Forum Member Danny West Made A Presentation

[RJNorton]

This year Danny gave his second talk to the Quitman Woman’s Club. His topic was Jefferson Davis.

https://www.quitmanwomansclub.org/local-...mans-club/

Thank you to Danny for sending the text of his lecture:

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Lecture on Jefferson Davis

Presented to the Quitman Woman’s Club

By Danny West

October 3, 2019

My name is Danny West & some of you may recall that I spoke at your September meeting of 2018. You may or may not remember that I spoke on the history of Clarke County & how our county and county seat acquired their name. I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak to you & for the gracious hospitality you extended to my wife & myself last year & for today. I especially want to thank MS Harriett McCann for her friendliness & being a wonderful host. I still hope to acquire her shrimp salad recipe. I am thirty-one-year teaching veteran now retired with a Masters Degree in Social Studies. I am a lifelong history buff. I would like to give credit to two people, one past & one current. Mrs. Donna Dabbs who taught me in the eighth & ninth grade at Clarke Academy instilled in me a great love of history. She just had that special knack of including information not found in the textbook. To this day she is the best history teacher I had. That also includes professors I had at Mississippi State such as distinguished Civil War historian John F. Marszalek who was responsible for getting the U S Grant Presidential Library to locate at Starkville. I also took a course under Douglas MacArthur historian D. Clayton James. Another person I want to mention is MS. Amanda Redmond, formerly of the Mississippi Library Commission. She has since moved back to her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio where she works at the MidPointe Library System as a collections librarian. She was invaluable in locating sources & since moving she told me which reference librarians at MLC would be helpful. At the moment I have her working on a missing person case of a person who disappeared from Zanesville. Ohio. I also had the honor & privilege of talking to Mr. Bertram Hayes Davis who is the great- great grandson of Jefferson Davis. During our phone conversation we discussed topics such as the flag, the constitution & of course Jefferson Davis. Before I get to my topic, I want to make you aware of the history that is around us. Did you know that during WWII there was a practice bombing range below Pachuta ? Did you know that Paulding in Jasper county had a chance to be the state capital at one time if the citizens had voted for the railroad to come through? Also, the Trotter-Byrd house here in Quitman was spared from burning by Sherman during the Civil War because the person living there was a direct descendant of George Washington. Ok, now to my topic.

Jefferson Davis Facts

1. Jefferson Finis Davis was born June 3, 1808 in Fairview, Kentucky. Born within a hundred miles on February 12, 1809 at Hodgenville, Kentucky was Abraham Lincoln. Within the first two years of Davis’ birth the family moved twice. Samuel & Jane Davis first moved their family to Bayou Teche in southern Louisiana. Then within a year another move happened, this time to Wilkinson County, MS. The county tax rolls placed them there in 1810.

2. Samuel Davis wanted a quality education for his son, so it was decided to send him back to Kentucky to St. Thomas Catholic school. The trip was made in the company of Major Thomas Hinds, whom Hinds County, Mississippi is named for. When the party made a stop in Nashville, young Davis met Andrew Jackson. After two years at St. Thomas Davis returned to Mississippi. He then attended Jefferson College in Washington close to Natchez. Davis questioned the value of education so his father put him to work picking cotton. Davis soon realized that education was the lesser of two evils. Once again, Davis made the trip back to Kentucky. This time he would attend Transylvania University.

3. In 1824 an event happened that would affect him horribly. His father Samuel died which left Joseph acting as his surrogate father.

4. Joseph acquired an appointment for Jefferson to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Davis entered West Point in the fall of 1824. Future Confederate general Albert Sidney Johnston also attended West Point at this time being two years ahead of Davis. They knew each other from Transylvania University.

5. Eggnog Riot- While at West Point Davis was implicated but not charged in this event. What happened is that a few days before Christmas 1826 a large quantity of alcohol was smuggled into the barracks from a local tavern. Academy investigations implicated 70 cadets with 20 being court-martial. Davis was not charged but one cadet who was expelled was Mississippian Benjamin G. Humphreys who became a general in the Civil War and after the war became governor.

