Jefferson Davis: Private Letters, 1823-1889

by Jefferson Davis (Editor)

This fascinating collection of intimate letters from and to Jefferson Davis (1808–1889) illuminates the character and personality of the President of the Confederacy. These letters (the majority appearing fully in print for the first time) range widely over one of the most turbulent periods in American history, from his fifteenth year to his death at eighty-one. Here is Jefferson Davis in all aspects: in love and in house slippers; as wounded war hero; at dramatic heights of statesmanship; in grief over four dead sons; refusing Lee's resignation after Gettysburg and expressing unwavering confidence; as shackled prisoner, stoic survivor, generous friend, adoring father and husband. Equally revealing are the letters written to him by such notable figures as Franklin Pierce, Zachary Taylor, Judah P. Benjamin, General and Mrs. Robert E. Lee, Davis's children, and of course his spirited wife, Varina. From this rich, varied correspondence there emerges a unique biography in letters, adding new dimensions and highlights to one of the most exalted, maligned, and remarkable men in American history.

Genres: American History, History, Civil War, Nonfiction

580 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Jefferson Finis Davis (June 3, 1808 – December 6, 1889) was an American military officer, statesman, and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as the President of the Confederate States of America for its entire history, 1861 to 1865.

A West Point graduate, Davis fought in the Mexican-American War as a colonel of a volunteer regiment, and was the United States Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce. Both before and after his time in the Pierce Administration, he served as a U.S. Senator representing the state of Mississippi. As a senator he argued against secession but believed each state was sovereign and had an unquestionable right to secede from the Union.

Davis resigned from the Senate in January 1861, after receiving word that Mississippi had seceded from the Union. The following month, he was provisionally appointed President of the Confederate States of America and was elected to a six-year term that November. During his presidency, Davis was not able to find a strategy to defeat the more industrially developed Union, even though the south only lost roughly one soldier for every two union soldiers on the battlefield.

After Davis was captured May 10, 1865, he was charged with treason, though not tried, and stripped of his eligibility to run for public office. This limitation was posthumously removed by order of Congress and President Jimmy Carter in 1978, 89 years after his death. While not disgraced, he was displaced in Southern affection after the war by its leading general, Robert E. Lee.

Reviews

[Doris Raines · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS IS A GREAT BOOK..

[Nancy Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this insightful look at a collection of private letters from Davis, his family, and his friends. I read a few letters each night at bedtime and watched the characters develop and change over the years through their personal feelings revealed in their own words. I appreciated the way the editor left spelling errors and word choice just as the letter writer wrote them for the sake of authenticity, and I appreciated the way the editor introduced each letter with a little background information. Another thing I loved: observing the beauty of the art of letter writing. Juxtaposing this collection of informal letters to most of the informal writing in today's world of quick texts, chatting, emails, sticky notes, and memos, it is refreshing to read words chosen more carefully. There is also a noticeable difference in the way people interact with each other---I think people were more respectful of each other, politer, more expressive in an emotional/cerebral way, more refined in their manners. These generations from yesterday seemed to have more respect for the power and the beauty of language---and it's a joy to be able to eavesdrop to hear beautiful voices that would have long been silent otherwise.