The Fairfield news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1881-1900, December 11, 1889, Image 6
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
A Long ana tventtui career in
Business, War and Politics.
FOUK SCORE YEARS AND MORE.
The Two Kentucky Boys, Lincoln and
Davis?On the Northern Frontier?A
Cotton Planter?Enters Congress ? The
Mexican War?President of the Southern
Confederacy?Imprisonment, Release and
Old Age.
Jiore IDHLI eiguty jreitlb
boys, bora in widely different social spheres,
entered upon still more widely diverse careers:
Abraham Lincoln, in Hardin (now Larue)
county, and Jefferson Davis, in Christian
(now Todd) county; Lincoln born February
12,1809, and Davis on the 3d of Jane preceding.
jsnrsBSOx da vis. .
[From a war time portrait.]
No dark sibyl hailed them at their birth as
the coming exponents of an awful struggle.
No prophet would have dared predict in the
days of their prominence that tbo rugged
Lincoln was soon to fall, while the defeated,
an invalid during a third of his life, would
survive his great antagonist for a quarter of
a century, outliving all the actors of his age
in the great struggle, yet such was to be the
irony of fate. History presents many paradoxes,
but none greater than this: that the
*rcTt/\r?7/3 in f-.ViA "hrmr nf virvfcnrv
and the defeated live till almost every trace
of the conflict had vanished, to dia of mere
old age.
The ancestors of Jefferson Davis were of
pure English stock, but so long resident in
America that the type had become thoroughly
southern American. On both sides they
served in the war for American independence,
his father, Samuel Davis, winning
some distinction in the mounted troops of
Georgia. Of his two sons, Jefferson early became
a soldier, while Joseph, a man of talent,
scarcely, if at all, inferior, gained a local
success as lawyer and planter in Mississippi
The brothers were notably affectionate in
childhood, and remained through life devoted
to each other.
Soon after the birth of Jefferson, Samuel
Davis removed to Mississippi, locating near
Woodville, in Wilkinson county. The sons
there acquired an unusually good English
education for the time, and at an early age
Jefferson entered Transylvania college, Kentucky.
In 1824, however, President Monroe
appointed him a cadet at West Point, whence
he was graduated in 1828, at the early age of
20. He had stood high in his class, and at
once entered on active duty, though for some
time commissioned only as a brevet second
lieutenant. Promotion was very slow in those
peaceful times, but he soon won his full commission,
and in the next three years demonstrated
his organizing capacity, both as infantry
and staff officer on the northwestern
frontier.
The year 1831 brought a surprise and many
niwmntinnii "Rl.ifk* Hawk entered on his fa
mous campaign, and Jefferson Davis was at
once given an active and responsible position
to master in and organize the new recruits.
There lias long been a tradition that in this
capacity he mastered in the company of Illinois
volunteers from New Salem and vicinity
eommanded by Capt. Abraham Lincoln, but
there is no record of it.
CAMPAIGNS AGAINST THE INDIAN'S.
Early in 1833 Lieut. Davis was transferred
from his place in Company B, First United
States infantry, and in recognition of his
ervices in the Black Hawk war was promoted
to a first lieutenancy in the First United
States dragoons, of which command he was
soon made adjutant. In. this position he
o vorr r/wirr1 not. nnlv jik an
organizer and efficient administrator in garrison
life, but in several active campaigns
against the Comanches, Pawnees and o:her
Indians. And it is at this stage of his career
that active, one might say acrid, criticism
first concerns itself with Jefferson Davis.
Those writers who persist in attributing the
downfall of the Southern Confederacy to
President Davis allege that thus early he exhibited
the same faults and virtues which
marked his administration in greater and
greater degree with each successive increase
of rank and power. The greatest fault alleged,
perhaps, is unreasonable attachment
to a few friends and corresponding prejudice
against other persons.
It was while in this servicc that Lieut. Daowe]
o A r\f fVio ?*rn l r?or? t:
V iO ?T\AKU ??V? ** uuunuv.v.? VA. vuv vimuvuii
general and president, Zachary Taylor. Her
father was in command of Fort Crawford,
Hear Prairie Du Chien, and bis daughter, a
beautiful aud refined young lady, was the
centor of attraction among the subordinate
officers. Innumerable are the romantic stories
of their rivalries, the final success of Lieut.
