ADVERTISING RATES:
EX-PRESIDENT JEFFERSON DAVIS.
tlw Story of His E«entful Life Told
by Himself. r'^-0
itmgaMin*.
t was born Jupe 8,1808, in Chris
tian County, KyViu that part of
it which, by a subsequent division,
is now in 'Todil County. At this
place has since arisen tho village of
.Fairyiew, and. on the exact spot
' Where I was bom has been construc
ted the Baptist Church of the places
My father, SamueTDavis, was a na
; tive of 6a., and served in the War
of the Revolution, first in the
‘‘mounted gunmen" and afterwards
as captain of infantry at the seige
of Savannah. . During my infancy
, my .father removed to Wilkinson
county, Miss. After passing through
the County Academy I entered
Transvaal College, Kentucky, at the
age of sixteen, and was advanced as
faros the senior class when I was
appointed to the United States Mil
itary Academy at West Point,which
1 entered in September, 1824. I
graduated in 1828, find then, in ac
cordance with'the custom of cadets,
entered active service with the rank>
of lieutenant, serving os an officer
of infantry "Oh the North west fron
tier until 1838, when a regiment of
dragoons having been created, I was
. transferred to if. After asuccessfu]
campaignagainst the Indians, I re
signed from the army in 1835, being
•uximis to fulfill & long existing en
; gagempnt with a' daughter of
Coi.Zazary Taylor, whom I mar
ried, not “after a romantic elope
ment,” as bus so often been stated,
but at the house of her aunt and in
the presence of many of her rela
tives at a place near Louisville, Ky.
Then-1 become a cotton planter in
Warrfen Couuty. Miss. It was my
■ misfortune, early in my married life,
• to lose my wife; and for many years
thereafter I lived in great Sehlusiou
on the plantation in the swamps. of
the Mississippi. In 1843 I for the
first time took part in the political
life of the country. Next year 1
Was cljosen one of the Presidential
electors at 1 rge of the State; and in
the succeeding year was elected to
Congress, taking my scat in the
House of Representatives in Decem
ber, 1845. Tho proposition to ter
minate joint.occupaucy of Oregon,
find the reformation of the. tariff
were the two questions arousing
most public attention at the time,
and. I took an active part in - their
discussion, especially m that of .the
first.
During this period hostilities with
Mexico commenced, and in the leg
islation which the Contest rendered
toy' military education enabled me
to take a'somewhat proiSineiiF parL,
In Jnne, 1840, a regiment of
Mississippi volunteers w;js organized
«t Vicksburg, of which I was elect,
jed colonel. On receiving notice of
the election, I proceeded to overtake
the regiment, which was already on'
its way to Mexico, and joined it at
•.New Orleans. Reporting to Gen.
Taylor, then .commanding at €a
matgo, my regiment, although the
iiast to arrive—having been detained
for some time at the mouth of the
Rio’Grande—was selected to move
Wrtfi advance upon the city of Mon
tery. The want of transportation
prevented Gen. Taylor from taking
-the—whole body of volun teers
: 'Who had reported there for duty.
The Mississippi regiment' was armed
entirely with percussion rifles. And
■here it may be interesting to state
that Gen. Scott, in Washington,
' endeavored to persuade me not to
take more rifles than enough for
lour companies, and objected partie
■ iilorly to percussion arms, as not
having been sufficiently tested for
the use of troops m the field.
■; Knowing that the Misaipians would
h.ayfl no confidence in the o|d flint
lock muskets, I insisted on thoir be
.ing armed with the kind of rifles
then recently made at New Haven,
Conn.—the Whitney rifle. From
having b?en first used by the Mis
eissippians these reflesnave always
been known as the Misissippi ri
fles. ■
-. Iii an attack on Montery Gon.
.Taylor divided- his force; . sending
one port of it by a circuitioua road
to attack the city from the west,4
while he decided to lead in person
•the attack on the east. The Mis
sissippi regiment Mvaueed the re
lief or a force which’0 hod attacked
•Fort Lenaria but had been repulsed
--before the Mississippians~ arrived;
4 They carried the redoubtj and the
i fort which was in the rear of it sur
rendered. The nest day our force
on the west Hide carried successfully
.the height which stood the Ilishep’s
FeJaee^whieh commanded the city.
