The Papers of Jefferson Davis

by Davis, Jefferson; Rozek, Barbara J.; Williams, Kenneth H.; Crist, Lynda Lasswell; Monroe, Haskell M.

• ISBN13: 9780807129098
• ISBN10: 0807129097
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-11-01
• Publisher: Louisiana State Univ Pr

Summary

During the last nine months of the Civil War, virtually all of the news reports and President Jefferson Davis's correspondence confirmed the imminent demise of the Confederate States, the nation Davis had striven to uphold since 1861. But despite defeat after defeat on the battlefield, a recalcitrant Congress, naysayers in the press, disastrous financial conditions, failures in foreign policy and peace efforts, and plummeting national morale, Davis remained in office and tried to maintain the government until his capture by Union forces on May 10, 1865. The eleventh volume of The Papers of Jefferson Davis follows the last tumultuous months of the Confederacy and illuminates Davis's policies, feelings, ideas, and relationships, as well as the viewpoints of hundreds of southerners. Printed here for the first time are many speeches and a number of new letters and telegrams. In the course of the volume, Robert E. Lee officially becomes general in chief, Joseph E. Johnston is given a final command, legislation is enacted to place slaves in the army as soldiers, and

Table of Contents

Introduction by Richard J. Sommers	v
Acknowledgments	xiii
Editorial Staff	xix
Editorial Method	xxiii
Symbols and Abbreviations	xxix
Repository Symbols	xxxiii
Chronology, September 1864-May 1865	xli
The Papers of Jefferson Davis
Annotated Documents
1864
From James A. Seddon ... September 3	6	(5)
From James Chesnut ... September 6	11	(3)
From John Bell Hood ... September 6	14	(7)
From Joseph R. Davis ... September 10	21	(3)
From Jacob Thompson ... September 12	24	(13)
From John S. Preston ... September 14	37	(6)
From Nathan Bedford Forrest ... September 16	43	(4)
From J. G. M. Ramsey ... September 17	47	(3)
To Herschel V Johnson ... September 18	50	(10)
Speech at Macon ... September 23	60	(7)
Conversation with William J. Hardee ... September 26	67	(14)
Speech at Columbia ... October 4	81	(14)
From William Preston Johnston ... October 8	95	(6)
To Virginia Tunstall Clay ... October 12	101	(5)
From Robert W. Johnson ... October 15	106	(12)
From Robert E. Lee ... October 25	118	(6)
From David L. Yulee ...October 27	124	(8)
From Robert E. Lee ... November 2	132	(6)
From John Bankhead Magruder ... November 5	138	(7)
To John Bell Hood ... November 7	145	(8)
From Braxton Bragg ... November [12]	153	(8)
To Georgia Senators ... November 17	161	(12)
To Alexander H. Stephens ... November 21	173	(2)
From E. Kirby Smith ... November 21	175	(10)
From William J. Hardee ... November 24	185	(14)
From Christopher G. Memminger ... December 4	199	(4)
From Robert E. Lee ... December 5	203	(3)
From P.G.T. Beauregard ... December 6	206	(12)
From P.G.T. Beauregard ... December 13	218	(7)
To Robert E. Lee ... December 14	225	(1)
To Samuel J. Person ... December 15	226	(14)
To P.G.T. Beauregard ... December 20	240	(8)
From Isham G. Harris ... December 25	248	(14)
From David W. Lewis ... December 30	262	(7)
1865
From George A. Trenholm ... January 3	269	(9)
From Judah P Benjamin ... January 5	278	(8)
To Hugh R. Davis ... January 8	286	(5)
To Lucinda Davis Stamps ... January 8	291	(2)
From Birkett D. Fry ... January 8	293	(5)
Conversation with South Carolina Delegation ... January 9	298	(4)
From Robert E. Lee ... January 10	302	(3)
From Richard Hawes ... January 11	305	(10)
Conversation with Francis Preston Blair ... January 12	315	(20)
To James F Johnson and Hugh W. Sheffey ... January 18	335	(24)
From William J. Hardee ... January 29	359	(6)
To Robert E. Lee ... January 31	365	(7)
To P.G.T. Beauregard ... February 4	372	(5)
Message to Congress ... February 6	377	(5)
African Church Speech ... February 6	382	(11)
To John C. Breckinridge ... February 8	393	(7)
To William J. Hardee ... February 14	400	(8)
From John C. Breckinridge ... February 18	408	(4)
To John Forsyth ... February 21	412	(5)
From C. C. Clay ... February 22	417	(4)
From Robert E. Lee ... February 23	421	(6)
To Robert E. Lee ... February 28	427	(12)
From Robert E. Lee ... March 14	439	(3)
To Jefferson Davis, Jr.... March 16	442	(2)
From Joseph E. Davis ... March 19	444	(6)
From Robert E. Lee ... March 21	450	(3)
To Robert E. Lee ... March 22	453	(7)
To William Smith ... March 25	460	(2)
From Benjamin H. Hill ... March 25	462	(7)
From Braxton Bragg ... March 26	469	(4)
From Robert E. Lee ... March 26	473	(4)
From George A. Trenholm ... March 28	477	(5)
From Robert E. Lee ... March 29	482	(1)
To Mary Ann Lamar Cobb ... March 30	483	(4)
To Williamson S. Oldham ... March 31	487	(2)
To Braxton Bragg ... April 1	489	(3)
To Robert E. Lee ... April 1	492	(4)
From Robert E. Lee ... April 2	496	(7)
To Varna Howell Davis ... April 5	503	(10)
From Varna Howell Davis ... April 7	513	(7)
From John C. Breckinridge ... April 8	520	(6)
To Robert E. Lee ... April 9	526	(7)
From Robert E. Lee ... April 12	533	(8)
To Varna Howell Davis ... April 14	541	(3)
From Varna Howell Davis ... April 19	544	(5)
Speech at Charlotte ... April 19	549	(2)
To Braxton Bragg ... April 20	551	(6)
To Varna Howell Davis ... April 23	557	(9)
To Varna Howell Davis ... April 26	566	(3)
From Varna Howell Davis ... April 28	569	(4)
From Varna Howell Davis ... [May 1]	573	(3)
From Varna Howell Davis ... [May 2]	576	(4)
To Burton N. Harrison ... May [2]	580	(7)
Addenda, 1838-64	587	(18)
Sources	605	(46)
Index	651