Davis, the bitter opposition of the "stem
parent" and old Indian lighter, and the final
deDarture by iiislit of the young couple to
be married bv a priest on the western haul: of
JliTEHSOK DAVIS' BIRTHPLACE,
the Mississippi. Let the young and romantic
continue to read and believe. Suffice it that
V?<v?? fAT* CA7T1P f. 1711 P.
and was not completely reconciled to his sonin-law
till the latter lay wounded in his tent
after the battle of Bueua Vista. There are
as many accounts of what was said there as
of the battle of JShiloli. Gen. Taylor's words
appear to have beeu these, or very near fhem:
"Colonel, you Ivavo saved the day?God
bless you! When Dolly would have you. she
was a better judge of a man than I was."
i-rrtUT vriPc l. PT.AVTTR.
. 30, 1S35, Lieut. Davis resigned his
couinnssion acd located in Mississippi, where
inmmi n iiortnawTTt-irrT-"-?- MMomaap !
lie lived for eight years the quiet life of a
cotton planter. Then cam? a "crisis;" the
| annexation of Texas may be taken as the
; first issue over which distinctively northern
j and southern parties confronted each other,
i In 1S&5 Lieut. Davis took an activo and most
effective part in the stata campaign and in
IS-ilhewas one of the Democratic electors
for Mississippi. In 1S-13 ha was elected a
representative in congress, and in December
of that year took his seat in the house. It i
was called then a "stormy session," but in j
retrospect after the long session of !S40-'o0, it
was thought mild.
; Mr. Davis took aa activo part in the discussions
on the laria, the Oregon boundary
issue, the Mexican imbroglio, and the slavery
question so far as it came up, but hisspeeches
_11..1 4.: ;: i ~ r,.. ?
ttl; tUiiu 11 illu uii iui muics
moderate than was afterwards attributed to
: him. It is of no great consequeneo now, but
| -worth noting as curious matter of history,
i tliat in the healed discussions regarding
! Texas the threats of disunion came largely
| from the extreme northern men, while the
most eloquent eulogies upou the union came
from the south. In :t speech on the Oregon
question, Feb. G, Mr. Davis iiaid:
"From sire to son has descended the love
of union in our hearts, as in our history are
mingled the names of Concord and Camden,
of Yorktcwn and Saratoga, of Moultrie and
Plattsburg. of Chippewa and Erie, of New
Orleans and Bunker Kill. Grouped together
they form a monument to the common glory
of our common country; and v.-here is the
southern man who would wish that that
monument were loss by one of the northern
names that constitute the mass?''
COL. JEFFERSON DAViS.
His Heroic and Successful Action at
Iiuciu Vista.
While -.1r. Davis was active in congress in
July, the First regiment of Mississippi volun-'
| teers enrolled for the Mexican war elected
hiui their colonel. He resigned at once, overtook
his regiment at Xew Orleans, organized
and drilled it to a high state of efficiency,
and early in September was on the Rio
I firnnr?p in flip ?rir?V of his father-in-law.
Gen. Zachary Taylor. A few days later he
bore a conspicuous part in tbe siege and
storming of Monterey, and, as commissioner,
j aided in drawing up the terms of capitula1
tion.
Five mouths of comparative quiet followed,
j and then came the crowning glory of his
| military career, the achievement of which,
' more than all else, fixed him firmly in the
i affections of the southern people, aided him
| effectively at each turning point in his subsc!
quent career, made him secretary of war and
I ^ -11 4.1... c? ?
! imaiiy pi'esiueuu ui cut; ouu^uuu vu:uwiui!
acy. This was his gallantry, coolncss in dani
ger and soldierly skill at the battle of Buena
Vista, Feb. ?'>, 18-17.
In Jul:.*, I $40, Ur. Davis was in congress, in
September lie was leading his regiment
against Monterey; in February, 1S47, he was
j at Buena Vista, and July of the same year
! found him again a peaceful planter, theregiI
meat's term of service having expired. In
j August, 1!>47, the governor of Mississippi apI
pointed him a United Stites senator to fill
i a vacancy; the legislature in 1S-XS re-elected
l him to complete the term, and in IsoO rei
elected him for a full term. The ever memorable
congress of lS49-*52, at its long session,
had adopted the noted "compromise measure,"
but fully satisfied neither party.
ISSi #1 III! \
?==*MRVfV
^Wg:
IP^f ^/?3 i
.' 1 ' ? ?'
MSMMIXGER. -WALKER. ;
IJALLOIIY. STEPHENS. REACAN.
BEXJAXIX. TOOMBS. j
I
The result was the famous Foote-Davis :
gubernatorial campaign of lS5i. The''Union" i
party, as-it -was called, carried the state by
7,500 majority 0:1 the convention question,;
but Mr. Foote s majority for governor was ;
but 00!)?a remarkable proof of the popular- !
ity of CoL Davis. He had resigned his seat [
in the senate, and now remained in retirement
till 1832, when he canvassed several :
states for the Democratic candidates.
