Jefferson Davis: Ex-President of the Confederate States of America;

Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from Kahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/details/jeffersondavisex02davi_0 JEFFERSON DAVIS VOL. II. JEFFERSON DAVIS EX-PRESIDENT OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA & Pnuoir HIS WIFE (Varina Davis) IN TWO VOLUMES VOL. II. BOOKS FOR LIBRARIES PRESS fit FREEPORT, NEW YORK First Published 1890 Reprinted 1971 INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BOOK NUMBER: 0-8369-6611-2 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER 77-175696 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY NEW WORLD BOOK MANUFACTURING CO., INC. HALLANDALE, FLORIDA 33009 CONTENTS OF VOLUME II. CHAPTER I. PAGE FROM WASHINGTON TO MISSISSIPPI i The Task of Relating her Husband’s Life in the Confeder- acy—One of the most Benevolent and Patriotic of Men—His Withdrawal from the Senate—Arrival at the Crutchfield House, Chattanooga, 1-6 ; Met by Governor and State Au- thorities on Reaching Mississippi—Appointed to Command of a State Army, with rank of Major-General, on arriving at Jackson—Troops to be Raised—Had the Southern States Possessed Arsenals—He did not Understand Politics, but Understood the Art of War, 6-12. CHAPTER II. ELECTION AS PRESIDENT 13 The Convention of the Seceding States—The Constitution Modelled on that of the United States—The African Slave Trade Forbidden—Expenditure of Public Money, 13-15 ; No State to Levy Duties without Consent of Congress, Except on Sea-going Vessels—The Terms of President and Vice- President—Notice of Election to the Presidency of the Con- federate States—Alexander H. Stephens, Vice-President, 15-19. CHAPTER III. MR. DAVIS CONTINUES HIS NARRATIVE 20 On the Way to Montgomery, Made Brief Addresses—Judge Sharkey—False Reports—Assumed Office of President, Feb- IV CONTENTS. ruary 18, 1861—Inaugural Address—First Letter Written from Montgomery, Ala., February 20th, 20-33. CHAPTER IV. GOING TO MONTGOMERY—APPOINTMENT OF THE CAB- INET 34 Closing up Dwelling and Abandoning Library with Reluc- tance, and the Old Flag with Sorrow—Montgomery Swarm- ing with Applicants for Commissions—Correspondent of the London Times—Members of the Cabinet—Provisional Gov- ernment’s Recommendation—President Went to his Office before Nine, came Home at Six—Every Change in the Con- stitution of the old Government Jealously avoided, 34-40. CHAPTER V. THE OFFICE WAS NOT SOUGHT 41 Mr. Davis never Intrigued—Wrong Impressions in Rela- tion to him Refuted by Hon. J. A. P. Campbell, of Missis- sippi, afterward Justice of the Supreme Court of that State —Who should be President ?—The Claims of no one else were Considered or even Alluded to—Mr. Davis Came to be the Commander-in-chief of a Country not yet Torn Loose from the Memories of a Common Glory—He Longed to Stretch forth his Hand to the North before Blood was Spilt, 41-47. CHAPTER VI. 8 PEACE PROPOSITIONS 4 The Provisional Congress before the Arrival of Mr. Davis —The Free Navigation of the Mississippi—Peace Commis- sioners—Mr. Z. Chandler—Marshalling the States—A Plan Agreed upon by the Majority—Lincoln—Great Meeting in New York, 1861—Views of Leading Newspapers—Slavery in the Territories—Confederate Commissioners Sent to Wash- ington, 47-57 ; The Crooked Path of Diplomacy—Prepara- CONTENTS. v tions made in New York and other Northern Ports for a Military and Naval Expedition—Major Anderson’s Letter— The Count of Paris Libels Memory of Major Anderson—Ves- sels Designed for Relief of Fort Sumter — Failure of the Manoeuvre, 57-64. CHAPTER VII. PREPARATIONS FOR WAR 65 Officers of the Confederate Army—Captain Semmes Sent to Buy Guns—A Musket from the Tower of London—Appro- priations for the Navy—Mr. Seward’s Views Expressed to Mr. Dayton, Minister to France—President of the Confed- eracy Calls Congress Together, April 29th—President Lincoln Calls out Seventy-five Thousand Men—Manufactory of Arms and Powder—Population of the United States—The North Had all the Advantages—If the South had Arms, Whole Pop- ulation would have been Enrolled—Seat of Government Re- moved from Montgomery to Richmond, Va.—Spottswood Hotel—Guests of the City, 65-76. CHAPTER VIII. THE BOMBARDMENT OF SUMTER 77 March 3d, General Beauregard, Commander of All the Confederate Forces—The Federal Fleet—Hostilities Com- menced—Forts Moultrie, Sumter, and Johnston—Surrender of Fort Sumter—Cheered by Confederates for its Gallant Resistance—Maryland Overrun with Troops, 76, 81 ; April 19, 1861, a Body of Union Troops Fired upon Unarmed Citi- zens at Railway Depot—The Relay House, at the Junction of Washington & Baltimore Railways, Occupied by Fed- erals, May 5th—General Butler Moved to Baltimore and Oc- cupied Federal Hill—A Demand for the Surrender of Arms— Provost-marshal Makes Arrests—Members of the Legislature at Frederick Arrested—Citizens Conveyed to Fortress Mon- roe and Imprisoned while