Battle Of Manassas

Engagement At Bull Run, And Battle Of Manassas

The Federal Army under the command of General McDowell reached the vicinity of Fairfax Court-House on July 17th, and General Bonham, commanding that advanced post with a brigade of South Carolina troops, fell back and took position behind Bull Run, where, in line along that stream, were located the different regiments, batteries, and brigades of General Beauregard's army. The line extended a distance of Eight miles from Union Mills on the right, to the stone bridge over Bull Run on the left, whe

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Conferences After The Battle Of Manassas

Conferences After The Battle Of Manassas

Mr. Davis thus continued the narrative: At a late hour of the night, I had a conference with Generals Johnston and Beauregard; the Adjutant-General of the latter, Colonel Jordan, was present, and sat opposite to me at the table. When, after some preliminary conversation, I asked whether any troops had been sent in pursuit of the enemy, I was answered in the negative. Upon further inquiry as to what troops were in the best position for pursuit, and had been least fatigued during the day, General

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Reflections On The Victory

Reflections On The Victory

Mr. Davis continued: The victory of Manassas was certainly extraordinary, not only on account of the disparity of our numbers and the inferiority of our arms, but also because of many other disadvantages under which we labored. We had no disciplined troops, and, though our citizens were generally skilled in the use of small-arms, which, with their high pride and courage, might compensate for the want of training while in position, these inadequately substituted military instruction when manoeuvr

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Responsibility For The Failure To Pursue

Responsibility For The Failure To Pursue

I continue my husband's review of the causes and responsibility for the failure of the Confederate army to pursue the Federals after the victory of Manassas, for those who loved him could scarcely give the just and impersonal account that he has, of the misrepresentations which fell thick as hail from his detractors upon him. When the smoke of battle had lifted from the field of Manassas, and the rejoicing over the victory had spread over the land and spent its exuberance, some who, like Job's w

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General Johnston's Correspondence

General Johnston's Correspondence

After the Battle of Manassas the Confederate army settled down in camp at and around Centreville. Although after combining the armies of Generals Johnston and Beauregard at Manassas the command of the whole would unquestionably devolve upon General Johnston, matters did not apparently run smoothly between the Two generals, and conflicts of authority occurred, as will appear by the following letters and telegrams. Published for the First time. In fact, General Johnston brooked no interference wit

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The Opposition Of Congress To The President

The Opposition Of Congress To The President

The term of the Provisional Congress was now rapidly drawing to a close. The newly elected senators and members were to be sworn in, and the President's co-laborers in the formative period of the Government were to go out of office. Many of them were valued friends, and had a co-intelligence with him born of esteem and long observation of his habits of thought and his methods in the United States Senate. He was loth to part from them, and felt that their experience would render them more useful

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Beauregard's Letter

Beauregard's Letter

The victory at Manassas was followed by a period of inactivity and of fancied security, so sure did many feel that this battle would end the war. This was shown by the decrease of enlistments; but President Davis did not coincide with this view. Foreign recognition was looked forward to as an assured fact, and the politicians began at once to speculate upon the future recipients of the most prominent offices in the new Confederacy. Mr. Hunter, of Virginia, about this time left the Cabinet, in or

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Roanoke Island.-Mr. Davis's Inauguration

Roanoke Island.-Mr. Davis's Inauguration

The year 1862 was destined to be a noted One in the annals of the country, and the military campaigns in the Confederate States opened early, to end only with the expiration of the year. Early in the year, Mr. Walker having resigned his portfolio, a general reorganization of the cabinet was arranged, and, on March 17th, the Senate made the following confirmations : The dissolution of his cabinet disquieted the President greatly, and about this time the organized opposition party began to be felt

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The Inauguration

The Inauguration

The Provisional Government had expired. The beginning of the new term of the Executive and the opening of the newly elected Congress drew nigh. A contemporary account of the inaugural ceremonies is quoted, as it is, perhaps, a better description than could now be given. The sky lowered until 10 o'clock, and then a hard rain poured steadily down for Four hours, and Mr. Davis came in from an early visit to his office and went into his room, where I found him, an hour afterward on his knees in earn

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Effort To Effect Exchange Of Prisoners-Evacuation Of Manassas-Visit To Fredericksburg

Effort To Effect Exchange Of Prisoners-Evacuation Of Manassas-Visit To Fredericksburg

About the end of January, 1862, the Confederate Government endeavored to procure the exchange of prisoners taken by the armies of the belligerents, and an officer was sent by General Johnston to General McClellan. The proposition was not entertained by the Federal Government, and our efforts to shorten the imprisonment of the captives in our hands met no encouragement from their own friends. Thus early in the war the Confederate Government displayed its desire to secure a free exchange of prison

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The Executive Mansion-The Hospitals