WAR SECRETARY DAViS.
His Able Administration of the \V;ir Dc- j
partmexit.
March v, 1S33, President Franklin Pierce j
named Col. Jefferson Davis as secretary of j
war. Tnat of Pierce was a strong cabinet, j
and secretary Davis was certainly among the j
strongest men in it. Men of all parties agree
that his administration of the war depart-'
ment was marked by ability and energy, and j
many old officers testify that, of all secre- j
taries in their timo Col. Davis was (save for '
his quarrel with Gen. Scott) most popular j
with the army He reorganized almost the ;
entire service, drafted a new code of army j
regulations, introduced the light infantry |
rifle system of tactics, tried the experiment
of camels for transportation on the south- ;
western deserts', added four regiments to the I
regular army, and improved the entire sys- '
tern of sea coast defenses. Ho also had the !
boundaries betveen Hexico and the United '
States fixed accurately, and sccured the com-'
pleto survey ar.d almost the adoption of the '
southern route for a Pacific railroad. He!
sent Capt. George B. HcClellaa ar.d two j
other officers to the Crimea to study the mill- i
tary tactics of the armies there (in 1S.>J-V>),!
and '.vas so pleased -with their report that he!
retained v.-arm personal feelings for thc:u j
even through tho civil war.
With tbe events of President Pierce's administration
congress and the country may
, bo said to have entered in full course upon
i the proceedings which led to tbo civil war. .
j It is not to 1)2 cxpccted that any American j
! could at this time lake u dispassionate and '
| philosophical view c? that part of history.
! All that remains then is to rccito the priaci- ;
j pal events and quote briefly the matured ,
j judgment of friends and foes.
At bis retirement from the cabinet in
i March, 1S57, the legislature of Mississippi had
I elected Mr. Davis as United States senator
I for tbe term to close March }. 1S5J. Ke
j plunged at once into the heated debates of the
I time,maintaining the rather extreme soatuem
j view, and with an ability and courtesy which
! elicited warm praise even from liis foes. The
I editor of Harper's "Weekly ha? this sketch of
! him in 180$:
| 4'In the north, Col. .Davis is regarded?
somewhat unjustly, perhaps?as a type of the
! southern fire eater. Xan'y "persons who have
; never seen hir.i fancy hiiii Quarrelsome, petu:
lant, hotheaded, turbulent. Hisappcaraucein
i the aenate dees not justify these views. A prim,
| smooth looking man, with a precise manner,
j stiff soldierly carriage, and cold expression;
; his head fuller, seemingly, of statistics and
i hard, dry principles than anything else; his
j voice cool and firm, without t* emor cr excitement;
he i> the last person a spectator '
I would pl;:k out us 'the ?re eater.' Ia his own i
; country lie is intensely beloved, chiefly from j
| his kind and gentle disposition. He is a man ;
: of whom Mississippi may well be proud." :
II?j also took an active part in opposing the |
French spoliation bill and advocating the j
; southern route for the Pacific railroad. He j
: led the so-called ' L:.,compton party" in con- !
gress ia opposition to senator .uoagias, ana ;
in debate with the latter propounded the once !
celebrated queries and propositions which
i drew from the Illinois senator his famous
theory as to the right of a territorial legislature
to adopt "unfriendly legislation" against
slavery, and his article in Harper's Magazine,
which set forth the creed of the "Douglas '
Democrats." The breach was new complete.
Meantime, in the summer of 185S, he made
a tour for health and pleasure through the
eastern states, delivering several addresses,
in which the warmest attachment to thcs
union was avowed?always, however, with a
proviso, expressed or implied, that aggressions
upon the south would certainly be met
with resistance. Some of these addresses
have a strange sound now. In a letter acknowledging
an invitation to join in a Boston
celebration of the birthday of Daniel Webster.
in January, 1S50, ho wrote:
"I send you my cordial greetings to the
friends of the constitution, and ask to be enrolled
among those whose mission is, by fraternity
and good faith to every constitu- j
tional obligation, to insure that, from the
Aroostooic to san JJiego, irom jvey vv csc to
Pugofc sound, the grand arch of oar political i
temple shall stand unshaken."
DID WAR USGIX IX 1S59? i
An event was at hand, however, which was j
to precipitate the conflict?namely, the en- j
tc-rprise of John Brown. A million southern i
men and women, who had laughed at the idea !
of danger from ''northern aggression," were i
suddenly converted, saying, as one of them \
expressed it, "We can no longer live in peace j
with the north; our allies have become our j
enemies, and we mu-st seek release from the j
connection while wo can do so with safety."
