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Sarah Jun

Mr. Coop

IB US History

November 7, 2021

Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis was a man with many different titles. Colonel, Congressman, Senator,

and Secretary to name a few. However, his most important and infamous title was one not related

to the United States, but one that fought against it: President of the Confederate States of

America. Davis would be both an American wartime hero and a Confederate traitor, and his life

would begin and end in the South.

In 1808, Jefferson Davis was born the tenth and final child of Samuel and Jane Davis. His

birth state was Kentucky, but he was raised in Mississippi. Davis went to school at Transylvania

University. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, and graduated in

1828. He married Sarah Taylor, who happened to be the daughter of future US president Zachary

Taylor in 1835. Unfortunately, she died some months later. Sarah’s death devastated Davis, who

resigned from his military post and returned to his plantation in Mississippi to live in solitude for

the next eight years.

In 1845, Davis won a seat in the US House of Representatives for Mississippi. The same

year, he married Varina Howell. The following year, the Mexican-American war commenced.

Davis resigned his seat in Congress to serve in the First Mississippi Rifle Regiment. He became

a national hero for his troop’s victory in the Battle of Buena Vista.

Davis‌‌served‌‌in‌‌the‌‌Senate‌‌for‌‌Mississippi‌‌in‌‌1847‌‌to‌‌1851.‌‌An ardent‌‌believer‌‌of‌‌the‌

‌Manifest‌‌Destiny,‌‌he‌‌defended‌‌the‌‌expansion‌‌of‌‌slavery‌‌into‌‌new‌‌territory‌‌in‌‌the‌‌West.‌‌In 1857,

‌he‌‌served‌‌as‌‌the‌‌Secretary o‌ f‌‌War‌‌for‌‌four‌‌years under President Franklin Pierce.‌Some of his

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accomplishments were increasing the size of the army and fortifying the defense of the coasts.

He returned‌‌as‌‌a‌US Senator for Mississippi. Lincoln’s election led to Mississippi's secession

from the Union o‌n January 9, 1861. Following Mississippi, Davis resigned‌‌from the Senate.

Davis was elected unanimously by the Confederate Congress as provisional president. He

was disappointed, as he had hoped to be a for a senior military command. Nevertheless, for the

next six years, he would have to serve as President of the newly-formed Confederacy. He had

fairly gained the reputation of a respectable military leader, which the nation would require as

they prepared for the looming civil war.

Davis faced numerous complex challenges as the President of the Confederacy. His

situation was similar to Lincoln’s in that both men had to learn to be the President and

Commander in Chief of their respective nations. However, Davis had the additional burden of

building a nation out of the eleven seceded states. The South was an agrarian society and had yet

to industrialize. Davis was successful in industrializing some of the South despite the opposition

he faced from the people and the politicians. He also implemented a more centralized

government, which drew criticism from leaders who wanted state sovereignty.

Davis was often embroiled in struggles with his own Cabinet and Congress members. He

often refused the advice from those he disliked, and was stubbornly loyal to those he favored.

Alexander H. Stephens, his Vice President described Davis as “weak and vacillating, timid,

petulant, peevish, obstinate, but not firm.”

Davis’ first military command would mark the start of the Civil War. When Commander

Robert Anderson asked for supplies to be sent to Fort Sumter, Lincoln complied. He informed

the South of his intentions. Davis gave the order to have the fort bombed on April 12, 1861.

Thus, America’s bloodiest conflict began.

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The South’s main advantage, its sheer size, was the point of Davis’ strategy. To defend

the land was easier than to attack. However, Davis was unable to prioritize key points in the

territory, and often sacrificed men and resources in order to protect less important locations. For

some cities, he assigned too much importance, such as Richmond, Virgina, the chosen capital of

the Confederacy.

Davis had made serious mistakes, but he also made some smart decisions as Commander

in Chief. He had appointed Robert E. Lee as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. Lee

was a highly respected general and significant figure in the Civil War. Davis sent men to Europe

to purchase guns and supplies. He ordered the building of factories to produce powder, cannon,

and sidearms. Over the years, the number of volunteers decreased, forcing Davis to conscript

soldiers into the Confederate Army.

General Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865, marking the end of the Civil War and the

Confederacy’s defeat. The Union troops advanced on Richmond, Virginia. Davis attempted to

escape Richmond in April of 1865. He was imprisoned for two years, but never brought to trial

for treason. In 1867, he was released on bond. During those years, his physical and emotional

connections declined considerably.

He and his family traveled Europe before they returned to Memphis, Tennessee. He

worked as president of a life insurance company. In 1876, Davises lived in a cottage on a seaside

plantation in Mississippi, courtesy of Sarah Dorsey, an admirer of Daivs. That would become his

home for the remainder of his life. He also published a personal account of the war in a memoir

called The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government in 1881. Mississippi had attempted to

reelect Davis as its senator, but Davis refused to accept the official pardon. Therefore, he was
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unable to return as a Senator for Mississippi. Davis died at the age of 73 of acute bronchitis in

New Orleans, Louisiana.

Until the end, Davis remained an unwavering believer in the Confederacy and its cause.

He had fatal flaws and committed serious mistakes during his singular term, but had only ever

acted with one intention: to win independence for the South. Ultimately, the challenge proved too

difficult to overcome, and resulted in not only failure, but in Davis losing everything.
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Bibliography

Biography.com Editors. “Jefferson Davis Biography.” Biography.com, A&E Networks

Television, 12 May 2021, https://www.biography.com/political-figure/jefferson-davis.

“Confederate President.” America's Library,

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/civil/jb_civil_davis_2.html.

Dirck, Bryan R. “Lincoln and Davis as Commanders in Chief.” Essential Civil War

Curriculum ,

https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/lincoln-and-davis-as-commanders-in-chief.html.

Farmer, Alan. “The Confederate War Effort.” United States Civil War: Causes, Course

and Effects 1840–77, Hodder Education, 2012, pp. 126–143, Accessed 6 Nov. 2021.

“Fort Sumter.” American Battlefield Trust,

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/fort-sumter.

History.com Editors. “Jefferson Davis.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov.

2009, https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/jefferson-davis.

“Jefferson Davis.” American Battlefield Trust,

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/jefferson-davis.

“Jefferson Davis: A Featured Biography.” U.S. Senate: Jefferson Davis: A Featured

Biography, 15 Apr. 2020,

https://www.senate.gov/senators/FeaturedBios/Featured_Bio_DavisJefferson.htm.
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Strode, Hudson. "Jefferson Davis". Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 May. 2021,

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jefferson-Davis. Accessed 5 November 2021.