The Executive Mansion-The Hospitals

In July we moved to the “Old Brockenbrugh house,” and began to feel somewhat more at home when walking through the oldfashioned terraced garden or the large airy rooms in the seclusion of family life. The mansion stands on the brow of a steep and very high hill, that is sharply defined against the plain at its foot through which runs the Danville railway that leads to the heart of Virginia. On this plain, where the working class lived exclusively, the “Butcher cats” laid in wait for, and were sw

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Emancipation Proclamation

Emancipation Proclamation

The Executive usurpation of unconstitutional powers became conspicuous in 1862. One after another barrier had been passed without shocking the people. The session of the Maryland State Legislature had virtually been prorogued, some of its members arrested and imprisoned under circumstances of great outrage. Men had been arrested at long distances from the seat of government, by Lettres de cachet. The Secretary of State's bell called the emissary, and his signature was the only warrant. Drum-head

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Missouri, Monitor, And Virginia (Merrimac)

Missouri, Monitor, And Virginia (Merrimac)

The Confederate hopes were not easily daunted. After each disaster victory again crowned our army, and our confidence kept pace with our pride and admiration. While the fight was going on in Missouri, the most dramatic contest of the war was in progress on the waters— a fight that not only ended in a great victory for the Confederacy, but revolutionized the art of naval warfare. It was the fight between the Virginia (formerly the United States Frigate Merrimac) and the Federal fleet, including t

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Shiloh, 1862.-Corinth

Shiloh, 1862.-Corinth

On February 4th General Beauregard arrived at Bowling Green and reported to his superior officer, General Albert Sidney Johnston. On the 6th Fort Henry surrendered after a soldierly defence. February IIth the evacuation of Bowling Green was begun and ended on the 13th, and General Beauregard left for Columbus, Ky. On the 16th Fort Donelson fell. The loss of Forts Henry and Donelson opened the river routes to Nashville and North Alabama, and thus turned the positions both at Bowling Green and Col

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New Orleans

New Orleans

Although depressed by the loss of the victory virtually won by General Johnston at Shiloh, because “Someone had blundered” after his death, the people were still far from being hopeless of final success. They knew that we were still masters of the river south of Fort Pillow, and they believed that we should be able still to retain the rich valley of the Lower Mississippi. But general disappointment and a temporary feeling of alarm suddenly arose from an event unexpected, and never hitherto feare

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Yorktown And Williamsburg

Yorktown And Williamsburg

On February 27, 1862, with the approval of the President, the Office of Commanding-General of the Confederate forces was created by the House of Representatives. When General McClellan heard of the retreat of the Confederate Army from Manassas, he ordered a reconnoissance and ascertained that our troops had crossed the Rapidan. General McClellan's account of this movement was given in a report to the Secretary of War, dated Fairfax Court-House, March II, 1862, 8.30 P. M. From it I make a short e

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The Gun-Boats In The James River-Battle Of Seven Pines

The Gun-Boats In The James River-Battle Of Seven Pines

About May 9th Mr. Davis insisted that we should leave Richmond, and relieve him from unnecessary anxiety. On the eve of the gth there was a reception, and we were to go in Three days. A courier came to the President with despatches, and as he passed me on his return to the drawing-room I looked a question and he responded, in a whisper, “The enemy's gun-boats are ascending the river.”Our guests remained quite late, and there was no opportunity for further conversation. As soon as they were gone

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Jackson In The Valley

Jackson In The Valley

On May 8th, General Jackson formed a junction in the valley with General Edward Johnston. On May 25th Generals Jackson, Edward Johnston, and Ewell, drove the enemy across the Potomac into Maryland. Two thousand prisoners were taken. General Banks, the Commander-in-chief, said, “There never were more grateful hearts in the same number of men than when, at midday on the 26th, we stood on the opposite shore.” General Geary moved to Manassas Junction, burned his tents and destroyed a quantity of arm

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Mr. Davis's Literary Preferences

Mr. Davis's Literary Preferences

In One of the most disheartening periods of the War, when Norfolk had been evacuated and the Virginia destroyed, he came home, about Seven o'clock, from his office, staggered up to a sofa in his little private office, and laid down. He declined dinner, and I remained by his side, anxious and afraid to ask what was the trouble which so oppressed him. In an hour or Two he told me that the weight of responsibility oppressed him so, that he felt he would give all his limbs to have someone with whom

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Seven Days Battles Around Richmond

Seven Days Battles Around Richmond

Mr. Davis wrote substantially the following account, which is condensed. For the full text see “The Rise and fall of the Confederate Government.” When riding from the field of battle (Seven Pines) with General Robert E. Lee, on the previous day, I informed him that he would be assigned to the command of the army, Vice General Johnston, wounded. On the next morning he proceeded to the field and took command of the troops. During the night our forces on the left had fallen back, but those on the r

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Foreign Relations.— Unjust Discrimination Against Us.— Diplomatic Correspondence