The feelings of Jefferson Davis for the next:
fifteen months may bo gathered from the fol-'
lowing letter, written at the close of the dis- j
cussion to his long time friend, ex-President j
Pierce:
Washington, D. C., Jan. 20,18G1. j
:?Iv FaiEND?I have often and sadly turned j
my thoughts to von during the troublous times j
through which \vc have been passing, and cow I
come to the hard task of announcing to you that
the hour is at hand which closes my connection
with the United States, for the independence and
union of which mj- father toiled and in the service
of which I have sought to emulate the example j
he set for my guidance. Mississippi, not as a |
matter of choice, but of necessity, has resolved to |
enter on the trial of secession. Those who have j
driven her to this alternative threaten to deprive j
her of the right to require that her government,
shall rest on the consent of the governed, to sub- ;
sticute foreign force for domestic support, to re- I
duce a state to the condition from which the col- j
ony rose. in the attempt to avoid the issue which ;
hid been joined by the country, the present ad- i
ministration Iir.s complicated and precipitated ;
the question. Even r.ow, if tfie duty "to preserve ;
the public property" was rationally regarded, the
probable collision at Charleston would be avoided. !
Security far better than any which the Federal
troops can give might be obtained in considera- i
lion of the littie garrison of Fort Sumter. If the '
disavowal of any purpose to coerce South Caro- ;
lina be sincere, the possession of a work to com- |
xnand the harbor is worse than useless.
When Lincoln comes in he will have but to con- j
linue i:i the path of his predecessor to inaugurate !
a civil war. and leave a soi-disant Democratic ad- I
ministration responsible for the fact. Gen. Cash- j
i::< was here i.'.st week. and when he parted it ]
se-.-ir.ml Ii!cr? taking r. last leave of a brother.
1 leave immediately for Mississippi, and know j
not what may devolve upon me after my return.
Civil war has only horror for me, but whatever |
circumstances may demand shall be met as a I
duty, and I trust be so discharged that you will j
not be ashamed of our former connection or cease :
to he my friend.
Mrs. Davis joins me ia lead remembrance to |
Mrs. Pierce, and the expression of the hope that
we may yet have you both at our country home.
Do me the favor to write to me often. Address
Hurricane P. O., V.'arren county, Miss.
May God bless you, is ever the prayer of your
?>*r*rvl .Tiirrp's* Davis.
President F. 1'ierej..
In that fifteen months events had moved i
rapidly towards the dread culmination. In i
the first Democratic convention of 1SG0, ilr. I
Davis received somo votes, Ber.jamin F. j
Butler voting for him 57 time.-. In the j
subsequent ejection the "wo northern candi- j
dates,as Mr. Blaine styles them, received all j
the votes r.f the northern states save a mere i
handful, loss than 100,000, while Brecbin- j
ridge and Bell received the almost solid'vote j
of the southern states. "In truth as well as j
in ajm-.-arancc," adds Hr. Blaine, "it was a j
sectional contest, in which the north support- j
ed northern candidates and the south south- I
era candidates." '"Disunion was already j
completed in the hearts of the people," says j
Tourgce, '"the sections simply fell apart be- j
causa there -.ras r.o cohesion." These opinions j
of philosophic observers long after the strug- i
gle, have thvir value.
?.
THE CONFEDERACY FORMED. j
Jofibrson Davis Sees "Washington for the
Last Time.
South Carolina led off in secession; Mis- j
sissippi soon followed, and five more states. I
It is idle to recount the futile attempts at !
compromi.se. Senator Davis was named one j
/if rim mmmittofl of tViirf'/von in thft SPnata. I
but asked to be excused on the ground that !
propositions for compromise at such a time \
ought to come from northern men, and !
men whoso party standing was a guar- j
antee of good faith?a position highly praised !
in the north at the tins" A little later he !
consented to assist, saying:
THE V.'TTITE HOUSE OF THE CONFEDERACY. !
"If, in the opinion of others, it be possible
for me to Jo anything for the public good,
the last moment while I stand hero is at the
commmid of the senate. If I could see any
means by ;vhich I cmiM avert the catastrophe
i-S. between the sections of the
union, i iv past life, I hope, gives evidenco
of tho r r.Aiv.nsi with which I would mako
the eaorr. If there be any sacrifice which I
could otfor on the altar of my country tc
hcai :ill the* evils, present or prospective, no
man has tie right to doubt my readiness to
do it."
Y?~ith only two or three exceptions the de
nartcre of southern statesman as their states
Kcccilc.'l wr.s singularly calm and dignified.
