First Confederate White House Report

Out -Of-State Visitors Outnumber Alabamians In Visits To First White House

2012-02-07T13:48:00.000-08:00

January 2012 saw 1038 visitors to the First White House, almost double January of 2011. Why the difference? Several reasons perhaps:

1. Weather this year very nice - last year weather so bad the House even closed a couple of times

2. We are doing more advertising (Montgomery Visitor's Guide for example)

3. Economy improving? I hope this is a sign of that, and not just wishful thinking.

You may be interested, as was I, to know that in January we had 460 visitors from Alabama and 520 from other states, and remarkably according to our figures, only 3 states out of 50 were not represented.

Can you guess which ones were "no shows"? Only Colorado (everyone out there is busy skiing); Hawaii (guess the weather is good there this time of year and they want to stay home); and West Virginia (well, that's not a very big state anyway).

Wisconsin and Georgia tied for sending us the most (46 each) and Florida next with 34. Right behind were California with 32 and Texas with 30. We even had 26 from Minnesota. We also had 58 from foreign countries, of which we are also very proud! Lots of hard work for our wonderful receptionists! Thank you ladies for working so hard, and Mr. Robert for keeping everything looking so nice.

The Historic First White House Center Table

2012-02-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

This Historic First White House Center Table is the third piece of furniture in the President's Study that was known to have been among the original furnishings of the First White House during the Davis residency. These three pieces were actually owned by the lessor, Col. Edmund Harrison, and subsequently sold to the Abraham family and then to the Dwen-Dowe family. These pieces were donated to the First White House in 1998.

The table was made in the Northeastern United States, probably in Boston. It is supported by a pedestal of paired supports of a broad lyre form, breaking in the center into two out-scrolled branches, all resting on a rectangular platform, supported by four scrolled feet on casters. The top is of Italian Variegated Grey marble, square with rounded corners above an ogee-molded skirt with fine mahogany veneers. The woods are richly figured and of deep color.

I wish it could talk and tell us stories about what went on while Jefferson Davis was in Montgomery at the First White House, and then afterwards, when the war was over, and people were trying to pick up their lives.What amazing people they were! I would like to think we are like them, just a little bit.

Furniture In The First White House During Jefferson Davis Residency

2012-02-06T06:23:00.000-08:00

In the President's Study in the First White House of the Confederacy are a sofa and rocking chair that were among the furnishings of the House when it was rented for the use of President and Mrs. Jefferson Davis in 1861. The House had been furnished to be "suitable as a gentleman's residence" by its owner, Col. Edmund Harrison, who charged the Confederate government astronomical rent ($ 5000 per year!)

. At an unknown date after the Civil War, a sale was held of the historic furnishings which had been in the house during the Davis residency. This sofa and chair cannot be determined to have been owned by the First Family, but was assuredly used by them when they were in the First White House.

At the sale, three pieces were purchased by an Alabama family who "lived at the northwest corner of Washington and Hull Streets". In the early twentieth century the three pieces were sold by a family named Abraham to Mrs. Mary Dwen, who had known President Davis in her youth. She became the grandmother of John Dowe, the donor of these pieces in 1998. The third piece is an historic Center Table which I will describe in my next blog. Really neat stuff, don't you think?

Stories About Our Brave Confederate Ancestors

2012-01-30T11:52:00.000-08:00

After I mentioned the Battle of Seven Pines last week, a dear friend shared that her great, great grandfather was killed there, leaving a wife, three small sons and a baby daughter, my friend's great grandmother, who was less than a year old when he died.

My friend said: "How tough it must have been for him to have been lost! How tough life must have been during and after the war!" She went on to say that his wife died too, before 1870, so it was up to family members to care for these orphaned children.

Fortunately, her great grandmother grew up in the loving care of aunts and uncles. She lived her entire life in South Montgomery County and died in 1957 at the age of 96. About this woman my friend shares, "She was a STRONG woman - surely drawing on her strength gained during those difficult years in the post-war south." She enclosed a photo of her gg grandparents and her great grand doing Red Cross volunteer work at the end of WWII.

Do you have an ancestor story to share? Please take a moment to do so on our "comments". Others would like to read them I feel sure.

Don't Forget Our Civil War Contest

2012-01-29T11:56:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to make comments on yesterday's blog about our "contest" to see with whom you would choose to visit.We have already heard from "anonymous" that he or she would like to sit down with Forrest, John Pelham and Marse Robert.

Excellent choices. And what would exactly you ask them? I know probably a question about "The Wah," but what in particular, if you could ask each man just one?

Other readers? Please share. It will be such fun to hear from you.

What Happened After Fredericksburg?

2012-01-29T11:41:00.000-08:00

So, what happened after Fredericksburg? For one thing, Lincoln in a "nanosecond", replaced Burnside with "Fighting Joe" Hooker. After all, the Union had lost 12,653 men and the South, 5309. One Union soldier is reported to have said "we might as well have tried to take hell." So Burnside and his famous sideburns became "histoire" as they say.

It is interesting to note that it was during the battle of Fredericksburg that Lee uttered those immortal words: "It is well that war is so terrible - we should grow too fond of it". And maybe it is also apropos to quote Peanuts at this juncture. He said "winning isn't everything, but losing isn't anything".

On January 1, 1863 Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in territories held by Confederates. Thus in the mind of some, the war to "preserve the Union" now became a struggle for the "abolition of slavery". But lets remember, that there are some people in every age who try to rewrite history.

Enter Our Confederate Contest Now!!!

2012-01-28T08:32:00.000-08:00

Lets have a contest!. Would you readers please name three Confederate soldiers or civilians that you would most like to sit down with and chat with about that time period?

Example: having a drink with Nathan Bedford Forrest might be great fun!!!

You don't have to sign your name, but please enter our contest. It will be so interesting to hear each other's thoughts!

Good News For The Confederates In December

2012-01-28T06:34:00.000-08:00

If you are following the time line of 1862 with me, after the disaster at Antietam, good came for the South in December, at the Battle of Fredericksburg. In November, Lincoln had replaced McClellan with General Burnside, But Burnside didn't last long because he tried to cross a "little stream" and the Confederates were up on "the top of the hill", waiting for him.