Foreign Relations.— Unjust Discrimination Against Us.— Diplomatic Correspondence

Mr. Mason was appointed our Representative in London, Mr. Slidell in Paris, Mr. Rost in Spain, and Mr. Mann in Belgium. I hope Mr. Mann's memoirs, which are very full and written from diaries, will be published, and these will shed much light upon the diplomatic service of the Confederacy. The Confederate States having dissolved their connection with the United States, whose relations were securely and long established with Foreign Governments, it devolved upon the Confederate States formally to

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Memphis, Vicksburg, And Baton Rouge

Memphis, Vicksburg, And Baton Rouge

On June 7, 1862, a fleet of gun-boats steamed down the Tennessee River, flanking our positions on the Mississippi River, and a fleet moved down the Mississippi, bombarded Island No.10, reduced it, bombarded Fort Pillow and reduced that fort, and then attacked Memphis and took possession, after a manful resistance with an inadequate force. After this disaster followed close the Siege of Vicksburg, which was repelled by the assistance of our ram, the Arkansas, under Captain J. N. Brown. From the 1

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Confederate Congress.— The President's Message.— Horace Greeley

Confederate Congress.— The President's Message.— Horace Greeley

In the absence of authorized reports of the debates in Congress which are unattainable, if they exist, I have from scrap books compiled excerpts to show the trend of public opinion, and appended Mr. Davis's message in which he treats of the recommendations made by that body, some of which are indicated by the subjoined extracts. Resolution of thanks to General J. C. Breckinridge and command for gallant conduct at the Battle of Baton Rouge; also resolution of thanks to General Earl Van Dorn and c

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Retaliation For Outrages

Retaliation For Outrages

General Pope, commanding a new army in Northern Virginia, having issued the most brutal orders directed against peaceful citizens, the President wrote to General Lee as follows: On the 22d of this month a cartel for the exchange of prisoners of war was signed between Major-General D. H. Hill, in behalf of the Confederate States, and Major-General John A. Dix, in behalf of the United States. By the terms of that cartel it is stipulated that all prisoners of war hereafter taken shall be discharged

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Campaign Against Pope.— Second Manassas.— Sharpsburg.— Fredericksburg

Campaign Against Pope.— Second Manassas.— Sharpsburg.— Fredericksburg

Although defeated, the army under General McClellan was still a formidable force, and might at any time threaten Richmond. His camp at Westover was protected by his gun-boats, and the hills had been fortified to resist the Confederate forces. General Lee, under the idea that a demonstration upon Washington would force Mc-Clellan's withdrawal for its protection, early in August, sent General Jackson in advance, to engage General Pope, who commanded a new army in Northern Virginia. Immediately upo

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Visit To Tennessee.— Battle Of Murfreesboro

Visit To Tennessee.— Battle Of Murfreesboro

The President became anxious about affairs in the West, and was importuned to make a tour of observation there. As soon as he could leave the seat of government he went, accompanied by One of his aids, and subsequently wrote to me the following letter: We had a pleasant trip, and without an incident to relate, reached this place on the I ith, went to Murfreesboro on the 12th, and leave to-day for Mississippi. The troops at Murfreesboro were in fine spirits and well supplied. The enemy keep close

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Introduction To 1863

Introduction To 1863

The year 1863 opened drearily for the President, but the Confederates generally seemed to have, for some unexplained cause, renewed hope of recognition by England and France, and with this they felt sure of a successful termination of the struggle. Mr. Davis was oppressed by the fall of Donelson, Nashville, Corinth, Roanoke Island, New Orleans, Yorktown, Norfolk, Fort Pillow, Island No.10, Memphis, General Bragg's defeat at Murfreesboro, the burning of the Virginia and the ram Mississippi, the s

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Chancellorsville

Chancellorsville

In the latter part of April, 1863, General Hooker crossed the Rappahannock, above Lee's position at Fredericksburg, with the intention of flanking and forcing him toward Richmond. His army numbered, by his own report, 132,000 men, and upon reaching Chancellorsville he proceeded to throw up intrenchments. Lee's army, in the absence of Longstreet's corps, numbered 57,000 of all arms. General Jackson had not entirely recovered from an attack of diphtheria and was too weak to have been in the field,

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Gettysburg

Gettysburg

In the month of May, 1863, General R. E. Lee's Army rested near Fredericksburg, while the Federal army under General Hooker occupied their old camps across the Rappahannock. Early in the month of June, finding that the Federal commander was not disposed again to cross swords with him, for the purpose of drawing him away from Virginia, so that her people might raise and gather their crops, Lee began a movement that culminated in the Battle of Gettysburg. Ewell's corps was sent on in advance, and

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General Lee's Offer Of Resignation