On the ijl.st of January, 1SG1, the senators
fro::: Fieri-In. Alabama and Mississippi withdrew.
2;r. Blaine praises the manner of Senator
Davis adding: "No man gave up moro
than llr. i^avis in joining the revolt against
the Union. In his farewell address to tho
senate th^ o was a tone of moderation and
dignity not unniired with regretful and tender
emotions.'-'
Before Senator Davis could reach home
Wissiissiniu had anaointed iiim commander in
chief of is.)! Imr forces, with the rank of major
general. L.i ii.o 4th of February, 1S61, dele- '
gates from several states convened in ilont- !
gorncry, Ala., and soon adopted a eonstitu- ]
tion for the Confederate states. On the 9th j
the convention unanimously elected Jefferson i
Davis president. Alexander II. Stephens -was
named for vice president and inaugurated at
once. On the 10th Sir. Davis arrived; on
the lSth ho was inaugurated.
THE CONFEDERATE CABINET.
Ke uamed for his cabinet: Robert Toombs,
of Georgia, secretary of state; Leroy Popo
Walker, of Alabama, secretary of ivar;
Charles G. ITcmminger, of South Carolina,
secretary of the treasury; Stephen R. Mallorv,
of Florida, secretary of the navy; Judah
P. Benjamin, attorney general, una John H. |
Reagan, of Texas, postmaster general. In I
the divisions which soon arose, Messrs. j
Toombs, Walker aiid Memuiinger retired; j
tlio otiiers remained in the cabinet to the last. |
Mr. Benjamin was jwpularly credited with I
being the "ruling spirit." lie was among
the last to leave Richmond and to part with
President Davis; he escaped arrest and imprisonment
by flight to London, where he
became a British subject, and soon entered on
a Career at the bar so brilliant and successful
that it caused his American failures to be almost
forgotten.
t
DAVIS IX PRISOX.
The inaugural addrlvs of President Davis ,
was read with breathft^s interest in every
part of the country, as,'- in the prevalent \
ignorance and confusion, meii sought in it the |
indications of peace or war. "Cut it was notj
in the power of any man, however wise, at j
that time to give assurances. The most sig-:
nificant passage in ir, perhaps, was t'uis:
"We have entered upon a career ot inde-i
j ... i.? ,-_ti?:i.i.. ?,j I
pciiuuuuvr, aiiu.il/iiiudb uc iiiiic.viui.y puidu^vi. :
Through many years of controversy with j
our late associates of the northern states we";
have vainly endeavored to secure tranquil- j
lity, and obtain respect for the rights to which j
we are entitled. As a necessity, not of choice, i
we have resort-ed to the remedy of separation, i
and henceforth our energies must be directed j
to the conduct of our own affairs, and the
perpetuity of the Confederacy which we have j
formed.
Commissioners were sent to Washington!
and fruitless negotiations conducted. Bo- j
tween the inauguration and the 1st of April
public opinion in both sections turned to the i
contemplation of war. In vain did President j
Lincoln proclaim that he "certainly had no
desire and believed lie had no authority to j
interfere with slavery." In vaiu did Presi- |
dent Davis reiterate that he longed to avoid I
the effusion of blood. On th? 1 uf April, !
tiic war Degan with the attack ou Fort:
Suinter.
"The uprising of the north"?that most |
marvelous of all recent popular phenomena? j
followed at once. The uprising of the south j
was scarcely, if at all, less prompt and imani-1
inous, save in the northern tier of states, j
Virginia seceded April 17; Tennessee and j
Arkansas followed May C, and on Hay 20
North Carolina completed the list of eleven ,
Confederate states. May 20 the Confederate j
sovernmeut was transferred to Richmond,!
and President Davis followed in a few days. 1
His journey was a continued ovation; his j
speeches ware chiefly exhortations to unity 1
and courage, with brief arguments which
were merely variations of the clause in j
his first message to congrcss, April 29, .
viz., "All we ask is to be let alone?that
those who never held {>ower over us |
shall not attempt our subjugation by arms, j
This we will, wo must, resist to the direst :
extremity."
At Montgomery the congrcss had already
provided for "a vigorous prosecution of the j
war'*?that is, for a loan of $50,000,000 at S j
per cent., in addition to a previous loan of j
815,000,000, and the creation of an army j
which "might, in the discretion of the presi-1
dent, be increasod to 100,000 men!" Privateering
was also organised. Thi people responded
with such alacrity that President j
Davis, on arriving at RL;hmoud, bad only to I
officially confirm their a ction. In a surprisingly
short time 00,000 men were organized
in Virginia, and fifteen vessels commissioned
as privateers. The Federal government was
also moving witn a ceicricy tnac now seems i
wonderful, but to the impatient }>eople at the !
time seemed criminal slickness. A blockade
of all Confederate ports wns proclaimed
April 19, and nearly 100 vessels were soon
armed to enforce it. By the 1st of July a j
Federal army of over 200,000 men was or- !
gamzea.