To those of you who know your Confederate Battles, the "stream" was the Rappahannock River, and "the top of the hill" was called Marye's Heights, a strongly fortified ridge just west of the city of Fredericksburg. It was one of the most one-sided battles of the Civil War, with Union casualties twice that of the Confederates.

Those sharpshooters in grey just mowed down Burnside's men as all day long, the Yankees tried to cross the river.It was like "shooting fish in a barrel". I have been there too, and seen it from the heights looking down. By the way, the word "sideburns" come from "Burnside" as he had very heavy ones.

Antietem in September of 1862

2012-01-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

On September 15th, 1862 Jackson won at Harper's Ferry, but two days later came the battle of Antietam, when Confederate forces under General Lee were caught by McClellan near Sharpsburg, Maryland. This was the bloodiest day of the war.

I have been there and seen what they call "Bloody Lane" where the brave Confederates fell by the thousands. I have climbed the observation tower. It is a sobering sight to think of what went on there. 2108 Union soldiers died and 9549 were wounded. And 2700 Confederates were killed and 9029 wounded. The battle had no clear winner but since Lee had to withdraw to Virginia, McClellan was considered the victor.

This caused the British and French who were contemplating official recognition of the Confederacy to reserve action, and gave Lincoln to announce his Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on Sept 22, so this battle was more decisive in long-term meaning than it would have first appeared.

Time Line for 1862 War Between The States

2012-01-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

Interesting facts:

March 1862 - McClellan fired. He ignored Lincoln's requests too many times. Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimac - first naval engagement between ironclad ships. Fought to a "draw"

April - Battle of Shiloh. Casualties heavy - what else is new? Union dead, 13,000; South, 11,000.

Also in April, Farragut commands New Orleans (ugh). The Peninsular Campaign begins.

May - Stonewall Jackson wins in the Shenandoah. Hooray!

June - Battle of Seven Pines (Fair Oaks) - Confederates almost win (optimum word here is almost)

July - Seven Days' Battle - Confederates withdraw July2, ending Peninsular Campaign.

August - Pope defeated at Second Manassas. Hooray!

Will talk about Sept - Dec in next blog.

The State of the First White House of the Confederacy

2012-01-22T12:21:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that it took from 1900 to 1921 to raise the money to save the First White House and have it moved from the downtown corner of Lee & Bibb streets to the present location at 644 Washington Ave. A benevolent Governor found the money ($25,000) and that enabled us to complete the first major restoration project.

You may not know though, that we have gone through three additional major restorations since that move was made, and guess what? It took big money every time!

In 1973 the second floor had been condemned. It took $ 250,000 to do the structural restoration necessary. It was closed from April, 1976 until December 11th of that year when a gala reopening took place. We begged for the money and it was forthcoming.

The next major project was the 1997 exterior lead paint abatement project An ISTEA Federal Grant was obtained to complete the funding that the Finance Dept. arranged for us and we were once again "on our way".

The last major project was the 2007-8 heating and cooling interior restoration. Our thanks once again to the Finance Department and especially the Finance Director. for the funding, and to the Service Division for their tireless efforts on our behalf. We are extremely grateful!

Jefferson Davis In Montgomery

2012-01-21T13:56:00.000-08:00

I was looking through the 2011 Reunion Program for the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, and saw an interesting article about Jefferson Davis. It says that, as we know, when he was sworn in as provisional President of the Confederacy on February 18, 1861, it was to the cheers of thousands.

Echoing the Declaration of Independence, he told the crowd "governments rest upon the consent of the governed, and that it is the right of the people to alter or abolish governments whenever they become destructive of the ends for which they were established".

Long after the war he returned to Montgomery in 1886 for three days to the thunderous cheers and applause of adoring throngs up and down Dexter Avenue.

His last trip to Montgomery was to lie in state in 1893 and once again was honored by thousands, but this time in mournful silence. Over his portrait next to the coffin were the words, "He suffered for us".

The article goes on to say that in later life, Jefferson Davis made the statement that if he had it all to do over again he would have pursued the same course he had from 1861 on.

2012-01-21T13:36:00.000-08:00

Crowd gathers to honor Lee on his birthday | The Montgomery ...
Anne Tidmore, regent of the First White House of the Confederacy, chats with ... Agreeing with Davis was Anne Tidmore, First White House regent, who used ...
www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/.../Crowd-gathers-honor-Lee...

Here is the coverage on the RE Lee birthday commemoration at the First White House of the Confederacy on Thursday. Click on the green link to read it.

Recap Of The R. E. Lee Birthday Party At First White House

2012-01-19T13:49:00.000-08:00

We had an overflow crowd at the First White House today, to commemorate Robert E. Lee's 205th birthday and enjoy Bob Bradley's excellent speech about him, as well as awesome birthday cake. Here are some facts you may not know about Robert Edward Lee:

Did you know? Robert E. Lee was the 5th child born to "Light-Horse Harry Lee", who fought in the Revolutionary War, & Ann Carter Hill Lee

He graduated 2nd in his class at West Point and was the only cadet that graduated with no demerits,

He married Mary Randolph Custis who was the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington

He was the father of 7 children. All of his sons served in the Confederate Army.

He was offered the command of the Union army but turned it down, because Virginia seceded.

He later became General of the Army of Virginia and following that the Commander of the Regular Army of the Confederate States.

He returned to Virginia after the war and planned to pursue a quiet country life.

Instead, he was offered and accepted the position as President of Washington College.

The President's house had an apartment built on the back that had been previously occupied by Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and his first wife, prior to her untimely death.

Lee now occupied the house once lived in by his "greatest general", who lay buried less than a mile from the house..

Discipline at Washington College under Lee was swift and certain.

The enrollment immediately increased from 40 to 140 students and within a year, to 300 students.

Money was raised, over $100,00 during Lee's first year there.