General Lee's Offer Of Resignation

The President was a prey to the acutest anxiety during this period, and again and again said, If I could take One wing and Lee the other, I think we could between us wrest a victory from those people. “At another time he exclaimed, With Jackson, Lee would be on his feet.” When General Lee had returned to Virginia after his repulse at Gettysburg, although he had withdrawn his army thoroughly organized, with confidence and pride unimpaired, and was in full possession of his legitimate line of defe

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Vice-President Stephens's Commission To Washington

Vice-President Stephens's Commission To Washington

As General Lee's army was marching through Pennsylvania it was thought by the Confederate Authorities that the time was auspicious for renewed efforts to adjust, with the Federal Government, the difficulties which prevented the execution of the cartel for the exchange of prisoners of war. To promote these efforts, President Davis appointed Vice-President Stephens to proceed to Washington, and endeavor there to effect satisfactory arrangements. The letter of instructions given by President Davis

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Fall Of Vicksburg, July 4, 1863

Fall Of Vicksburg, July 4, 1863

After Gettysburg the non-combatants were fecund in expedients which would have compelled victory, had they been adopted. But unfortunately these military strategists agreed on but One point, viz., that the President and his cabinet were ignorant of the measures necessary to compel victory; these were in some inexplicable way very derelict. The Examiner, as the exponent of the critics, foretold every evil for the Confederacy, and thus discouraged the people, and weakened the power of the Presiden

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President Davis's Letter To General Johnston After The Fall Of Vicksburg Telegrams Sent By General Johnston From Jackson, Miss., To Richmond, Va

President Davis's Letter To General Johnston After The Fall Of Vicksburg Telegrams Sent By General Johnston From Jackson, Miss., To Richmond, Va

Your despatch of the 5th instant stating that you “Considered” your “Assignment to the immediate command in Mississippi” as giving you “A new position” and as “Limiting your authority,” being a repetition of a statement which you were informed was a grave error, and being persisted in after your failure to point out, when requested, the letter or despatch justifying you in such a conclusion, rendered it necessary, as you were informed in my despatch of the 8th instant, that I should make a more

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Military Operations At Charleston

Military Operations At Charleston

The defence of Charleston against a demonstration by land and sea was the most noteworthy event of the summer of 1863. Foiled in their naval attack in April, the next effort was to occupy Morris Island and reduce Fort Sumter. Owing to the lack of diligence on the part of General Beauregard, General Gilmore secretly placed in Battery 47 pieces of artillery in close vicinity to the Confederate pickets. On July 10th, an assaulting column 2,500 strong crept up Folly River; the iron-clad fleet occupi

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Letter To His Holiness The Pope

Letter To His Holiness The Pope

Mr. Davis's early education had always inclined him to see in the Roman Catholics friends who could not be alienated from the oppressed. He addressed the following letter to His Holiness. very venerable sovereign Pontiff: The letters which you have written to the clergy of New Orleans and New York have been communicated to me, and I have read with emotion the deep grief therein expressed for the ruin and devastation caused by the war which is now being waged by the United States against the Stat

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Chickamauga And Missionary Ridge

Chickamauga And Missionary Ridge

On August 20th the bloody Battle of Chickamauga was fought and our troops slept inside the intrenchments of the enemy. A month later Brigadier-General William Preston who was a gallant figure in the fight, was sent to Mexico, with authority to recognize and treat with the new Emperor Maximilian. The defeat of Rosecrans's army at Chickamauga was complete, but the failure to promptly follow up the victory rendered it a barren One to the Confederates. Bragg's army remained on the field of battle Tw

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Correspondence Between President Davis And Governor Z. B. Vance

Correspondence Between President Davis And Governor Z. B. Vance

The dissatisfaction, which had been rather whispered than proclaimed, now began to be more pronounced, and the pernicious effects were noticed in the incendiary articles published in North Carolina, while her troops were bleeding on every field and performing prodigies of valor. The President wrote on this subject to the Governor of the State as follows: A letter has just been received by the Secretary of State, from One of the most distinguished citizens of your State, containing the following

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The Maryland Line And The Kilpatrick And Dahlgren Raid

The Maryland Line And The Kilpatrick And Dahlgren Raid

In February, 1864, an expedition was organized in the Federal Army, of a force of Three thousand picked cavalry, to make a dash on Richmond, release the prisoners, burn the city, and escape by way of the Peninsula to Old Point Comfort. On February 29th, it started One column of Four hundred men under Colonel Ulric Dahlgren, to cross the James River in Goochland County, above Richmond, and the other, under Brigadier-General Judson Kilpatrick, to make a direct attack on the city, while Dahlgren at

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Diplomatic Correspondence

Diplomatic Correspondence

Now that disasters threatened us from all sides, it was determined by Her Britannic Majesty's Government to take an open course of so-called neutrality toward us. Sir: I have been instructed by Earl Russell, Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary for Foreign Affairs, to convey to you the following extract of a despatch which has been forwarded to me by his Lordship. I have chosen the method which appeared to me to be the only available One, under the present unhappy circumstances in which the country