A PERSONAL DIGRESSION.
Faults of Administrat ion Ur^o<l Against
President Davis.
And here the biograpJ ler of Jefferson Davis
is compelled to tain > notice of a controversy
which went on in a quiet way during
the war and more open?'/ afterwards, till it
reached a furious climaa:, and is still waged j
with much bitterness. Without indorsing :
the harsh philippics of Edwin Pollard and j
Gen. Thomas Jordan, cr even the milder
criticisms of Gens. Johnst on and Beauregard,
Federal and Comederatr may now agree
that President Davis mide two serious?
should one say fatal??mistakes: the one was
common to him and nearly all the leaders o a !
both sides, tne Otcer pecuuwiy rns uhu. ?ju
was a manifestation of that spirit which i s
often praised as tho quility of "always
sticking to one's friends'*?a very amiablequality
indeed in a privj.to man, but one?
which in a commander-ia-chief in time of
war may be a criminal folly. A most un- I
happy instance is thus set forth by Gen.
Thomas Jordan, chief of staff to Gen. Beauregard:
"Jlr. Davis had been at West Point, and
subsequently served for several years in the
dragoons ata lruuuei pusi* vnm u. uieun. iiw >
throp, to whom he became attached. The |
latter was disabled by an accident, went to
his home and turned parish doctor. Mr.
Davis became in time a politician. Lieut.
Korthrop grew so eccentric and full of mental
crotchets as to be generally regarded in
Charleston as of unsound intellect and unfit
for the management of his own small affairs.
He had not served long enough in the army
to acquire familiarity with military administration;
neither had his avocation in Charleston
brought him in relation with men engaged
in large commercial affairs. This man, with
whom Davis had no personal association since
they were cavalry lieutenants together on the
Indian frontier, ho did not hesitate to make
his chief of subsistence, nor scrapie to intrust
with the organization and administration of
a bureau upon which the * :ry existence of
the Confederate armies must depend, and for
the labors of which it is apparent the soundest
practical order of intellect was essential."
It would be easy to find Confederates of
high rank and approved judgment in military
affairs who still look upon this appoint
ment and two others as the main causes 01
the downfall 0f the Confederacy.
WHO FORESAW A LONG WAR?
As to the other charge so persistently urged,
that Mr. Davis was "not able to comprehend
the proportions of the struggle impending,"
the obvious answer is, Who was? A
few, a very few, thoughtful men in the north,
who drew their conclusions largely from history,
predicted a long and bitter struggle; in
the south it is exceedingly doubtful if there
were nity men woo weue veu. iue vuu??i,
would outlast a year. It there was one who,
from the beginning, anticipated a four years'
war, lie succeeded admirably in conccaling
his views. That President Davis, his cabinet
and all his advisers shared the current delusion
that the war would bo short and its theatre
confined principally to the coast and the
border between the two sections, is certain.
Such belief was the parent of many errors.
In the first place, it was estimated that the
south had almost arms enough, and the first order
sent to Europe was for but)0,000 Enfield
rifles! Before the blockade could bo made
effective it was urged that the Confederate
government should take the cotton and tobacco,
of which a largo stock was still on
hand, issue bonds to pay the owners, export
the stuff to Euronc. and make it the basis of
a fund to draw upon. The owners generally
were willing, and the effect would have been
tremendous. At the same time a considerable
amount of foreign exchange in the banks
was offered to the government on favorable
terms. Both propositions were rejected or
ignored, and the golden opportunity soon
passed, never to return. It should be noted
also that the legislation of the provisional
? ..! aF w.cvinn t\f thft rPCH
CCo, auu v/i. mu ^w^vo-iv.. v- ?w - ,-0 ?
lar congress at Richmond, shows the same
lack of perception as to the greatness of the
impending struggle.
On the Federal side of the lino much of the
froth and nonsense about ua short -war" was
swept away by the battle of Bull Run; the
rest was done for at Shiloh. After the latter
thoughtful men both north and south made
up their minds that the issue was to be tenaciously
fought to a close. Tho north erred
nftun in o-rrwtin"' m-cat and decisive victo
ries; tho south quite as often in expecting
foreign interference or a division in the north.