:i.. On the third day the Misflissip
tdatis advanced from the fort which
■they held, through lams, and gar
dens, skirmishing and driving the
: .enemy Wore them until they reach
ed the corner; oft " a two-story
house at the corner oft the
Grand Plaza. Here they were join
ed by a regiment of Texans, and
front the windows of this house
they opened fire on the artillery and
such other troops as were in view.
But to gel 0 better position for;fir
ing the principal building of. the
Grand Plaza, it was necessary .• to
cross the street, which, was swept by
canister and grape, rattling on the
pavement like hail; and as the street
was very marrow it was determined
to construct a flying barricade.
Some long timbers were found, and
with pack-saddles and boxes, which
served, the purpose; * barricade was
formed- - * . - ' -
Here occurred an, incident to
which I have since frequently re
ferred with pride, • In breaking open
a quartermaster’s store house to get
supplies for this barricade, the men
found bundles of the" much-prized'
Mexican blankets, and also of very
serviceable shoes and pack-saddles.
The pack-saddles were freely taken;
as good material for the preposed
barricade; and one of my men, as his
shoes were broken and stones had
Hurt his feet, asked my permission
to "take a pair from one of the boxes.'
This, of course, was freely accorded;;
but not one of the very valuable and
much-prized Mexican blankets was
taken. -■■■■■-■ ■
About the time that the flying
harricade> was completed, arrange
ments were made by, the Texas and
and Mississippiam to occupy houses
on the north side of the streets for
the purpose:of more effective fire
into tho Grand’ Flaza. It hav
ing been deemed necessary to
increase our force, the Mississippi
sergeant-major was sent -back for
some companies of the First Missis
sippi, which had remained behind.
He returned with the statement that
the enemy was behind us, that all
our troops had been withdrawn, and
that orders had been throe times
sent lneito return. Gov. Henderson,
of Texas, had accompanied the Tex
as troops, ana on submitting to him
the question what we should do un
der the massage, he realized—as was
very plain—that it was safer to re
main where -we were thah—our sup
ports having been with lrawii—to
return across streets where we were
liable to be fired oh by artillery,
and Across open grounds, where cav
alry might be expected to attack us.
Butrhe added, he supported the Or
ders came from the general-in-chief,
and we were bound to obey them.
So we mode dispositions to retire
quietly, but, in passing the. first
square ws found that our movement
had been anticipated and that a bat
tery of artillery was posted to cpm
Aland the street. The arrangement
made by me was that I should go
first; if only one gun was fired at
me, then another man should fol
law; and soon, another and another,
until a volley should be fired, and
then all of them should rush rapid
ly across before the guns could be
reloaded. In this manner the men
got across with little loss. We then
made our way to the superb, where
we found that an officer of infantry,
with two campaniee and a section of
artillery, had been posted to wait
for us, and in case of emergency to
aid our retreat. r
Early next morning Gen. Ampu
dia, commanding the Mexican force,
sent in a flog and asked for a con
ference with a view to capitulation,
Gen. Taylor acceded tq, the proposf
tionand appointed Gen, Worth, Gov,.
Henderson and myself commission*
ers to arrange the terms of capitula
tion.. Gen. Taylor received the'city
of Montery, with supplies, much
needed by his army, anil shelter for
the wounded. The enemy gained
only the privilege of retiring peace
fully, a privilege which, if jt had
not l>een accorded, they had tlie'
power to take by any one of the
three roads open to them. The point
beyond which they should with
draw was fixed by the terms of cap
itulation, and the time during which
hostilities, were to be suspended was
determined by the length of -time
necessary to refer to and receive an
swers from the two Governments.
A few days before the expiration of
the time so fixed tho Government
of the United States disapproved of
the capitulation and ordsred the
truce to.be immediately terminated.