6. Davis gradated 23rd out of a class of 33. Cadets who graduated in the lower half were assigned to the infantry. Davis was assigned to a regiment in the Michigan Territory. Zachary Taylor. a future president, was in command. Soon, came the Black Hawk War in 1832. Black Hawk was a Sauk leader who led raids against the Americans. With the Native Americans being defeated, Taylor assigned Davis the task of escorting Black Hawk to prison to serve a one year sentence. Black Hawk later spoke of the young was chief as being very kind to him & keeping him from being viewed by curiosity seekers. An interesting side note to this brief war is that Abraham Lincoln also served. However, there is no record that he & Davis ever met.

7. Davis fell in love with Sarah Knox Taylor, the daughter of General Taylor, who refused for Davis to marry because of the hard life of a military man. Davis liked the military life, but loved Sarah even more. He resigned his commission and they were wed on June 17, 1835. Joseph Davis had acquired Brierfield Plantation just south of Vicksburg. He was going to allow Jefferson to use the plantation as his own. But, Jefferson & Sarah both contracted either malaria or yellow fever. Sarah died at the age of 21 after only three months of marriage. For several years Davis spent time in developing his plantation.

8. In 1840, Davis made his first journey into politics. He lost his first election as a Democratic candidate for the state House of representatives. In 1851 he ran for governor but lost.

9. In 1845, Davis married Varina Banks Howell of Natchez. She was educated in Philadelphia. She was 18 years old while Davis was 35. They would have six children.

10. In 1846 the Mexican War started & Davis would server as colonel of the First Mississippi Regiment. He was under the command of General Zachary Taylor. After several victories, many of Taylor’s troops were sent to Winfield Scott’s army for an invasion of Mexico from Vera Cruz. With a now depleted force of 4,650 troops Taylor learned that a Mexican force of 15.000 led by General Santa Anna was headed his way. At Buena Vista he positioned his troops in a narrow mountain pass. Colonel Davis aligned his troops in a V formation. This proved devasting to the Mexican Calvary as a deadly cross fire decimated their ranks. This made Colonel Davis as well as General Taylor heroes.

11. After the war Davis returned to Mississippi, & filled a vacancy in the US Senate. He then resigned his position to run for governor but, lost to Henry Stuart Foote. He returned to his Brierfield plantation until an old friend came calling. President-elect Franklin Pierce asked Davis to head the War Department.

12. As Secretary of War, Davis was assigned & accomplished many tasks. He was responsible for surveying the southern part of the United States for a railroad to reach the Pacific Ocean. He introduced the use of camels to be used out West in the Indian Wars. He started on the completion of the Capitol Dome. He expanded the curriculum at West Point. He enlarged the Army & got better pay for the soldiers. He was responsible for bringing fresh water to Washington through the use of a conduit pipe, He was tasked with the removal of the Seminole Indians from Florida. He was responsible with many other tasks and built up an impressive resume as Secretary of War as his office was highly productive.

13. After his term was completed, he was once again elected as senator. Too numerous to list he introduced much legislation. With Mississippi’s secession from the Union on January 9, 1861, Davis in one of the most dramatic speeches in the Senate chambers resigned as senator on January 21.

14. Davis was home at Brierfield Plantation when news came from Montgomery, Alabama of his selection as the president of the newly created Confederate States of America. Davis had hoped for a military assignment but, this call to duty led him to accept this role as president. Afterwards, when Virginia seceded the capital was moved to Richmond, Virginia.

15. Davis received congratulatory wishes from numerous people & from officers looking for military appointments. The most pressing problems for the moment were two forts with
Federal garrisons in the South. These were Fort Sumter in South Carolina & Fort Pickens in Florida. Many historians agree that Lincoln precipitated the war by supplying Fort Sumter without informing the South. After Fort Sumter fell the war now was in full motion.

16. Davis made many military decisions on his own but, he did respect General Robert E. Lee’s advice. The Confederacy won several battles early in the war as they had capable officers. In 1863, the loss at Gettysburg and surrender of Vicksburg took a turn for the worst for the South. The war became one of attrition as the North could replace their loss of manpower & the South could not. In 1864, the loss of Atlanta made thing worse. General Lee held out for as long as he could with dwindling numbers. On April 2. 1865 while President Davis was in Church a courier arrived with a note from General Lee saying he could hold his position no longer.