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Fort Pillow, Ocean Pond, And Meridian

Fort Pillow, Ocean Pond, And Meridian

Fort Pillow, situated on the east bank of the Mississippi River, was established by the State of Tennessee in 1861. It was afterward fortified by the Confederate States, and effectually prevented the passage of the Federal fleet. When the Confederates abandoned Corinth, Fort Pillow was necessarily evacuated also, and was immediately occupied by an inconsiderable Federal force. On April 12, 1864, an attack was made upon the fort by Two brigades of General N. B. Forrest's force, under Mississippi'

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Virginia Campaign, 1864

Virginia Campaign, 1864

General Grant's theory of war was, “To hammer continuously against the armed force of the enemy, until, by mere attrition, there should be nothing left.” Military genius, the arts of war, the skilful handling of troops, superior strategy, the devotion of an army, the noble self-denial of commanders, all must give way before the natural forces of “Continuous hammering” by an army with unlimited reinforcements, and an inexhaustible treasury, a well-filled commissariat, and all directed by an unani

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Yellow Tavern.— Death Of Stuart

Yellow Tavern.— Death Of Stuart

On the morning of May 13th, Mr. Davis came hurriedly in from the office for his pistols, and rode out to the front, where Generals Gracie and Ransom were disposing their skeleton brigades to repel General Sheridan's raiders, who had been hovering around for some days. At the Executive Mansion, the small-arms could be distinctly heard like the popping of fire-crackers. I summoned the children to prayer, and as my boy Jefferson knelt, he raised his little chubby face to me, and said, “You had bett

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Bombardment Of Charleston

Bombardment Of Charleston

On August 21, 1863, a letter without signature was sent from Major-General Gilmore's headquarters, in front of Charleston, to General Beauregard, informing him that unless certain extraordinary conditions were complied with, or if no reply thereto was received within “Four hours” after the delivery of the letter at Battery Wagner for transmission to Charleston, fire would be opened on the city from batteries already established. General Beauregard received that letter about Eleven o'clock at nig

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Battle Of Drury's Bluff, May 16, 1864

Battle Of Drury's Bluff, May 16, 1864

Grant's plan of campaign was, if he should be unable to defeat Lee, or fail to take Richmond, to cross the James River below Richmond, and possess himself of Petersburg, cut off the supplies from the Confederate Capital, and, reinforced by Butler with 30,000 men, attack it from the south. Butler was ordered to concentrate his troops at City Point. From this base he was to destroy the railroad leading to Richmond. On May 7th he telegraphed he had “Destroyed many miles of railroad, and got a posit

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The Lack Of Food And The Prices In The Confederacy

The Lack Of Food And The Prices In The Confederacy

To those who insist that the prisoners from the Northern army were maliciously starved, with murderous intent, I dedicate the following statistical compilation of the prices of provisions in Richmond and other places. Our hapless soldiers starved and froze in the Northern prisons in the midst of plenty, but the benefit release would have been to them would not have been an increase in their comfort or in their bill of fare; the improvement in their state would have been induced by the sunshine a

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Exchange Of Prisoners And Andersonville Comparative Mortalily Of Federal And Confederate Prisons

Exchange Of Prisoners And Andersonville Comparative Mortalily Of Federal And Confederate Prisons

The cause of all the sufferings of the men of the South who starved and froze on Johnson's Island and at Point Lookout, and those of the North who succumbed to the heat and exposure at Andersonville, and died for lack of proper medicines (made contraband by their own Government), was the violation of the cartel for the exchange of prisoners by the civil and military authorities of the United States Government. The reasons for this violation are obvious. The South, hemmed in on the land by a cord

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Journey To Charlotte

Journey To Charlotte

Darkness seemed now to close swiftly over the Confederacy, and about a week before the evacuation of Richmond, Mr. Davis came to me and gently, but decidedly, announced the necessity for our departure. He said for the future his headquarters must be in the field, and that our presence would only embarrass and grieve, instead of comforting him. Very averse to flight, and unwilling at all times to leave him, I argued the question with him and pleaded to be permitted to remain, until he said: “I ha

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Nearing The End

Nearing The End

As hope died out in the breasts of the rank and file of the Confederate Army, the President's courage rose, and he was fertile in expedients to supply deficiencies, and calm in the contemplation of the destruction of his dearest hopes, and the violent death he expected to be his. As late as April 1, 1865, he wrote to General Lee from Richmond, of the difficulty of finding iron enough to keep the Tredegar works employed, and said: “There is also difficulty in getting iron even for shot and shell,

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The President's Account Of The Evacuation Of Richmond