True, Mr. Benjamin at Richmond continued |
to promise "pacification in ninety days" long
after Mr. Seward at Washington had ccasod
to do so, but he found few echoes.
AX APPALLIXG DIFFICULTY.
The victory of Bull Run produced great
exultation in the south, but appears to have
lia'l a decidedly sobering eifPect upon President
Davis and cabinet. It may now be considered
proved that he was in for aggressive
action immediately after that battle, but
yielded to the adverse opinions of Johnston
and Beauregard, and tiiereaiter, wim rare
exceptions, insisted upona defensive .policy.
During the long period of inaction which followed
he embraced every opportunity to declare
his earnest desire for peace. He even
excited criticism by suggesting conciliatory
measures; for many months all his utterances
were amplifications <?f that passage in
his first regular message, '"^he moment that
this pretense of our subjugation is abandoned,
the sword will drop from oui' grasp and we
shall be ready to enter into trcjaties^of amity
and friendship." ^
MR. DAVIS' HOUSE, BE AC VOIR.
In November, 1SG1, a general election was
held, and President Davis and Vico President
Stephens were re-elected for the full term of
six years. Feb. IS, 1S62, the first congress
under the permanent constitution assembled
in Richmond; on the 22d, President Davi?
was inaugurated, and delivered a carefully
preparcu message;. j-nsiisotas u.ui .ui act/
in, to continue with scarcely an intermission
for three months. Before President Davis
was this ominous situation: In all the Confederate
states-tbere were not quite 0,000,000
"white people, among whom the per cent, of
men capable of bearing arms was surprisingly
small. In the Federal or "adhering
states," excluding all tho doubtful and disputed
strip, were at least 18,000,000 white
fx^ople, among whom the per cent, of adult
males was phenomenally, one might say unnaturally,
large.
By the census of 1SG0 tho south contained
about 20Q$000 more women than men, the
north about 400,000 more men than women;
so the north could send into the field 600,000
men aud still have at homo a percentage of
men equal to that of the south in peace. Of
the enormous immigration of 1S45-'61, consisting
largely of young and strong men, only
8 per cent, had located in the south. This
explains the paradox that such states as Kansas
and Nevada sent a larger per cent, of
their total population iuto the field than any
state of the south, and yet had many more
men left at home than older states ever have
/liiritiw the longest neace. The disoaritv in
wealth was far greater?by some estimates
four times as great. Without accepting so
strong a statement it may yet be admitted
that the Federals were three times as numerous
and eight times as rich as the Confederates.
<;THE LOST CAUSE."
The Confederacy Overthrown?Twenty-five
Years in Peacc.
Nevertheless hope and confidence were
strong. President Davis' first state papers
showed great ability, and he assented, some
what reluctantly, to a conscription law,
which was among the first acts passed by the
congress. It excited much opposition, of
course, and a little later the habeas corpus
was suspended in a district ten miles around
Richmond, and a military police organized
under Gen#Winder, which continued during
the remainder of the war. The summer
closed favorably to the Confederates though
they regained little or none of the ground
lost in the spring; and in December President
Davis made a tour of the western
camps, from which he returned greatly encouraged.
In April, 1SC3, he issued a rather
.exulting address to the people, but the
claims in it were just. The Confederacy was
then at its maximum as a military power.
The disasters of that summer from Gettysburg
to Vicksburg need not be detailed.
'The year closcd under the black shadow of
c?ming doom.
The real greatness of Jefferson Davis shone,
conspicuously as disasters thickened. He
ri^solutely defended his appointees, and as
SlUilGU. U11C 1 ttfJKJLLOlVm uj nuucru aw ?? ug u\sv.
clearly theirs. He regained the hearts of'
ths people and almost nullified th> opposition
in the congress. A committee of investiga-;
tion entered upon its work in a hostile spirit,;
and ended by indorsing almost ever/ one of:
the ^president's acts, and even exonerated j
liim from serious blame in the matter
of Commissary Northrop. Hs exerted
himself heroically in preparing for the fl ajg
campaign of 1S64. :md it opened with
some slight successes. All the rest of the
year presents a. painful record of desperate M
struggle against the inevitable; every vie- H
torv was barren, every defeat irremediable.
As the ship of state sank deeper is the vortex,
mutual recriminations naturally multiplied.
The removal of Joe Johnston, the enterprise fl
of Hood and the restoration of Johustcu, the
"shelving" of Beauregard and the break with
Goveruor Brown, of Georgia?there is not
space to discuss them. Are they not argued
and reargued at length in the magazines?