17. The Army evacuated Richmond that night as President Davis set about getting his government to move. General Lee surrendered on April 9 as President Davis and his cabinet made their way South. When they reached Washington, Georgia the Confederate government was officially dissolved on May 5. Davis continued west with a military escort.

18. He was captured by Union forces on May 10 at Irwinville, Georgia. Here is where I would like to clear up a myth. It was always rumored that President Davis was captured wearing a dress of his wife. This was blown out of proportion by the Northern media. He had simply grabbed a shawl of his wife as it was cool & rainy that day.

19. He was indicted for treason & in the plot to assassinate Lincoln. He was sent to Fort Monroe in Virginia in which he stayed for two years. He suffered from illness while there. He was visited by his former brother in law Confederate General Richard Taylor, son of former general & president Zachary Taylor. Also, his friend former president Franklin Pierce visited him. His wife & children eventually were given quarters at the fort. The North really had no case & was never brought to trial. He was granted bail which was paid by prominent citizens such as Horace Greeley & Cornelius Vanderbilt.

20. Davis traveled to Canada & Europe seeking employment. Upon his return to the States he was involved in several business adventures, none being , successful. In 1877. Sarah Dorsey, whom Davis & Varina had known since childhood invited Davis to Beauvoir to write his memoirs. Davis eventually purchased Beauvoir from Dorsey because she was near death. He would write The Rise & Fall of the Confederate Government in 1881.

21. Davis gave his last speech at Mississippi City in 1888 in which he called for a reunited country.

22. Davis died in New Orleans on December 6, 1889 & was buried at Metairie Cemetery. In 1893 he was reinterred in Richmond, Virginia at Hollywood Cemetery. At his burial in New Orleans one of the largest crowds ever in the South gathered for the funeral. When his body was moved to Richmond the funeral train made several stops and large crows gathered to show their respect.

23. On Christmas Day, 1868 President Andrew Johnson issued his blanket pardon in Proclamation 179 which pardoned all who had taken part in the rebellion against the United States. However, Davis was not given his citizenship back. This happened in 1978 under President Jimmy Carter. One of the main senators who voted for his citizenship to be restored was Joe Biden. Yes, that Joe Biden.

24. Now to the 64K question (anyone know the origin of this? Don’t worry I’ll tell you) Did Davis & Southerners commit treason? Yes & No! The Constitution is kind of vague on it because you have the 10th Amendment- State Rights and once the states succeeded, they lost citizenship. So, really, it’s a matter of interpretation. I read were a historian said it’s a thin line between a patriot & a traitor. You had Johnson’s proclamation which basically said they did. Then again, Abraham Lincoln was favoring gentle treatment to let the South back in as if they never left.

25. If you have noticed I never mentioned Davis views on slavery. You can surf the net & read books on this. As everything is in history it’s a matter of debate. I get so aggravated when people say the war was over slavery. I have seen two different figures on this. You can choose which one in that 1 out of 10 or 1 out of 15 Southerners actually owned slaves, So, what were the other 9 or 14 fighting for. This can be debated forever. Also, the term Civil War is a misnomer in that the South was not trying to take over the country but, to form a separate country. The War Between the States is a more appropriate name. Nevertheless, the CW is embedded in the Southern culture whether we admit it or not. To paraphrase William Faulkner from his book Intruder in the Dust: For the South it will always be July 3, 1863 at 2 o’clock in the evening (which was the time for Pickett’s charge).

26. I do not want you to think I am ignorant but, I have taken the liberty to use MLA, APA. Chicago Style & a lot of Danny West in writing this lecture. I want to thank you for this opportunity to speak to you on a great Mississippian. I hope you enjoyed it as well & to do further research on your own.

Sources
Jefferson Davis, American by William Cooper
Jefferson Davis by Clement Eaton
Jefferson Davis: The Man & His Hour by William C. Davis
Mississippi History Now -Jefferson Davis
Mississippi History Now- Mississippi & the U.S. -Mexican War. 1846-1848
Phone Interview with Bertram Hayes Davis – September 18, 2019
Wikipedia
Various internet Articles on Jefferson Davis, The Black Hawk War, The Mexican War, The Constitution & Treason- etc.