After his death the college changed its name to Washington and Lee University, the ultimate tribute to this noble and great Christian gentleman.

Do You Want To Be A Leader?

2012-01-18T07:19:00.000-08:00

If you want to learn to be a good leader I suggest this book "Robert E. Lee On Leadership" by Crocker. Lee and Jackson both had great leadership qualities. I will always think of that wonderful picture of the two of them on their horses, Lee on the magnificent Traveler, and Jackson on his horse, Little Sorrel.

Lee, like Jefferson Davis, after the war, taught his people not to hate. The greatest thing about our Country is that, although we were divided, we came back together again in peace as "One Nation, Under God". Not many nations of the world can make that claim. That in no small part, was due to the leadership of Robert E. Lee, whom we honor tomorrow.

More About Robert E. Lee

2012-01-16T13:39:00.000-08:00

A few more remarks about Robert E. Lee, best known as commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the War Between the States, since today is his birthday, (1807-1870).

When Virginia seceded from the Union, Lee followed his home state, despite the fact that Lincoln had offered him command of the Union Army. He got along well with President Jefferson Davis, and won many battles against larger Federal forces.

Lee ultimately surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. After the war, he became President of Washington University, which after his death was renamed Washington & Lee.

Wikipedia says: "Lee became the great Southern hero of the War, a postwar icon of the 'Lost Cause of the Confederacy' to some. But his popularity grew even in the North, especially after his death in 1870. He remains an iconic figure of American military leadership".

Robert E. Lee's Birthday

2012-01-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

There are so many good books about Robert E. Lee. Call of Duty is one that I recommend, and I think a fun way to celebrate his 205th birthday would be to order and read a good book about R. E. Lee.

At the First White House of the Confederacy we are commemorating with our annual "Robert E. Lee Birthday Party". It will be at 11:00 this Thursday, Jan 19 (his actual birth date) and Bob Bradley, Chief Curator of the Alabama Archives & History Dept. will speak briefly about him. Then we cut the wonderful homemade from scratch cake made by our long-time Supervisor of Capital Receptionists, Eva H. Newman.

Of course I know that today is the State Holiday honoring him as well as a Federal Holiday honoring Martin Luther King and that is a good way to celebrate too, but we like to remember REL on his "real" birthday. If you miss our event, we will have pictures on the website soon. We will let you know when they are posted.. Have a great day now!

Siblings of Jefferson Davis

2012-01-12T07:20:00.000-08:00

In my last blog I told you about Jefferson Davis' parents. I also mentioned that his oldest brother Joseph was born in 1784 in GA, as were Benjamin Davis (1787), Samuel A. Davis (1788), Anna Eliza (1791) and Isaac Williams (1792).

Father Samuel and family were in Fairview, Ky by 1797. Born there were Lucinda Farrar (1797), Amanda Jan (1800), Matilda (1801), Mary Ellen (1805/06) and Jefferson (1807/08). He was the youngest of the ten children and his father gave him the middle name Finis, which means finished in Latin, as most of you readers know!

The family moved to Mississippi in 1809. Father Samuel died in 1824 and in the 1830 Census Jane, Jefferson's mother was living with daughter Lucinda. Jane died in 1845 at the age of 85.That was a long time for that day and age! She must have been a "tough old bird"!!!

Ancestry Of Jefferson Davis, President of Confederate States of America

2012-01-10T15:55:00.000-08:00

Our blog about the descendants of Jefferson Davis has received more "hits" than any other subject so I thought you readers might also be interested in what I could find out about his parents and siblings..

His father was Samuel Emory Davis, born in Ga in 1756. He served in the Revolutionary War, so we know he was a patriot, as was his son, Jefferson. Samuel's father was Evan Davis, Jr. and his mother was Mary Emory. I think it is extremely interesting that Jefferson and Varina's first child was named Samuel Emory Davis, for Jefferson's father. Unfortunately this firstborn son died at about age two.

Jefferson's father Samuel married Jane Cook, who was born in 1760 in SC. Samuel and Jane were married in 1783 in GA. Their first child, Joseph was born in 1784. Joseph, much later became mentor to Jefferson, after their father died, as Jefferson was the youngest child, born in 1808. Samuel died in Miss in 1824. Jane lived until 1845.

More interesting facts about this family tomorrow. Please stay tuned!

Lost Triumph

2012-01-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

Do order this book. It sounds very interesting. (see my previous blog)

Lee's Real Plan At Gettysburg

2012-01-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

My good friend Richard has just finished reading "Lost Triumph, Lee's Real Plan at Gettysburg-and Why It Failed" by Tom Carhart. , Richard says it is a quick read, and that it identifies three or so historical battles on which he thinks Lee relied to make his battle plan.

Richard goes on to say that Carhart emphasizes the fact that Picket's charge was not the central part of the plan, but rather that Stuart and 7000 cavalry were to flank the Union on its right flank and come in behind Cemetery Ridge. Problem with that was Custer and his men and their repeating rifles.

I will always feel in my heart of hearts that if Stonewall Jackson have lived, things would have turned out differently there. I will just have to ask the Lord about it when I get to Heaven!!! Will show the book on my next blog.

Did Jefferson Davis Adopt Jim Limber, Black Orphan Boy?

2012-01-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

Jim Limber, aka Jim Limber Davis, was a black child who was briefly a ward of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America. He lived with the Davis family from February, 1864 - May, 1865. He had been rescued from the streets of Richmond by Varina Davis, when she saw him being beaten.

Davis arranged for Jim to be freed. It is unknown if he was actually adopted because there were no adoption laws in Virginia at that time. Sadly he became separated from the family when they left Richmond to flee from the Yankees. The Davis family never saw him again.

I recommend the book Jim Limber Davis as shown above. You can buy it on Amazon by clicking the link above, or you may purchase it from our Gift Shop in the First White House. A very interesting tale, of which very few people are aware. Did you know about Jim Limber?????

Varina Howell Davis, Wife of the President

2012-01-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

I have expressed my admiration for Variana Howell Davis, second wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis many times, and I found a book about her that you may want to read:It is called First Lady of the Confederacy by Joan E. Cashin. Click on the link below to get to Amazon to order.