By this decision we lost whatever
credit had been _ gained to us for
generous terms in the ’ capitulation,
and hpstilitierwerfr t'O ' w-lrwameo
without auy preparations having
been made to enable, Gen. Taylor,
oven with the small force he had, to
advance further, into the enemy’s
country. Gen. Taylor’s letter to
Mr. Marcy, Secretary of War, Was a
very- good-response, to tin anjust
critieism; and in the' Washington
Union of that tirnej alike publish
,dd a very full explanation of the
acta of ike commissioners undoftne
^ — ': - ", • ' '' <i> ~
military question* involved in the
matter of communication in prefer
ence to continuing the seige and at*'
tack.: .
den. Taylor aasnming that it was
intended for him- to advance into
the interior tit Mexico, then prepar
ed.himself for such a campaign.
To this end he made requisition for
the needful transportation, as well
as munition, including amoilg other
supplies, Iarge-india-rubber bags in
which, to carry provisions for days,
and which, being emptied liefore we
reached the desert of sixty miles,
would, by being filled with water,
enable his troops and horses to cross
those desert plains. These and oth
er details had been entered into un
der the expectation .that the cen
sure of the treaty of Mpntelj meant
a march into the interior of .Mexi
co. Another thing required Was a
new battery of field pieces to 'take
.the place of the old Ringgold bat
tery, which by long service had be
come honey-combed. When all
arrangements were nearly comple
ted, it was decided to send /Sen.
^cott, with discretionary powers,
which enabled him to take nearly
all the tried troops Gen. Taylor had,
including even the engineer then
employed in the construction of a
fort, apd the battery of now guns
to replace the old , ones, which were
deemed no longer safe, but which,
under the intrepid.Capt. Bragg, .af
terwards did good service in the bat
tle of Buena Vista. .
Wen. laytof, with the mam body
of his army, went to Victoria, and'
there made arrangements to send
them all to report to Gen.
Scott, at Vera Cruz, except the
small force he considered entitled to
as an escort on his route hack to
Montery through an unfriendly
people. That escort consisted, of a
battery of light artillery, a squad
ron of dragoons, and the regiment
of Mississippi riflemen. With these
he proceeded to Montefy and Saltil
lo to AguaKoera, where he was
joined by the division of Gen. Wool,
who had-made the campain of Chi
huahua, ,
Gen. Santa Anna, commanding
the army af Mexico, was informed
of the action which had Seen taken
in stripping Gen. Taylor of his
forces, and was also informed that
he had at Saltillo only a handful of
volunteers, which could be easily
dispersed on the approach of an ar
my. "Thus assured, and with the
prospect of recovering the country
to the Rio Grande, Santa Anna ad
vanced upon Agua Neva.
Gen. Taylor retired to the Angos
tura Pass, in front of the Aeienda
of Buena ViBta, and there made his
dispositions to receive the anticipa
ted attack. As sage' as he was brave,
his dispositions were made as well
as the small forces at his command
made it possible. After two days
of bloody fighting Gen. Santa An
na retired before this little force,
the greater part of which hkd never
before been under fire.
The encounter with the enemy
was very bloOdy. The Mississip
pians lost many pf their best men,
for each of whom, however, they
slew several of the enemy. For
-trained marksmen, they never
touched the trigger without having
an object through both sights, and
they seldom fired without drawing
blood. The infantry against whom
the advance was made was driv
en back, but the cavalry then mov
ed to get in the rear of the Missis
sippians, and this involved the Ne
cessity of falling back to' where the
plain was narrow, so as to have a
ravine on each flank.
In this position the second dem
onstration of the enemy’s cavalry
was received. They were repulsed
and it was quiet in front of the Mis
sippians until an aide came and call
ed from the other side of the ravine,
which he could not pass, that Gen.
Taylor wanted support to come as
soon as possible for the proteption of
the artillery on the right flank. The
order was promptly obeyed at doub
le-quick, although the distance must
have been nearly a mile.'' They
found the enemy moving in three j
lines upon the batteries of ,.Gapt.
Braxton Bragg and the section of
artillery commended by George H.
Thomas. The Mississippians came
up in line, their right flunk opposite
the first line of the advancing ene
my, and at a vasy short range open
ed fire.' All being sharpshooters,
those towards the left of the line
obliqued to the right and . at. close
quarters and against three long lines
very few shots could have pissed.