The President's Account Of The Evacuation Of Richmond

I give Mr. Davis's story of the evacuation of Richmond in his own words. On Sunday, April 2d, while I was in St. Paul's Church, General Lee's telegram announcing his speedy withdrawal from Petersburg and the consequent necessity for evacuating Richmond, was handed me. I quietly left the church. The occurrence probably attracted attention, but the people had been beleaguered, had known me too often to receive notice of threatened attacks, and the congregation of St. Paul's was too refined, to mak

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Surrender Of Lee

Surrender Of Lee

Upon crossing the Appomattox on the night of April 2d, Lee's army marched toward Amelia Court House. It had been his original intention to go to Danville, but being prevented from carrying out this purpose, he marched toward Lynchburg. Encumbered by a large wagon train, his march was necessarily slow. His trains were attacked again and again by the enemy's cavalry, adding to the delay. On April 4th Amelia Court House was reached and the army, being without rations, to appease hunger subsisted on

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Honorable Mention

Honorable Mention

Did my space permit, I would pay special and glad homage to the men who fought and nobly sustained defeat, or now bear their wounds in cheerful poverty, or who fell, examples of all the noble qualities that exalt a nation. But the scope of these memoirs does not permit more than a glimpse of a few of the gallant figures that crowd the memory of every Confederate who looks backward on the field of war. Louisiana gave us Richard Taylor, who fought under the eye of Stonewall Jackson in the Valley,

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The Washington Artillery Of New Orleans

The Washington Artillery Of New Orleans

The Richmond people remember well the Washington Artillery of New Orleans, their fresh uniforms, and the splendid crimson and gold standard with its silver cross cannon under which, before they “Smelt powder,” they marched in review before the President on Union Hill. These, and other New Orleans companies, gave dinners, danced, and sung, and “Did the thing handsomely” wherever money was to be spent or amusement was to be found during their brief visits from the field; but while fighting their S

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Leaving Charlotte.— The Rumors Of Surrender

Leaving Charlotte.— The Rumors Of Surrender

As time wore on all the news we received was of that kind which is reputed to travel fast, but did not over the broken railways, and tangled and trailing telegraph wires. At last came the dreadful rumor that General Lee was retreating, and the President and his cabinet were coming to Charlotte to meet General Johnston and his army. I felt then that I must obey Mr. Davis's solemn charge, and also that I might embarrass him sadly by remaining there. That night the treasure train of the Confederacy

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The Journey To Greensborough.— The Surrender Of Johnston

The Journey To Greensborough.— The Surrender Of Johnston

The President and his party moved to Greensborough. The President telegraphed to General Johnston from Danville that Lee had surrendered, and on arriving at Greensborough, conditionally requested him to meet him there for conference, where General Beauregard had his headquarters. Mr. Davis wrote in substance of the meeting: In compliance with my request, General Johnston came to Greensborough, N. C., and with General Beauregard met me and most of my Cabinet there. Though sensible of the effect o

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Capture Of President Davis, As Written By Himself

Capture Of President Davis, As Written By Himself

After the expiration of the armistice I rode out of Charlotte, attended by all but Two members of my cabinet, my personal staff, and the cavalry that had been concentrated from different fields of detached service. The number was about Two thousand. They represented Five brigade organizations. Though so much reduced in number, they were in a good state of efficiency, and among their officers were some of the best in our service. After Two halts of half a day each, we reached the Savannah River.

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The Separation And Imprisonment Of Our Party

The Separation And Imprisonment Of Our Party

Before we were parted Mr. Davis told me if we should be separated by the authorities, to tell any of the Confederate agents I saw that they must use all the money they could get to pay the debts of the Confederacy. He also told me to request Mr. O'Conor to defend him; but in the meanwhile Mr. O'Conor had volunteered his services, and he was a tower of strength to us, to whom we owed more than can be expressed. He passed away before my husband, but his honored name still lives. After lying at anc

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Cruelties Practised At Fortress Monroe

Cruelties Practised At Fortress Monroe

As the most conclusive evidence of General Miles's animus, and of the methods adopted toward Mr. Davis when he reached the fort, a statement of events in relation to putting fetters upon him at Fortress Monroe is given below, derived from a statement of the officer of the day, and verified by the prisoner and a witness, Captain J. Titlow, of the Third Pennsylvania Artillery. ”When Jefferson Davis was brought to Fortress Monroe he was confined in the gunroom of a casemate, the embrasure of which

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The Tortures Inflicted By General Miles

The Tortures Inflicted By General Miles

The following extracts from Dr. Craven's book will best present a feature of the tortures inflicted by General Miles: May 24, 1865. Calling upon the prisoner— the First time I had ever seen him closely— he presented a very miserable and afflicting aspect. Stretched upon his pallet and very much emaciated, Mr. Davis appeared a mere fascine of raw and tremulous nerves, his eyes restless and fevered, his head continually shifting from side to side for a cool spot on the pillow, and his case clearly

