Jefferson Davis was a Mexican War hero, U.S. senator from Mississippi, U.S. Secretary of War and President of the Confederate States of America for the duration of the American Civil War from 1861-1865. Davis faced many difficulties throughout the war as he struggled to manage the Southern war effort, maintain control of the Confederate economy and keep a new nation united.
As a military cadet, Davis’ did not apply himself. When he graduated in 1828, he placed twenty-third in a class of thirty-four. In 1832, Davis served in the Black Hawk War. After the death of his first wife, Sarah, Davis led a secluded life for eight years on his cotton plantation at Davis Bend, Mississippi. As a slaveholder, he believed in the importance of the institution of slavery for the South. “The slaves were numerous in the Southern, and very few in the Northern, States. This diversity was occasioned by differences of climate, soil, and industrial not in any degree by moral considerations, which at that period were not recognized, as an element in the question.” (Davis, p.6)
In 1845, Mississippi sent Davis to the House of Representatives. However, his Congressional term was short. He resigned in June of 1846 to fight in the Mexican War, where he led his troops valiantly at the Battles of Monterrey and Buena Vista. A year later, he was offered a promotion to Brigadier General but refused it when he was elected to the U.S. Senate. “This was followed by an invitation to attend the ceremony of his inauguration, which took place on the 4th of March 1853. While in Washington, on this visit, I was induced by public considerations to reconsider my determination and accept the office of Secretary of War. The public records of that period will best show how the duties of that office were performed.” (Davis, p. 23) President Franklin Pierce appointed Davis U.S. Secretary of War where he served with distinction and was recognized as one of the most capable administrators to hold the office.
Davis returned to the Senate as a vocal proponent of States of Rights. “I returned from my tour among the people at the time appointed for the meeting of the nominating convention of the Democratic or State-Rights party. While in the Senate, I had advocated the construction of a railway to connect the valley of the Mississippi with the Pacific coast; and, when an appropriation was made to determine the most eligible route for that purpose, the Secretary of War was charged with its application.” (Davis, p.20-23) Davis withdrew from the U.S. Senate on January 21, 1861. The Confederate Congress chose Davis to become the provisional president of the Confederacy. “As president of the Confederacy, Davis devoted most of his waking hours to military strategy and operations, along with Commander Robert E. Lee, and delegated the economic and diplomatic functions of strategy to his subordinates.” (Embattled Rebel) On February 22 the following year, he was inaugurated for a six-year term as president. ‘He held less power in the South than Lincoln did in the North, and the power he did have rapidly decreased as the Union Army captured large parts of the Confederacy. He was a compromise candidate chosen to appease both the moderate and radical factions in the Congress.” (Embattled Rebel) Davis did not want the job. He had hoped for a military command. He had a distinguished military record, extensive experience in political affairs and a dedication to the Confederate cause. Unfortunately, these attributes were not enough to triumph over the harsh challenges posed by his new position. His early popularity was a result of war fervor and he did not have the personality necessary to sustain it. Davis was impatient with people who disagreed with him, and he had the unfortunate habit of awarding prominent posts to leaders who appeared unsuccessful.
“‘On April 1, 1865, the Union army finally broke the Confederate army's siege lines around Petersburg at the Battle of Five Forks. When fighting across the siege lines erupted the next day, it forced General Lee to make a disorderly retreat of both Petersburg and nearby Richmond. Left no choice with Lee's retreat, the Confederate government hurriedly evacuated Richmond, taking as many papers as they could, and Confederate president Jefferson Davis moved his headquarters to Danville, Virginia on April 3. On April 4, President Lincoln entered Richmond and famously toured the White House of the Confederacy, sitting at Davis's desk.’” Davis did not want to end the war. He tried to have Confederate generals in the field to keep fighting. “He exercised a tenacious hands-on influence in the shaping of military strategy, and his close relationship with Robert E. Lee was one of the most effective military-civilian partnerships in history.” (McPherson) Davis was devastated by the fall of the Confederacy. Refusing to admit defeat, he hoped to flee to a sympathetic foreign nation such as Britain or France and was weighing the merits of forming a government in exile when he was arrested by a detachment of the 4th Michigan Cavalry. “Davis proceeded south to Sandersville, where on May 6 he entrusted the remaining Confederate treasury to Captain Micajah Clark, the acting treasurer of the Confederacy, and on May 7 he was reunited with his wife, Varina, and their children. Together they moved on through Abbeville, in Wilcox County, on May 8, keenly aware that Union forces were close behind. The pursuit of Davis resulted from the U.S. War Department's false assumption that he was complicit in the assassination of Lincoln. A $100,000 reward was promised for anyone who could bring in the president and his aides.” (Rivers) On May 10, 1865, Davis was captured by Northern soldiers in Georgia and put in a small basement cell with a barred window that was facing the moat. The Civil War ended two days after Davis’ capturing. “‘Though some confusion, Davis made a quick dash toward the creek. He had thrown his wife’s raglan, or overcoat, on his shoulders. A zealous member of the Michigan detail quickly apprehended Davis, and he was transported the Fortress Monroe, Virginia. His poor treatment and its subsequent exposure in the press helped strengthen the cause of Southern nationalism.” (Rivers) Controversy surrounds his capture because Davis was wearing his wife’s black shawl when the Union troops caught him. “The Northern press ridiculed him as a coward, alleging that he had disguised himself as a woman in an ill-fated attempt to escape. However, Davis, and especially his wife, Varina, maintained that he was ill and that Varina had lent him her shawl to keep his health up during their difficult journey.” (McPherson)
For two years, Jefferson Davis was imprisoned at Fort Monroe, Virginia. In May of 1867, he was released on bond even though he was never tried for treason. After being released, Davis and his family traveled in Europe before returning to the American South. “While he was imprisoned for two years after the Confederacy’s surrender awaiting a trial for treason that never came, and lived for another twenty-four years, he never once recanted the cause for which he had fought and lost.” (McPherson) “‘On December 25, 1868, treason charges were officially dropped against him, much to Davis' chagrin. Davis actually relished the possibility of challenging the charges in court and was dismayed that he wasn't given a soapbox to make his arguments.’” (Rivers) They first took up residence in Tennessee then relocated to the Mississippi gulf coast where Davis lived out his retirement years at an estate called Beauvoir near Biloxi. Mississippi tried to return him to the U.S. Senate, but he was not legally qualified to serve since he refused to request an official pardon from the United States for his role in the Civil War. Jefferson Davis died in New Orleans, Louisiana on December 6, 1889. The year before his death the former President of the Confederate States of America beseeched the young men of Mississippi to “lay aside all rancor, all bitter sectional feeling, and to make your places in the ranks of those who will bring about a consummation devoutly to be wished—a reunited country.” Davis’ body was moved to its permanent resting spot in Richmond, Virginia.