Sick, without Blankets or Pillows, 81-85. VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. PAGE THE PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN RICHMOND 86 On Arrival at Richmond Found General Lee in Command of Army of Virginia—General Johnston at Harper’s Ferry— General Beauregard at Manassas—Generals Huger and Ma- gruder at Norfolk—Official Letter to General Johnston, who Desires to Retire from his Post so as to Check the Advance of General Patterson—Two First Encounters of the Northern and Southern Troops, June u, 1861, at Bethel Church ; June 18th, at Bridge on Baltimore & Ohio Railroad—A Disaster to the Confederate Arms—General Garnett Killed—Great Ac- tivity and Commotion among the Confederates—Official Cor- respondence, 86-91. CHAPTER X. ENGAGEMENT AT BULL RUN, AND BATTLE OF MANAS- SAS 92 July 21 st, Cannonade Opened by the Enemy—The Battle Raged with Varied Success—Around the House of Mrs. Hen- ery was Fiercest—Reports that the Field was Lost to the Confederates—Some of the Confederates Suffering from Hunger—Signs of an Utter Rout of the Enemy—The Cry, “ On to Richmond,” changed to “Off for Washington”— Caring for the Wounded—Confederate Victory Complete at All Points—Flight of the Enemy—The Army under McDow- ell, 34,127 Present for Duty—The Confederate Force Num- bered 13,000 only, 92-101. CHAPTER XI. CONFERENCES AFTER THE BATTLE OF MANASSAS 102 An Order to Pursue the Enemy—Correspondence Regard- ing the Failure to Pursue McDowell from the Field of Ma- nassas—Victory Dearly Achieved through the Loss of the Lives of so Many Brave Men—Remarks on the Dispersion of Confederate Troops after the Battle—The Large Amount • • CONTENTS. Vll of Fine Artillery, Small Arms, and Ammunition Captured, of Great Benefit—Generals all Content with what had been Done—Allusions to Crossing the Potomac, 102-113. CHAPTER XII. REFLECTIONS ON THE VICTORY 114 Confederate States Had no Disciplined Troops, were In- ferior as to the Number of, and Excellence of, Arms—Great Disparity in Artillery—The Field very Extensive, Broken, and Wooded—Hulbert, of Connecticut—The Day after the Battle of Manassas—T. K. Fauntleroy, 114-119. CHAPTER XIII. RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FAILURE TO PURSUE 120 The President’s Letters on the Subject, and General Johnston’s and General Beauregard’s Replies—General S. Cooper is made Acquainted with Details, 102-137. CHAPTER XIV. GENERAL JOHNSTON’S CORRESPONDENCE 138 After the Battle of Manassas—Confederates Camp in and around Centreville—Matters not Running Smoothly between Generals Johnston and Beauregard at Manassas—The Pres- ident Snubs General Johnston, Designating His Arguments and Statements Utterly One-sided, and His Insinuations as Unfounded as They are Unbecoming—The Roster of the Generals of the Confederate Army in 1861-62—Mr. Davis’s Letter to Hon. James Lyons, Richmond, Va., 138-158. CHAPTER XV. THE OPPOSITION OF CONGRESS TO THE PRESIDENT. .. 159 The Term of the Provisional Congress about to Close— Newly Elected Members and Senators to be Sworn in— Ships for the Destruction of the Merchant Marine of the United States—Selling Cotton to the Enemy—Stringency of Vlll CONTENTS. English Cotton Market—Party in Opposition to the Admin- istration—To Give Entertainments or Administer the Gov- ernment—Hints of His Getting Rich on His Savings—One or Two of the Generals had Their Cliques—Change of Cir- cumstances Made it Impossible at Times to Act on Advice of Congress Committees—He was Abnormally Sensitive to Disapprobation—Wounds an Old Friend Unavoidably, 159— 164. CHAPTER XVI. BEAUREGARD’S LETTER 165 A Period of Inactivity—Foreign Recognition Fully Ex- pected— Mr. Hunter, of Virginia — General Beauregard Mentioned as Possibly Next President—An Estrangement Between Him and the Authorities at Richmond—Correspon- dence to the Richmond Whig—Generals Cooper and Lee, from the President—General Beauregard’s Report on the Battle of Manassas, Commented upon by General Lee—Con- troversy between General Beauregard and the Secretary of War about this Time—The President to General Beaure- gard, 172-177. CHAPTER XVII. ROANOKE ISLAND—MR. DAVIS’S INAUGURATION..... 178 The Year 1862—Campaigns of Confederate States Opened Early—A General Reorganization of the Cabinet, March 17th —The Enemy Unusually Active—Capture of Roanoke Isl- and, an Important Outpost of the Confederates, by General Burnside—Captain O. Jennings Wise, of the Richmond Blues, Killed—His Father’s Exclamation, 178-179, CHAPTER XVIII. THE INAUGURATION 180 A Contemporary Account of the Inaugural Ceremony, February 22, 1862—The President and the Vice-President Elect Received with Hearty Cheers—The Oath Administered to the President by Judge Haliburton, of the Confederate CONTENTS. IX District Court—Mr. Hunter, President of the Senate, pro- claimed Mr. Davis President for the Term of Six Years— Mr. Hunter Administered

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