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Hon. Hugh Maccullochulloch's Visit To Jefferson Davis At Fortress Monroe

Hon. Hugh Maccullochulloch's Visit To Jefferson Davis At Fortress Monroe

The fact of the utter failure of Mr. Davis's health could no longer be concealed by General Miles's assurances of his comfort and the salubrity of his surroundings, and the Honorable Hugh MacCulloch, Secretary of the Treasury, determined to visit the prisoner at President Johnson's suggestion. In his “Men and measures of half a Century,” published in 1889, he describes his interview with Mr. Davis at Fortress Monroe. I have taken the liberty of condensing his statement. The question what shall b

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Letters From Prison

Letters From Prison

Mr. Davis's letters will best express the cruelties of his duress, which may be read between the lines. I am now permitted to write to you under Two conditions, viz., that I confine myself to family matters, and that my letter shall be examined by the United States Attorney-General before it is sent to you. This will sufficiently explain to you the omission of subjects on which you would de sire me to write. I presume it is, however, permissible for me to relieve your disappointment in regard to

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Account Of Journey To Savannah Craven

Account Of Journey To Savannah Craven

I wrote to Mr. Davis, hoping from the youth of General Miles some sympathetic impulse, and that he would read such parts of the letter to him as he might think unobjectionable; but the letter was suppressed, and I wrote another to Dr. Craven, intended for Mr. Davis's information, which gives enough of the details of our travels. After this time I wrote often to the good doctor. I dread paralysis for him, his nerves have been so highly strung for years without relief. If you can, and perhaps you

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Letters From Prison

Letters From Prison

The intervening letters are simply records of suffering, deprivation, and fortitude under the trial. On the Second of this month I was removed to a room on the Second floor of a house built for officers' quarters. The dry air, good water, and a fire when requisite, have already improved my physical condition, and with increasing health all the disturbances due to a low vitality, it is to be expected, will disappear as rapidly as has been usual with me, after becoming convalescent. I am deeply in

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Letters From Fortress Monroe

Letters From Fortress Monroe

I had feared that our negroes would be disturbed by the introduction of others among them, but could not have imagined that they would be driven away from their home by those pretending to be their especial advocates. What a beast he must have been who turned old Uncle Bob out of his house, to find where he could a shelter for the infirmities of more than a Hundred winters. That claim was manifest. Of the truth, the fidelity, the piety which had so long secured him the respect of all who knew hi

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Visit To New Orleans And Admission To Fortress Monroe Yefferson Davis, Richmond, December 3, 1867

Visit To New Orleans And Admission To Fortress Monroe Yefferson Davis, Richmond, December 3, 1867

Permission to leave Georgia having been at last obtained through General Stedman's instrumentality, Mr. Harrison kindly joined me, and we left Georgia and went to Louisiana and Mississippi, to find what had been left to us. In Vicksburg, where Mr. J. E. Davis was, many of the negroes called with affectionate expressions. A warm welcome was accorded me everywhere, and especially in New Orleans. Here I saw our dashing cavalry officer, General Wheeler, serving in a hardware store. Mr. J. U. Payne,

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After Release In 1867, To 1870

After Release In 1867, To 1870

When Mr. Davis was released, we were pecuniarily prostrate, our plantations had been laid waste and seized. The little money we had, had been sent by the Southern cities to me for my maintenance, and to give him comforts in prison. Poor in purse but moderate in our wants, we turned our faces to the world and cast about for a way to maintain our little children, Four in number, Margaret, Jefferson, William, and Varina. Mr. Davis's fate hung upon the action of the United States Courts; we knew tha

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Reasons For Not Asking Pardon.— Mississippi Valley Society

Reasons For Not Asking Pardon.— Mississippi Valley Society

In 1874, Three months before the failure of the Carolina, our boy William fHowell died of diphtheria. All that sympathy and kindness could do was tendered to us to alleviate our grief, but the death of One whose character, talents, and personal beauty made the joy of our lives, and promised to justify the hope of our old age, was a blow which must leave us mourning until the end. The little boy used to go and sit with his father in his office, silent and observant if his pen dropped, or he wante

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Unwillingness To Ask Pardon.— Mississippi Anxious To Send Him To The Senate

Unwillingness To Ask Pardon.— Mississippi Anxious To Send Him To The Senate

The policy of reconstruction devised by the victors of the North, was that the men of the Confederacy should pursue no vocation until a pardon had been asked of the President of the United States and granted by him. Our men considered it a form instituted merely for their humiliation, and as such complied with it as the means of feeding their helpless families, already spent with the hardships they had endured. Necessitas non hzabet legem is a maxim acceded to by mankind, and he felt that the me

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The Wreck Of The Pacific.— The Mississippi Valley Society