Varina was an amazing lady. I really want to learn more about her. She not only suffered through the war and loss thereof, the imprisonment of her husband the disgrace that accompanied all that. Even more sad was the fact that not only did he predecease her, but she buried five of their six children.

She was a survivor. Thats for sure!

GWTW Revisited

2012-01-07T09:45:00.000-08:00

I guess my all time book and movie is Gone With The Wind, probably because I was such a rabid Confederate growing up. It is actually the first book I remember "reading" at age 4. I could not read but I looked at the pictures and made up my own story. Later as a sixth grader I tried to write a sequel.

I highly recommend the DVD as a way to treat yourselves in the New Year. Click on the link below and it will take you right to the "buying mode" of Amazon.com. And have fun with Scarlett, Ashley and all the gang.

Come Visit Our Gift Shop At The First White House!

2012-01-04T09:06:00.000-08:00

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Why not start your New Year off with a trip to our Gift Shop Our primary goal is to educate, and with that in mind, we have some really nice books that would be additions to your library, (not your Kindle)!

One is the new two volume set of the Chesnut Diary which is just marvelous. We also have books on Robert E. Lee which will be very timely with his birthday celebration on Jan 19th at the FWH. We also have two volumes on Varina Howell (Mrs. Jefferson Davis).

One that sounds interesting is "From Bull Run to Appomattox, the History of the CSA" and of course we have "Montgomery's own" Judy Oliver's book on Winne Davis "Devotion". And in addition to books we have lots of trinkets and baubles to delight young and old alike.

So, Have a Happy New Year With Jeff Davis Punch

2011-12-31T15:37:00.000-08:00

I have printed this before with the permission given by Jefferson Davis's great-great grandson, Bertram Hayes-Davis.It is supposed to have been invented by Winnie for her father's birthday in later years.
3/4 cup lemon juice
1-3/4 lbs sugar dissolved in water
6 bottles (4/5) claret
1 bottle light rum
1 bottle - dry sherry
1/2 bottle - brandy
3 bottles (1 qt) ginger ale
3 bottles (1 qt) soda
Float with sliced cucumber & oranges & ice. Dilute to taste 0 serves 100 approx. punch cups.
Note: looks like a pretty potent potable to me! Be careful. I take no responsibility!

Stewardship Report on The First White House Collection

2011-12-29T15:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I outlined some of the events that the Association put on to mark our the beginning of the Sesquicentennial of the War Between the States in 2011. Today I want to talk about some of the work that has been done in the House, some by the State of Alabama and some by the Association.

The State has been most attentive in every area that they have been asked to help with. There is a constant need for walls and ceilings to be "repaired" as paint and plaster continue to rain down upon us. They have manfully taken up the task of seeing that this is done. Likewise the heating and air condition problems. We are grateful!

The Association has had the gasoliers conserved and moved to places of prominence. We have sold the reproductions so that just about all items in the house are of the 1860 period or earlier. The furniture has also been conserved and polished so that everything sparkles. We have moved furniture here and there in an effort to make the rooms more pleasing to the eye and to have the finest pieces show up to their advantage.

We have had the historic, original iron fence repaired. We have also had a lovely iron bench made, thanks to the generosity of the Merry Weeders Garden Club. We are looking forward to 2012 and new challenges and goals set and hopefully accomplished!

Recapping 2011 Year For The "Jeff Davis" House in Montgomery

2011-12-28T15:38:00.000-08:00

In preparing for the end of the year I thought it would be fun to recap 2011 Sesquicentennial events in which the First White House of the Confederacy participated:

January 19 – celebrated our annual Robert E. Lee birthday party with Bill Rambo, speaker.

February 16 – co-sponsored event with the Dept. of Archives & History, commemorating the evening Jefferson Davis came to Montgomery and Yancey made his famous “man & the hour have met” speech. Dr. Ralph Draughon of Auburn presented the speech by Yancey.

March 8 – our FWH annual spring luncheon, with guest speaker Judge Mark Anderson

May 6 – our Sesquicentennial fundraiser with William C. Davis, speaker

June 3 – celebrated Jefferson Davis’s birthday with Senator Dick Brewbaker, speaker

October 27 – we had our annual fall meeting

On January 19, 2012 at 11:00 am. we will again meet to celebrate Robert E. Lee's Birthday with Bob Bradley, Chief Curator for the Alabama Archives and History Dept. as our speaker. We look forward to this event.

Varina Writes About Their Last Christmas In Richmond

2011-12-27T13:45:00.000-08:00

This article by Varina Davis on their last Christmas at the White House was reprinted in the Washington Times today. I have quoted parts of it before, and we have it in its entirety in our files.It was first published in the New York World in 1896 and has been republished many times since.

She says: “Rice, flour, molasses and tiny pieces of meat, most of them sent to the President's wife anonymously to be distributed to the poor, had all been weighed and issued, and the playtime of the family began, but like a clap of thunder out of a clear sky came the information that the orphans at the Episcopalian home had been promised a Christmas tree and the toys, candy and cakes must be provided, as well as one pretty prize for the most orderly girl among the orphans."

“The kind-hearted confectioner was interviewed by our committee of managers, and he promised a certain amount of his simpler kinds of candy, which he sold easily a dollar and a half a pound, but he drew the line at cornucopias to hold it, or sugared fruits to hang on the tree, and all the other vestiges of Christmas creations which had lain on his hands for years.”

Varina and Jefferson Davis, 1845

Toys for the Orphans
“The ladies dispersed in anxious squads of toy-hunters, and each one turned over the store of her children's treasures for a contribution to the orphans' tree. My little ones rushed over the great house looking up their treasure: eyeless dolls, three-legged horses, tops with the upper peg broken off, rubber tops, monkeys with all the squeak gone silent and all the ruck of children's toys that gather in a nursery closet."

