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