At the same time the guns of Bragg
and were firing grape. The effect
was decisive; the infantry and artil
lery os the enemy immediately re
tired. A... . "
.At the 01086 of the day Santa An
na bugled the retreat, ns was sup*
posed, to go into quarters, but when
the next sun rose there was no ene
my in our front. "
The new? of this victory was re
ceived m tHe United States with a
degree of emthusiaih proportionate
to the small means with which it
was achieved; and generosity was
eseited by the fedmg that Gen.
Taylor had been treated with in
instice. Thenceforward the march
of “old Rough audjjeady" to the
White House waaa<, foregone cen
clusion.
Inthfs battfet while advancing to
meet the enemy, then pressing some
of our discomfitted volunteers on
the field of battlftj I received a pain
ful wound, which was rendered
mOre severe ih consequence of re
maining in the saddle all day, al
though wounded early in tie morn
ing. A ball had passed ^through
the foot, leaving to the wound bro
ken bones ana foreign ^matter,
which the delay had inado it i mpos
sible then to extract] In' conse
quence 1 bad to return home on
crutches. ■ ' 1
in the? meantime ! a Senator of
Mississippi had died and the Gover
nor had appointed me his snecessor.
Before my return home President
Polk had also appointed me Briga
dier-General of Volunteers, aa ap
pointment vrhieh I declined on the
gfround that volunteers are militia,
and that the Constitution reserved
to the States, the appointment of all
militia officers. Tins was in 1847.
In January, 1848, the Mississippi
Legislature unanimously elected me
United States Senator for the rest of
the unexpired term, and in 1850 I
was re-elected for the full term as
my own successor. In the United
States Senate I was Chairman of the
Military Committee, and 1 also took
an active part in the debates on the
Compromise measures of 1850, fre
quently opposing Senator Douglas,
o£ Illinois, in his theory of squatter
sovereignty, and Advocating, as a
means of pacification, the extension
bf the Missouri Coin promise line to
the Pacific. When the question was
presented to Mississippi aa to wheth
er the State should acquiesce in the
compromise legislation of 1850 or
whether it shquld join - the other
Southern States in a Convention to
decide as to the best eourse bo pursue
in view of the threatened usurpations
of the Federal Government, I advo
cated a convention of the Southern
States, with a view to such co-oper
ation as might effectually check the
exercise of the constructive powers,
the parent of despotism, by the
Federal Government.
The canvass for Governor com
menced that year. The candidate of
the Democratic party was by his op
ponents represented to hold extreme
opinions—in other words, to be a
disnnionist. For, although he was
a man of high character and had
served the country well in peace and
War, this supposition waseo artfully
cultivated that, though the Demo
cratic party was ‘estimated to be
about eight thousand in majority,
when the election occurred in Sep
tember the Democratic candidates
for a convention were defeated by a
maiority of over seven thousand,
ana the Democratic candidate for
Governor withdrew.
The election for Governor was to
occur in November,-and I was called
on tq take the place vacanted by
the candidate who had withdrawn
from the canvass, ■ It was a forlorn
hope, especially as my health had
been impaired by labors in the Sum
mer canvass, and there was not time
before the approaching election to
make such a canvass, as would be
needed to reform the ranks of the
Democracy. However, as a duty to
the party I accepted the position,
and mode as active a campaign as
time permitted* with the result that
the majority against the party was
reduced to less than one hundred.
From this time I remained engaged
in quiet farm labors until the nom
ination of Franklin7 Pierce, when I
went, out to- advocate his election,
having formed a very high opinion
of him as a statesman and a patriot,
from observations of him in 1837
and 1838, when he was in the United
States Senate.
» un His election as President l be
came a member of bis Cabinet-, fill
ing the office of Secretary of War
during his entire term.
; During these four years. I pro
posed the introduction of camels
for service on the Western ‘plains,
a suggestion which was adopted. ' I
also introduced an improved system
‘of infantry tactics; effected the sub
stitution of iron for wood in -gup
carriages; secured rifled muskets and
rifles and the use ..of Minie balls,
and advocated the increase of the de
fenses of the sea coast by heavy
guns and the use of larged grain
powder. Li_
While in the Senate I had advo
cated, as a military necessity arid as
a means of preserving the Pacific
Territory to the Union, the con
struction- of a military ..railway
across tiie-pontinent: ami, as §ecre
tary of War, I was put in. charge of
the surreys of the various routes
proposed. Perhaps for a similar,
reason—my previous action in the
Senate—I was alsopnt in charge of
the extension of the United States
Capitol.