Gen. Hood carnc nobly to the rescue by assuming
full responsibility, and Governor
Brown was so far reconciled as to cease seri- Jfl
ous opposition. ^
FLIGHT AND CArTCRE. X
The wild projects in the Confederate congross
in the winter of lSC-4-o were but the ,
frenzies of dissolution and despair, ililitary
movements really decided everything and in
JEFFEESON* DAVIS.
[From a recent portrait.]
them this fact was ever prominent: A man
lost by Grant could be replaced if desired by
three; a man lost by Lee was a final loss.
On the 2d of April. 1S65, seated in his pew
in St. Paul's church, Richmond, President
Davis received the dispatch from Gen. Lee
announcing bis complete discomfiture. At 8
p. m. the president, cabinet and other officials
left for Danville, at which point President
Davis issued his last proclamation, his
last state paper. Ten days later he was at
fii-mncWn "N" f! : a week later he halted at
Charlotte, where he first learned that $100,000
reward had been offered for ais capture
as an instigator of the assassination of President
Lincoln. All men now admit that the
charge was false.
Another week found him almost alone, a
fugitive' in the forests of Georgia, -with his
wife and a few devoted adherents. On the
10th of May he was captured near Irwinsville,
Ga., by a body of cavalry under Lieut.
CoL Pritchard. "iir. Davis,""scys one of his
| captors, "had on when arrested an ordinary
I ?iVTt with a verv lone rac-fan overcoat &nd a
shawl on his shoulders." In the dim light of -v
morning lie was at first taken for a woman,
hence the story so widely published. He was
conveyed at once to Fortress Monroe, which \
he entered on the 19th of Hay, to remain a
captive for nearly two years.
And so all was over. The Southern Confederacy
had dropped to pieces like a house
of cards, and its president, once the beloved
colonel, the honored senator, the Federal secretary
of war, the successful statesman and
aspiring politician, was a prisoner?in irons!
Yes, all that was bright and hopeful was
gone; nothing now remained but to hang the
prisoner, as had been so often promised; to
write his history so as to fix his name in in
ii jny, and in no long time ins own people
would disov.n him as the cause of their woes.
All this, in the opinion of many sanguine
ones, was soon to be. Only it did not prove so.
The world was now to witness another of
those revulsions in popular feeling which so
/ iff/vr. tho Atnnfirmn'I jinrl rmzrfe
philosophic. At sight of this sorely stricken
man all southern criticism was instantly
hushed, and in due time thoughts of something
far nobler than vengeance pervaded
"te north. Mr. Davis bore bis sufferings
with such Roman fortitude that southern
hearts were knitted to him as never before.
His critics apologized, even when truth was
on their side. His wifo shared his captivity
and excited the world's interest in his case.
His first wife, daughter of Gen. Taylor, had
died many years before, but theone whoshared
his fortunes as official and as captive was
a lady of refinement and intellect worthy of
any station. His oldest and most inveterate
opponents were first to soften; the Abolitionist:;
asked clemency, and in Hay, 1S67, before
the United States circuit court at Richmond,
Horace Greeley and Gerritt Smith joined
with many southern men in signing his bail
bond. He had been formally indicted for
treason; but, in December, 1S68, by the same
court, a nolle prosequi was entered, and the
case of "JLne umteu states vs. jcnerson
Davis" was ended forever and to the satisfac
Clou 01 aimost every ^tmei-icaii.
RETIREMENT A.\D A QUIET LIFE.
After a brief tour in Europe he located at
Memphis as president of a life insurance company,
but soon retired
to private life,
to emerge only at
long intervals, each
time to receive renewed
expressions /l$gi
of affection and /\ ??'lleaP'
sympathy. A be- ?* *<;
quest by a southern ,;*r
lady gave him a
lovely home at
Beau voir, Miss.. on ptwuzS&r
the shore of the fTzSir^'
gulf. The loss of
his son, a manlv
. ' , : WINNIE DAVIS,
gentleman, bv yel- , '
? . "The Child of the Co&
low tever at .uem- - , ?
, . federaey."
phis, was a severe
blow; but his wife auil two daughters remained
to liini. Of these the younger,
Yarina Davis, affectioaatclyjknown as Winuie.
is styled "The Child of the Confederacy,n
having been born in the presidential mansion
in Richmond during the w:tr. She has lately
shown {literary ability of a high order, and
may yet rani: among the noted authoresses of
America. v:
LADIES
i?eeainga ionic, or cnnar'in mui wii.jn.--i-.uuo
lip. should take
BROWN'S IKON BITTER*.
It is pleasant to take, cures Malaria. Ii?oiges1
tion. and Biliousness. All dealers keen it