The Wreck Of The Pacific.— The Mississippi Valley Society

In 1875 Mr. Davis began to feel old age coming on apace, and wrote to invite Captain Jefferson Davis Howell, then captain of a passenger steamer on the Pacific coast, to come to us and ease his weary shoulders of their burthen. Our brother could not leave immediately, but bound to my husband by every tender tie, he promised to come as soon as he could. Just at this time One of my husband's crowning joys came through our brother, and “Sorrow's crown of sorrows” settled on his head soon thereafter

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The Commencement And Completion Of The Rise And Fall Of The Confederate States Of America.— The Death Of Jefferson Davis, Jr.— Honors Awarded By Mr. Davis's Countrymen

The Commencement And Completion Of The Rise And Fall Of The Confederate States Of America.— The Death Of Jefferson Davis, Jr.— Honors Awarded By Mr. Davis's Countrymen

When the affairs of the Mississippi Valley Company were wound up, Mr. Davis looked about for a place so quiet and secluded that he could write his history uninterrupted. This he found after inquiry in the neighborhood of Beauvoir Station, near which he owned a tract of land, and of which he knew something. Then there were only Three or Four houses occupied there, and the isolation seemed favorable to his purpose. Beauvoir House was owned and occupied by Mrs. Sarah A. Dorsey, an old schoolmate of

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General Sherman's Accusations

General Sherman's Accusations

Though we lived in strict retirement, whenever a theme for abuse was wanted, One or the other of Mr. Davis's antagonists in the North assailed him. At a meeting of the Frank P. Blair Post, Grand Army of the Republic, in St. Louis in 1884, General Sherman was reported to have made allegations, hereinafter quoted by Mr. Davis in a letter characterizing those statements. General Sherman's remarks were published in the Globe-Democrat of St. Louis, and Mr. Davis wrote the following letter of denial:

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General Joseph E. Johnston And The Confederate Treasure

General Joseph E. Johnston And The Confederate Treasure

The quiet tenor of Mr. Davis's life flowed on; in supervising his own affairs, and in receiving the visits of neighbors and friends, he rarely gave more than a glance at the political condition of the country, generally winding up his few gentle remarks of disapproval with the phrase “We are drifting fast.”He seemed so averse to controversies that he neglected to read the “Charges and specifications” put forth by Generals Johnston, Beauregard, and others. Some apocryphal histories came forth als

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LXXXI. The Prohibition Issue

LXXXI. The Prohibition Issue

In 1887 the repose of Mr. Davis's life was grievously disturbed by the question of prohibition, which became a prominent issue in the politics of Texas. A constitutional amendment to prohibit the manufacture or the sale of any intoxicating liquors, including wine, ale, and beer, was to be submitted to popular vote. Scores of letters from Mr. Davis's friends in Texas besought an expression of opinion by him. Mr. Davis declined to answer, as he had no desire to come, even indirectly, before the pu

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The East India Fleet

The East India Fleet

Of course, in the long years after the war, there were many recitations of Mr. Davis's shortcomings, given by One or other of those who thought a mistake had been made when he was asked to preside over the Confederate States. One of these is his alleged failure to purchase the E. I. fleet, which was revamped in 1889 and given to the journals of the day. Judge Roman, in his book entitled “Military operations of General Beauregard,” states that: While journeying from Charleston to Montgomery, Gene

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General Ransom's Reminiscences Of Mr. Davis

General Ransom's Reminiscences Of Mr. Davis

General Robert Ransom was invited to send a reminiscence of my husband, who admired him as a soldier and trusted him as a friend, and he responded as follows: On July 5, 1856, I First met Mr. Davis. He was then Secretary of War, and I a lieutenant of cavalry visiting Washington for the purpose of marrying my First wife, a young lady resident in that city and an intimate friend of Secretary and Mrs. Davis. I had been in the city a few days and had not paid my respects to the Secretary of War. On

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Mr. Davis's Characteristics

Mr. Davis's Characteristics

Like most people of keen perceptions, incisive wit, and high ideal standards, Mr. Davis was inclined to satire, and in his younger days indulged this propensity, never cruelly, but often to his own injury. His sense of the ludicrous was intense, his powers of observation were close, and his memory was phenomenal. He seldom forgot a face, name, or circumstance. If he travelled over a country once, he knew the topography of that part which he traversed, the trees that indicated the character of th

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The End Of A Noble Life, And A Nation's Sorrow Over Its Loss

The End Of A Noble Life, And A Nation's Sorrow Over Its Loss

Mr. Davis's apparent feebleness had been accompanied by enough increase in weight to encourage my hopes of his health improving. He never stooped, but retained his fine soldierly carriage, and always walked with a light, firm step, and with apparent ease; his voice was sweet and sonorous as ever. A slight deafness was the only evidence of age. His eyes became so strong he frequently read without glasses. His mind was wonderfully alert, and he read and enjoyed newspapers, reviews, poetry, and fic

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