“Some small feathered chickens and parrots which nodded their heads in obedience to a weight beneath them were furnished with new tail feathers, lambs minus much of their wool were supplied with a cotton wool substitute, rag dolls were plumped out and recovered with clean cloth, and the young ladies painted their fat faces in bright colors and furnished them with beads for eyes.”

Doll House Production
“But the tug of war was how to get something with which to decorate the orphans' tree. Our manservant, Robert Brown, was much interested and offered to make the prize toy. He contemplated a ‘sure enough house, with four rooms.’ His part in the domestic service was delegated to another and he gave himself over in silence and solitude to the labors of the architect."

“My sister painted mantel shelves, door panels, pictures and frames for the walls, and finished with black grates in which there blazed a roaring fire, which was pronounced marvelously realistic. We all made furniture of twigs and pasteboard, and my mother made pillows, mattresses, sheets and pillow cases for the two little bedrooms."

“Christmas Eve a number of young people were invited to come and string apples and popcorn for the trees; a neighbor very deft in domestic arts had tiny candle moulds [sic] made and furnished all the candles for the tree. However, the puzzle and triumph of all was the construction of a large number of cornucopias. At last someone suggested a conical block of wood, about which the drawing paper could be wound and pasted. In a little book shop, a number of small, highly colored pictures cut out and ready to apply were unearthed, and our old confectioner friend, Mr. Piazzi, consented, with a broad smile, to give ‘all the love verses the young people wanted to roll with the candy.’"

Merriment on Christmas Eve to Work
“About twenty young men and girls gathered around small tables in one of the drawing rooms of the mansion and the cornucopias were begun. The men wrapped the squares of candy, first reading the ‘sentiments’ printed upon them, such as ‘Roses are red, violets blue, sugar's sweet and so are you, ‘If you love me as I love you, no knife can cut our love in two.’ The fresh young faces, wreathed in smiles, nodded attention to the reading, while with their small deft hands they ginned the cornucopias and pasted on the pictures."

“Where were the silk tops to come from? Trunks of old things were turned out and snippings of silk and even woolen of bright colors were found to close the tops, and some of the young people twisted sewing silk into cords with which to draw the bags up. The beauty of those home-made things astonished us all, for they looked quite ‘custom-made,’ but when the ‘sure enough house’ was revealed to our longing gaze the young people clapped their approbation, while Robert, whose sense of dignity did not permit him to smile, stood the impersonation of successful artist and bowed his thanks for our approval."

Confederate White House, 1864

“Then the coveted eggnog was passed around in tiny glass cups and pronounced good. Crisp home-made ginger snaps and snowy lady cake completed the refreshments of Christmas Eve. The children allowed to sit up and be noisy in their way as an indulgence took a sip of eggnog out of my cup, and the eldest boy confided to his father: 'Now I just know this is Christmas.' In most of the houses in Richmond these same scenes were enacted, certainly in every one of the homes of the managers of the Episcopalian Orphanage. A bowl of eggnog was sent to the servants, and a part of everything they coveted of the dainties.”

Makeshift Toys for the Children and Adult Gifts
“At last quiet settled on the household and the older members of the family began to stuff stockings with molasses candy, red apples, an orange, small whips plaited by the family with high-colored crackers, worsted reins knitted at home, paper dolls, teetotums [sic] made of large horn bottoms and a match which could spin indefinitely, balls of worsted rags wound hard and covered with old kid gloves, a pair of pretty woolen gloves for each, either cut of cloth and embroidered on the back or knitted by some deft hand out of home-spun wool."

“For the President there were a pair of chamois-skin riding gauntlets exquisitely embroidered on the back with his monogram in red and white silk, made, as the giver wrote, under the guns of Fortress Monroe late at night for fear of discovery. There was a hemstitched linen handkerchief, with a little sketch in indelible ink in one corner; the children had written him little letters, their grandmother having held their hands, the burthen [sic] of which compositions was how they loved their dear father.
"For one of the inmates of the home, who was greatly loved but whose irritable temper was his prominent failing, there was a pretty cravat, the ends of which were embroidered, as was the fashion of the day. The pattern chosen was simple and on it was pinned a card with the word ‘amiable’ to complete the sentence. One of the [missing] received a present of an illuminated copy of Solomon's proverbs found in the same old store from which the pictures came. He studied it for some time and announced: ‘I have changed my opinion of Solomon, he uttered such unnecessary platitudes -- now why should he have said 'The foolishness of a fool is his folly?’"

The Dawn of Christmas
“On Christmas morning the children awoke early and came in to see their toys. They were followed by the negro women, who one after another ‘caught’ us by wishing us a merry Christmas before we could say it to them, which gave them a right to a gift. Of course, there was a present for every one, small though it might be, and one who had been born and brought up at our plantation was vocal in her admiration of a gay handkerchief. As she left the room she ejaculated: ‘Lord knows mistress knows our insides; she jest got the very thing I wanted.’"

Mrs. Davis's Strange Presents
“For me there were six cakes of delicious soap, made from the grease of ham boiled for a family at Farmville, a skein of exquisitely fine gray linen thread spun at home, a pincushion of some plain brown cotton material made by some poor woman and stuffed with wool from her pet sheep, and a little baby hat plaited by the orphans and presented by the industrious little pair who sewed the straw together. They pushed each other silently to speak, and at last mutely offered the hat, and considered the kiss they gave the sleeping little one ample reward for the industry and far above the fruit with which they were laden."

“Another present was a fine, delicate little baby frock without an inch of lace or embroidery upon it, but the delicate fabric was set with fairy stitches by the dear invalid neighbor who made it, and it was very precious in my eyes. There were also a few of Swinburne's best songs bound in wall-paper and a chamois needle book left for me by young Mr. P., now succeeded to his title in England. In it was a Brobdingnagian thimble ‘for my own finger, you know,’ said the handsome, cheerful young fellow. After breakfast, at which all the family, great and small, were present, came the walk to St. Paul's Church. We did not use our carriage on Christmas or, if possible to avoid it, on Sunday. The saintly Dr. Minnegerode preached a sermon on Christian love, the introit was sung by a beautiful young society woman and the angels might have joyfully listened."

