Jefferson Davis Biography

Today, I will continue the writing about the Civil war. I will giving my opinion and facts from a book call The Everything Civil War Book. You might have heard this book since there is many of them about varying topics. Here is a biography from one of the sites on the side bar. I would encourage you to read it because it will inform you about him and also when you read my opinion you will know what the heck I am talking about.
Everyone should know who Jefferson Davis is, but surprising some people don't. Davis was born in June 3rd of 1808. He was a second generation southern who led a very interesting life. His grandfather was originally from Pennsylvania moved to George. Jefferson was born in Kentucky. He went to west point in the same class with Confederate general Robert E Lee. He was not a good student. He graduated in the lower third of his class. Davis saw action in the Black hawk Indian war out in Illinois along with Lincoln. He also saw action in the Mexican War. Since he saw so much action he consider him self a great military man but in actuality he was not that great according my book. It also says that he thought was better in leadership and military skills then actually was and this was key to the North's win.
After Davis military stint, he married to Sarah Taylor. Sarah caught malaria and died so did Jefferson but he lived with it for the rest of his life. Davis ended up working on his plantation for many years before he got involved with politics and the military again. I would assume that Davis became very strongly confederate working on a plantation with slaves and surrounded by other white plantation owners who believe the same. Before 1853 Davis got into politics again as senator from Mississippi. He was later appointed by President Franklin as the secretary of war. He supported the spread of slavery to the territories. After Davis' term he went back to senate to voice his strong support of slavery.
Davis was the kind of guy who boasts about good they are but can never quite live up to it. I mean he supported slavery just like everyone else in south. His status on political issues in the south is no different then any other rich plantation owner. By the way all of this from this book. Its a great book, I will be using it a lot. Anyway you can probably guess what I am going to tell next. Your probably saying oh, its 1853 and he was senator then he was secretary of war for another 4 years, then he was senator again that puts us at about the 1860 mark.
Davis participated in the Democratic Conventions in 1860. He tried to help make plan to keep the Union intact. But since he was a white plantation owner, owned slaves and had been living in the south for many years. The result was him deciding to stick with the south and that meant succeeding from the union. His home state Mississippi succeeded unfortunately and so Jefferson had only two choices. 1. To go with them. 2. Go to the North. He chose to stick with them. Now you may wonder... how the heck he got to be the president of the confederacy. Here you are:
Davis had hopes of the commanding the Confederate army but the temporary congress had other plans. Since they could not decide on someone to run the government. They had thought all along that Davis was the best choice so they went with him. Davis had a tough time in office, with practically no central government and arguing states for power. This had a effect on war effort, the south was so unorganized that it made it difficult to prepare of war. The North already had a government and army, the south was just getting started. Though the south was losing in 1865, Jefferson was still confident that the south was come through victoriously.
In 1865 in March, the Federals had the southern capital of Richmond, Virginia. Davis heard this and decide to run. He ran to first to Danville, Va and then boarded a train and went to southern Georgia. Eventually, he was capture near irwinville, Georgia and put on trial. He was then shipped to fort Monroe where he was imprisoned for many years. He had already had poor heath and if it was for Doc John Craven, he would have died. When he got out he wrote his memoir, The rise and fall of the Confederate Government. Davis died in December on the 9th in 1889.
Obviously Jefferson Davis was man of great ambitions and dreams but thanks to a arguing government with power hungry states, he couldn't possibly control what happen. He separated from the Union because of his southern plantation and his strong belief. Davis could have been a President some day, but this horrible conflict showed that he wouldn't have made a very good one. If you want more information Jefferson Davis, just type in on Google and see what you can find or go to a library.


Next: Winfield Scott Union Officer

Abraham Lincoln Biography

This is the first of many post in of the Civil War on my blog. I will be providing a biography of this great man Abraham Lincoln. Then I will give my opinion and also use quotations from the biography to express how he exactly affected the Civil War. Here is a biography on Abraham Lincoln.
As most people know Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin in Kentucky and his famous nickname Great Abe. Lincoln got his start in politics by first studying law. After self educating himself, he became a Whig. A Whig is part of the Whig Party, was political party back in the early to mid 1800s. It was a mostly made up of republicans. Which eventually became the Republican Party today. Lincoln was inexperienced and as a result lost to Stephen Davis of the Democrats. But is his high position in the party in Illinois result in a election to the house of representatives. From there Lincoln started to build his political prowess and gain supporters. He switched to the Republican Party only a few years before the Civil war. He got nominated for President and won. Lincoln is one of the most interesting Presidents, he had one of the hardest situations in arguably the worst war in American history. To most Americans surprise the Civil war was actually brewing for many years before any thing actually happened. So the war wasn't totally Lincolns fault. Here is another way of putting it. In Baseball, the first pitcher in a game leaves two runners on base then another pitcher comes in the 7th inning. If the two runners score on the second pitcher it counts against the first pitcher. It's not the second pitchers fault that those runners got on base even though they score on him. So this Lincoln's situation. As result of passed presidents and there conservative actions and not involved actions it left the US in a state of Civil unrest. Lincoln had a strong believe that slavery was wrong. As he did write the Emancipation Proclamation (Sep 1862) which pretty much said:
"I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be "the Union as it was." ... My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views. I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free." (Encyclopedia)
He wanted to free slaves, but Lincoln want to do in a way that would preserve the union. Lincoln emphases "Preserve the Union" through out his Presidency. That must have been his slogan. Obviously the Union did brake but fortunately he manage to force it back together. Lincoln is the most famous President to date. Another famous thing called the "Gettysburg Address" This is landmark in American History, it marked the moving forward of the Nation after 600,000 men died in 4 years from Fort Sumter to Appomattox. Lincoln was a great speaker and said many quotes.
As for the Civil war aspect he didn't plan any of the battles, it was left up the top Generals. Lincoln however, did provide troops as needed with help Congress of course. Lincoln was a great politic and leader. In 1865 on April 14 Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Before he was assassinated, Lincoln had plans for a slow reconstruction which was eventually took over by radical republicans.
If you want more information on Abraham Lincoln, just type it on Google and there is tons of info or you buy tons of books on him.


My next post will be Confederate President Jefferson Davis....