The administration of Mr. Pierce
presents the single instance of an ex
ecutive whose Cabinet witnessed no
change of person during the whole
term. At its close, having been re
elected to the United States Senate,
I re-entered that body.
During the discussion of the Com
promise measures of 1850 the re
cusal to extend the Missouri Com
promise line to the Pacific was early
put on the gronnd that there was no
constitutional authority to legislate
slavery into or out of any teiritory,
which was in. fact and seeming in
tent a repudiation of the Miesouri
Compromise; and it was so treated
in the Kansas-Nebraska bill.
Subsequently, Mr. Douglas, the
advocate of what was called sqnat
ter-sovereignty, insisted upon the
rights of the first immigrants into
the territory to deeide upon the
question whether migrating citizens
might take their slaves with them;
which meant;if it meant anything,
that Cougress could authorize a few
settlers jbo do what it was admitted
Congress itseif could not do. But
ant of this bill' arose a discussion
which finally divided the Democratic
party, and caused its defeat in the
Presidential election of I860. •
And from this empty,- baseless
theory grew the Iliad of our direst
wpes. ... - ■
When Congress met, in the fall
of 1860,1 was appointed one of a
Senate Committee of Thirteen toex
amine and report on some' practical
adjustment of. the controversies
which then threatened the dissolu
tion of the Union, I at first asked
to be excused from the Committee,
but at the solicitation of friends
agreed to.serve, avowing my will
ingness to make any sacrifice to
avert the
Committee consists*_
fag to the three political divisions of
the Senate: the States-rights men of
_e. The
of men belong
the South, the Radicals,of the North,
and the Northern- Democrats, with
one member who did not acknowl
edge himself as belonging to any
one of the three divisions—Mr. Crit
tenden, an old-time Whig, and the
original mover of the Compromise
Resolutions. When the Committee
met it was agreed that, unless some
measure which would receive the
support of the majority of each of
the three divisions could be devised,
it was useless to make any report;
and, after many day* of anxious dis
cussion and a multiplicity of propo
sitions, thrugh the Southern States
rights men and the Northern Demo
crats and the Whig, Mr. Crittenden,
could.frequently agree, they conld
never get a majority of the North
ern Radicals to unite with them in
any substantive proposition. Finally,
the Committee reported their failure
to find anything on which the divi
sions could unite. Mr. Douglas, who
was a member of the Committee,
defiantly challenged the Northern
Radicals to tell what they wanted.
As they had refused everything, he
claimed that they onght to be will*
ingto tell what they proposed to do.
When officially informed that
Mississippi had passed the ordinance
of secession, I took formal leave of
the Senate, announcing for the last
time the opinions I had so often ex
pressed as to the State sovereignty,
and, as a.consequence of it, the right*
of a State to withdraw its delegated
powers. Before I reached liome I
had been appointed by the Conven
tion of Mississippi commander-in
chief of its army, with the raru of
Major-General, and I at once pro
ceeded with the task of organisation.
I went to my home in Warren
county in order to prepare for what
I believed was to be a long and Se
vern struggle. Soon a mossenger
came from the Provisional Confed
erate Congress at Montgomery,
bringing the unwelcome notice that
I had been elected Provisional Pres
ident of the Confederate States. But,
reluctant as I was to accept the
honor, and carefully as I had tried
to prevent the probability of - it, in
the circumstances of the country 1
could not refuse it; and I was inau
gurated at Montgomery, Feb. 18,
1801, with Alexander H. Stephens,
of Georgia, as Vice-President.
. Froui this time to the. fall of the
Confederate Government my life
was part of the history of tho Con
federacy and of the war between the
States, jit is impossible,, therefore,
to follow it in detail.