"Our chef did wonders with the turkey and roast beef, and drove the children quite out of their propriety by a spun sugar hen, life-size, on a nest full of blanc mange eggs. The mince pie and plum pudding made them feel, as one of the gentlemen laughingly remarked, 'like their jackets were buttoned,' a strong description of repletion which I have never forgotten. They waited with great impatience and evident dyspeptic symptoms for the crowning amusement of the day, 'the children's tree.' My eldest boy, a chubby little fellow of seven, came to me several times to whisper: 'Do you think I ought to give the orphans my I.D. studs?' When told no, he beamed with the delight of an approving conscience. All throughout the afternoon first one little head and then another popped in at the door to ask: 'Isn't it 8 o'clock yet?,' burning with impatience to see the 'children's tree.''

A Tree for the Children
"When at last we reached the basement of St. Paul's Church, the tree burst upon their view like the realization of Aladdin's subterranean orchard, and they were awed by its grandeur. The orphans sat mute with astonishment until the opening hymn and prayer and the last amen had been said, and then they at a signal warily and slowly gathered around the tree to receive from a lovely young girl their allotted present. The different gradations from joy to ecstasy which illuminated their faces was ‘worth two years of peaceful life’ to see."

"The President became so enthusiastic that he undertook to help in the distribution, but worked such wild confusion giving everything asked for into their outstretched hands, that we called a halt, so he contented himself with unwinding one or two tots from a network of strung popcorn in which they had become entangled and taking off all apples he could when unobserved, and presenting them to the smaller children. When at last the house was given to the ‘honor girl’ she moved her lips without emitting a sound, but held it close to her breast and went off in a corner to look and be glad without witnesses."

‘When the lights were fled, the garlands dead, and all but we departed’ we also went home to find that Gen. Lee had called in our absence, and many other people. Gen. Lee had left word that he had received a barrel of sweet potatoes for us, which had been sent to him by mistake. He did not discover the mistake until he had taken his share (a dishful) and given the rest to the soldiers! We wished it had been much more for them and him.”

“Starvation Dance Party”
“The night closed with a ‘starvation’ party,' where there were no refreshments, at a neighboring house. The rooms lighted as well as practicable, some one willing to play dance music on the piano and plenty of young men and girls comprised the entertainment. Sam Weller's soiry [sic - soiree refers to a party or reception held in the evening], consisting of boiled mutton and capers, would have been a royal feast in the Confederacy."

“The officers, who rode into town with their long cavalry boots pulled well up over their knees, but splashed up their waists, put up their horses and rushed to the places where their dress uniform suits had been left for safekeeping. They very soon emerged, however, in full toggery and entered into the pleasures of their dance with the bright-eyed girls, who many of them were fragile as fairies, but worked like peasants for their home and country."

“These young people are gray-haired now, but the lessons of self-denial, industry and frugality in which they became past mistresses then, have made of them the most dignified, self-reliant and tender women I have ever known -- all honor to them. So, in the interchange of the courtesies and charities of life, to which we could not add its comforts and pleasures, passed the last Christmas in the Confederate mansion.”

Soon the Davises would be forced to leave their home, as Richmond fell to the Federals and our brave soldiers could hold out no longer.

First White House Blog Update

2011-12-27T10:34:00.000-08:00

When the end of the year rolls around I like to check the status of our blog.We have had 7,489 hits all time, and 540 last month. Here is a list of the most popular ones:

1. Descendants of Jefferson Davis - (Jan 9, 29011) - 389 page views
2. The Man and The Hour have Met - (Feb 10, 2011) - 139 views
3. Brierfield, Plantation Home of Jefferson Davis - (Nov 27, 2010) - 83 views
4. Little Known Facts about The War, The Davis Family, etc - (Sept 20, 2010) - 73 views
5. Doctors, Disease & Amputations in The War - (Mar 28, 2011) - 73 views
6. An Opinion About The Real Lincoln - (Mar 6, 2011) - 66 views
7. Reenactment of Inauguration Day, Feb 18, 1861 - (Oct 18, 2010) - 63
8. Young Slave Woman Whipped? Sorry, I don't think so - (March 2, 2011) - 52
9. Important Events in the Life of Jefferson Davis - (Nov 16, 2010) - 51
10. Jefferson Davis's Sword, Rifle & Walking Stock - (June 2, 2011) - 47

Thanks faithful readers. I appreciate you! We write this to attract attention to the First White House in hopes that we will have many more visitors in the coming year! Please help us spread the word!

Plaque Honoring Jefferson Davis At St. John's Episcopal Church

2011-12-23T13:25:00.000-08:00

I read an article on the Internet by Winston Skinner of the Times Herald in Newnan, GA., titled "St. John's Episcopal Church has plaque recalling Jefferson Davis". The plaque, of course, is because the Davis family worshiped there during the time Montgomery was the capital of the Confederate States of America and the church is commemorating the memory of this great man.

The home rented for the Davis family was only a few blocks away from St. John's. Skinner points out that the Davis family were Baptists, the Howells - Mrs. Davis's family - Episcopalians. Jefferson Davis was not a member of any church until they moved to Richmond and he was confirmed in St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

Mattie Pegues Wood wrote in "The Life of St John's Parish" that the President "bowed his head a little lower" when prayers were offered for him in his official role at St. John's. Throughout its history, St. John's has offered a place of solace and peace, and I am sure that was of great benefit to President Davis.

In Appreciation Of More Comments And...A Poem About Old Houses

2011-12-19T15:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the comments on the Saturday, December 17 blog. How much we appreciate those kind words of anonymous, as well as the interesting follow-up on slavery by Richard, and how it has affected the whole country, even down into the modern era.

Hope all our readers will read all comments made by our thoughtful readers! And please feel free, everyone to comment. It helps us all.

I have a delightful Christmas present for you today - a poem titled Old Houses by Walter Blackstock, which is in one of the files carefully preserved by Mrs. Napier, our Honorary Regent for Life. I don't think you can read this one without thinking of our wonderful First White House of the Confederacy!