In the selection of a Cabinet I
was relieved from a difficult; which
'surrounds that duty by the Presi
dent of the'Uuited States; |ot there
were no “sections” and no “party”
distinctions. All - aapiratiohs, am
bitions and interests had been merg
f-d in a great desire for Confederate
•independence. ‘ |
In my inaugural address I assert
ed that necesity, not choice, had led
to the secesssion of the Southern
States? that, as an agricnltnral peO
pie, their policy was peace and free
commerce with all the world; that the
constituent parts, not the system
of govmmenl, had been changed.
The remoral of troops from For
tress Moultrie to Fort Sumter, the
guns of which threatened' the-har
bor of Charleston, and the attempt
to throw reinforcements into that
fort—thus doubly breaking a pledge
that matters should be kept in statu.
quo-—constituted the occasion as
well as the justification of the open
ing pf fire upon Fort Sumter. Speed
ily following this event came the
call for a large army by Mr. Lincoln
and the secession of other Southern
States as the consequence of this un
mistakable purpose of coercion. -
Virginia, which had led in the
effort, by a Peace Conference, to av
ert National ruinin, when she saw
the Constitution disregarded and the
purpose to compel free States by
military force .to submit to arbi
trary-power, passed an-Ordinanceof
Secession, and joined the Confeder
ate States. '.
Shortly after this as authorized hy
the Provisional Congress, I removed
the Confederate capital from Mont
gomery to Richmond.
Among the many indications of
goodwill show when on my way to
and after my arrival at Richmond
was the purchase of a very fine resi
dence in Richmond, hy leading citi
zens. Ft was .offered as a present;
but, following a rule that had gov
erned my action in all such cases, I
declined to accept it. I continued
to live in Richmond until the Con
federate forces were compelled to
withdraw from the defences of the
capital. u.
Aflat event was not quite unexpec
ted, bflt it occurred before the con
ditions- were fulfilled under which
Gen. Lee contemplated retreat. Af
ter Gen. Lee was forced to surrender
and Gen. Johnson consented to do
so, I started, with a very few of the
men who volunteered to accompany
me, for the trans-Mississippi; but
hearing on the road th at marauders
were pursuing my family, whom -1
had not seen since they left Rich
mond, but knew to be en route to
the Florida costal changed my direc
tion, and, after a long and hard ride
found them encamped and threaten
ed by a robbing party. To give them
the needed protection I travelled
with them for several days, until in
the neighborhood of Irvinville, Ga.,
when I supposed I could safely
leave them. But, hearing, about
nightfall, that a party of marauders
were to attack the camp that night
and' supposing them to be pillaging
deserters from both armies and that
the Confederates would listen to me
I awaited their coming, lay down in
my travelling clothes and fell asleep.
Late in the night my colored coach
man aroused me with the intelli
gence that the camp was attacked,
and I stepped out of the tent where
my wife and children were sleeping,
and saw at once that the asssailants
were troops deploying around the
encampment, I so informed my
wife, who uvged me to escape. Af
ter some hesitation I consented, and
a servant woman started with me
carrying a bucket as if going to the
spring for water. One of the sur
rounding troops ordered me to halt
and demanded my surrender. I ad
vanced towards the trooper, throw
ing oft a shawl which my wife
| had put over my shoulders. The
tooper aimed his carbine, when my
wife, who witnessed the act, rushed
forward and threw her arms around
me, thus - defeating my intention,
which was, if the trooper missed his'
aim, to try to unhorse him and es
cape with his horse. Then, with
every species of petty pillage mid
offensive exhibition, 1 was taken
from point to point until incarcer
ated in Fortress Monroe. There I
was iuiprisoned for two years before
being allowed the privilege of the
writ of habeas corpus.*
•For a fuller account of my arrest
see statements of United States Sen
ator Reagan; W. R. Johnston, Pres
ident Tulane University; F. R. Lub
ock, Treasurer of Texas; B. N. Har
rison, Esq., of New York City, all
eye witnesses. ^ —
At length, when the writ was to
lie issued, the condition was imposed
by the Federal Executive that there
should be bondsmen influential in
the “Republican" .party of the
North, Mr. Greeley being specially
named. Entirely as a matter of
justice and legal right, not from
motives of personal regard, Mr.
Greeley, Mr. Geyrit Smith and other
eminent Northern citizens went on.
my bond.