I love old houses, set among old trees,

And filled with creaking time and age-spun dust;

I hove the quiet, spacious rooms that hold

A silent history within their must,

Old furnishings are best - tall stately clocks

That tick white-whispered time, and seats of red

Deep plush and draperies of faded gold

And sunlight spilling on a rosewood bed.

New homes, rain-bright, seem ever to withhold

The magic of romance, the shell of song

Of older places; living is untried

Where shadows keep no secrets, good or wrong.

I love the dawn, the daffodil - new sun

Of day, the first warm throb of April green'

But something in my blood and tissue finds

Delight in greybeard houses, old and lean.

Another Comment - This Time About Stonewall Jackson and Gettysburg

2011-12-17T09:22:00.000-08:00

We invite comments from all our readers and we hope you will go back to our Dec 4 blog "Stonewall Jackson and His Christian Principles" and read Richard's excellent comments.

It makes me so sad to think of what might have happened, had Stonewall lived (Richard says Gettysburg might have been avoided altogether), but being a "Presbyterian" helps me to remember that God is in control of all events, and that for reasons yet unknown to us finite human creatures He did not want this Country to split into two, i.e. it was not His Will that the South win the war, as hard as that is sometimes to believe.

Of course slavery was wrong, and its abolition was a good result of a horrible bloody war, but the north was culpable too. Our culture was locked into a system that we cannot begin to understand from today's perspective. Slavery would have and should have ended without bloodshed as had happened in almost all the other nations of the world. Greed entered in - duh, doesn't it always? When we say "its not about the money" it usually always is!

Bottom line: we weren't there and we cannot with hindsight fix anything that has already taken place. We can learn from it though, can't we? Who was it that said "if we don't study history, we are bound to repeat it"?

Richard's Comments On Dec 5 blog about Christmas During Civil War

2011-12-17T09:04:00.000-08:00

Thanks Richard, for your comments on Christmas during the War, (blog of Dec 5th), and how the soldiers must have felt. I am sure as you suggest that they mus have wondered if they would ever spend another Christmas at home with their loved ones, especially as the war dragged on year after bloody year.

Here is a brief review of what was going on in December 1864 according to General John Napier and Cameron Freeman Napier: John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee had just been shattered at the Battle of Franklin on November 30th and at Nashville on Dec 15-16th - 12,000 casualties in two weeks. One Tennessee veteran said "Ain't we in a helluva fix, a one-eyed President, a one-legged general and a one-horse Confederacy".

Sherman had marched to the sea and wired President Lincoln he was giving him Savannah as a Christmas gift. Just miles from Richmond the Petersburg Campaign continued after the Battle of the Crater June 23-24, 1864. Montgomery had been threatened by Rousseau's Raiders which had wrecked the railroad in Columbus, so trenches 4 ft deep and 6 ft wide were dug around the city.

But typically Montgomery, there was a benefit at Ladies Hospital, the day after Christmas and there was a production of Richelieu, at the Montgomery Theatre, the last wartime production. As General Napier said, "The Confederacy was dying".

Christmas Traditions in the Old South

2011-12-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

One of the many causes of the War was the difference in the kinds of people who settled in the northeast as opposed to those who settled in Virgina and the Carolinas and later went west and south.

The Puritans of New England regarded Christmas as tainted with Catholicism and the Massachusetts Bay Colony banned Christmas in 1659. Meanwhile our ancestors down in Virgina were observing Advent for four weeks before Christmas, and making preparations for family and friends and house parties that lasted for days.

Polishing silver and brass, lighting the Advent wreaths and celebrating Christmas gloriously with music and drinking and dancing and revelry during the Twelve Days of Christmas, Dec 25-Jan 6 is how these stalwart Southerners handled it. And in their migrations south and west they took their cavalier heritage and Christmas traditions with them.

In fact, Arkansas, Louisiana and Alabama in the 1830's became the first states in the nation to declare Christmas a legal holiday. It was not until 1870 that Christmas became a federal holiday.

Looking for Missing Plaques

2011-12-14T14:03:00.000-08:00

The White House Association is looking for a missing small brass plaque that was on the Old Goodyear building downtown where the Skate Board Park is today that says it is the site of the First White House of the Confederacy when Jefferson Davis lived there. It was removed when the building was torn down and no one can find it. We would love to have it. It was originally put there by the Sophie Bibb Chapter of the UDC I believe.

Also there was another plaque that was in the Old Supreme Court room in the Alabama State Capitol that says: "This plaque marked the Old Supreme Court Room (1885-1940) in which the body of President Jefferson Davis lay in state, Monday, May 29, 1893 en route from New Orleans, Louisiana to Richmond, Virginia for permanent interment. Erected by the White House Association 1970".

This plaque was taken down when the Capitol underwent restoration and no one can locate it.

If anyone knows where we could find either of these are we would love to have them.

More About Christmas During the Civil War

2011-12-05T15:52:00.000-08:00

I read in the Civil War Women Blog that the most beloved symbol of the American family Christmas is the Christmas tree, and that it came into its own before and during the Civil War. The decorations, as you can imagine, were homemade: strings of sugared fruit, ribbon, popcorn, pine cones, colored paper, silver foil and spun-glass ornaments.

Greenery, same as today, was used to decorate mantels, windows and tables. We still do this at the First White House of the Confederacy, using magnolia, cedar, pine and holly. Cedar wreaths decorate our staircase this year.

The pre-war Southern Christmas menu usually consisted of baked ham, turkey, oysters and winter vegetables from the root cellar: squash, cabbage, sweet potatoes, carrots and apples. Preserves, pickles and relishes, breads, pies and pudding were also used. My grandmother always served ambrosia (she called it the "nectar of the gods").

Of course this bounty was no longer available during and after the war. Laughter turned to tears and festivities to gloom. The holiday most associated with family and home was a contradiction with men away fighting, some never to return. A way of life was "gone with the wind" forever, never to return.