Iu May, 1867, after being released
from Fortress Monroe, I went to
Canada, where my older! chil dren
wore, with their grandmother; my
wife, as soon as permitted, having
shared my imprisonment, and
brought onr infant daughter with
'her. From time to time I o&eysA
summonses to go before the Federal
Court at Richmond, until, finally,
[the case was beard by Chief-Justice
Chase and District Jhadge Uunder-...
wood, who were divided in opinion,
which sent the case to the*Supreme '
Court of the United States, and the
proceedings were quashed, leaving
me without the opportunity ' to vin
dicate myself before the highest
Federal Court. >' - ,
After about a year’s residence in
Canada. I went to England with
my family under an arrangement
that I was to have sixty days’ notice
whenever the United States Court
required my' presence. After being .
abroad in England and on the Con
tinent pbout a year I received an i
offer of an appointment as President^
of u life insurance company.
Thereupon I returned to this couB- V
try and went to Memphis and, took '
charge of , the Company. Subse
quently I came to the Gulf Coast of
Mississippi, as a quiet place where! -
could prepare my work on "The
Rise and Fall of the Confederate
Government,”* A friend from her
infancy, _ Mrs. Dorsey shared her
home with me, and subsequently
sold to nie her property of Reanvoir,
an estate of five or six hundred acres ■
about midway between Mobile amd
New Orleans. Before I had fully /
paid fOr this estate Mrs. Dorsey died
leaving me her sole legatee. From
the Spring of 1876 to the Autumn
of 1879 I devoted myself to the pro
duction of the historical work just
mentioned. It is an octavo book in
twovolumesof about seven hundred
pages each. I have also from time
to time contributed essays Is the
AfartA American Review and Bel
fora's Magazine, and have just com
pleted the manuscript of “A Short
History of the Confederate States of
America,” which is expected to ap
pear early in 1890. .
Since settling at Beanroir I have per
sistcntly refused to take any active*
part in politics, no merely beeause
of my disfranchisement, but from
a belief that snch labors could not
be made to conduce to the public
good, owing to the sectional hostil
ities manifested against me since the
war. For the same reason I have
also refused ■ to be a candidate for
public office, although it is well
known that I could at any time have
been re-elected a Senator of the
United States. *"\ -
1. have been twice married, the
second time being in 1844, to n
daughter of Wm. B. Howell,
Natchez a son of Got. Howell, of
New Jersey. She has borne me six .
children—four sous and two daugh
ters. My sons are all dead; my
daughters survive. The elder is Mrs
Hayes, of Colorado Springs, Col.
and the mother of four chrildren.
My youngest duughter lives with us
at Beauvoir, Miss. Born in the last
year of the war, she became famil
iarly known as “the daughter of the
Confederacy.” Jefvkbson Davtb.
Beauvoir, Miss. November, 1889.
♦“The Bise and Fall of;the Cofederate
Government,” page 700, vol, li,; and for
my life at Fortress Monroe. - “The
Prison Life of Jefferson Davis,” by Dr.'
L. J, J. Graven. New York: CarJetonJ
"" __.:.n
1888.
GENERAL NEWS.
It is estimated that there have
been 800,000 divorces In the United
States in twenty years. 7
At a meeting of the German rail
road society at Berlin, Prof. Geor. .
ing said that Germany ought to*
adopt the American system of rail
way cars, wliioh makes reading and *
writing possible. He denounced
the present German style of travel
ing as torture.
Postmaster Van Cott is endeavor
ing to establish the system of Col
lecting the mails in New York Cite.
by carts., ..i. :■ , g
In the Virginia House of Dele
gates a bill has been introduced pro
viding for the punishment of petit
larceny by the infliction of stnpes.
The bill proposes that the stripes
shall not exceed tweenty in any one
day, and not over twentynine, the
limit under the old ante-belum
regime. The whipping post existed
in Virginia as far back as about
1870, and flogging was restored ta
as a punishment for petty thefts.
The criminal records show that the
great majority of these offenders
are negroes. The commitment to
jail and other ppnal institutions of
this class of offenders is not regar
ded hy them as any great punish,
ment. When Mahone came into
power one of the first measurers he
advocated was the repeal of the law
authorizing corporal punishment,
It is this law that Mr, Downing pro—