Stonewall Jackson and his Christian Principles

2011-12-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

I wasn't able to find much written about religion during the War, except from the Northern point of view, and so I turned to one of my favorite characters, Stonewall Jackson. I found an interesting article about him on line, written by Stephen W. Sears, March 16, 1997, titled "Onward Christian Soldier".

The article is about what was then a new book on Stonewall Jackson by James I. Robertson, Professor at VPI. In discussing Jackson's religious faith, Robertson quotes one of Jackson's aides, James Power Smith: ''The religion of Stonewall Jackson will be the chief and most effective way into the secret spring of the character and career of this strong man.''

Robertson tells us:"Jackson was fanatical in his Presbyterian faith, and it energized his military thought and character. Theology was the only subject he genuinely enjoyed discussing. His dispatches invariably credited an ever-kind Providence. Assigning his fate to God's hands, he acted utterly fearlessly on the battlefield -- and expected the same of everyone else in Confederate gray. Jackson's God smiled South, blessing him with the strength of Joshua to smite the Amalekites without mercy."

Sears tells us: "Previous biographers have ignored or soft-pedaled this mercilessness in war, but Mr. Robertson underlines it as a source of Jackson's fierce battlefield leadership.

This fanatical religiosity had drawbacks. It warped Jackson's judgment of men, leading to poor appointments; it was said he preferred good Presbyterians to good soldiers. It branded him holier-than-thou, with an intolerance for others' frailties, and this spilled over onto the battlefield to generate truly senseless confrontations with his lieutenants."

One such, with General Hill, led Hill to rage at ''that crazy old Presbyterian fool'' and seek to escape from Jackson's command. Another lieutenant, reading in a Jackson dispatch that ''God blessed our arms with victory,'' remarked irreverently, ''I suppose it is true, but we would have had no victory if we hadn't fought like the devil!''

For Civil War buffs, Mr. Robertson provides plenty of debating points about Jackson's two most-discussed campaigns -- in the Shenandoah Valley in the spring of 1862 and, immediately afterward, in the Seven Days battle before Richmond. Here was Stonewall Jackson at his best, then at his worst. His.partnership with Lee reached its apogee at Chancellorsville - and then ended with shocking suddenness. Lee said it best: "I do not know how to replace him".

Christmas Music During The Civil War

2011-12-03T12:03:00.000-08:00

Although Christmas did not become an official holiday until five years after the Civil War ended, Wikipedia tells us that Carols, hymns and seasonal songs were sung during the Christmas season, 1861-1865.

If you enjoy Christmas music as much I do, you may be interested in the fact that some of the carols popular during the War are still sung today. Among these are "Deck the Halls", "Oh Come All Ye Faithful", and Mendelssohn's "Hark the Herald Angels sing" (1840),

American musical contributions to the season include "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" (1850), "Jingle Bells" (1857), "We Three Kings of Orient Are" (1857) and "up on the Housetop" (1860).

Longfellow wrote his pacifist poem, "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Bells" on Christmas Day 1864 after he herd his son had suffered severe wounds during the Mine Run Campaign. The poem was set to music by John Baptiste Calkin after 1872 and is in the established library of Christmas carols. Wikipedia says that Longfellow's carol does not include two stanzas from the original poem that focused on the war.

Mrs. Jefferson Davis Writes About Christmas

2011-12-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

/The following is from a newspaper clipping included among the Jefferson Davis papers at Rice University.It is by Varina Davis and appeared in the New York World on Sunday, December 13, 1896. She writes about Christmas in the South during the War.

She says: "For as Christmas season was ushered in under the darkest clouds, everyone felt the cataclysm which impended but the rosy, expectant faces of our little children were a constant reminder that self-sacrifice must be the personal offering of each member of the family. How to satisfy the children when nothing better could be done than the little makeshift attainable in the Confederacy was the problem of the older members of each household".

She goes on to talk about the missing ingredients for the "mince pie" which was a must for Christmas. In fact, the children considered that at least a slice of that much-coveted dainty was their right, and the price of indigestion paid for it was a debt of honor!!!

She says that the many excited housekeepers in Richmond had preserved all the fruits attainable, (including apples from the plenteous apple trees, and these were substituted for the time-honored raisins and currants. The brandy and cider were forthcoming. Hooray, Christmas would be a success!!!

Jefferson Davis Historic Sites

2011-11-28T06:55:00.000-08:00

From our "First White House of the Confederacy" booklet is a list of Jefferson Davis historic sites, compiled by Mrs.Napier. How many of these have you visited? We would enjoy your comments. I have been to several and would very much like to visit the others.

His birthplace at Fairview, Kentucky. House (gone), Obelisk built there as a shrine

His boyhood home, Rosemont Plantation, Woodville, MS

Brierfield Plantation, Warren County, near Vicksburg, MS (house gone)

Married to Varina Howell, at The Briers, Natchez MS

The First White House of the Confederacy, Montgomery AL

The Second White House in Richmond VA (they don't call it "second" but we do!)

Last Capitol of CSA in Danville, VA

Prison, Jefferson Davis Museum, the Casemate, Fortress Monroe, VA

Beauvoir in Biloxi MS, his final residence

Buried in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond VA.

Other museums include Old Court House Museum in Vicksburg; Confederate Memorial Hall Civil War Museum in New Orleans, Confederate Museum in Jefferson, LA and Stone Mountain Park, near Atlanta.

Chronology of Jefferson Davis's Sojourn in Montgomery

2011-11-27T13:39:00.000-08:00

The following was reported in the Montgomery Weekly Advertiser of 1861 and printed in The First White House of the Confederacy booklet written and edited by Cameron Freeman Napier, the fifth Regent of the White House Association. I paraphrase it briefly for your information, especially since we are "winding down" year one of the Sesquicentennial of The War Between The States.

Jan 11, 1861 - Alabama adopted the Ordinance of Secession from the Union

Feb 4 - Confederate States of American organized

Feb 8 - Provisional Constitutional Congress convened at State Capitol in Montgomery

Feb 9 - Jefferson Davis elected President of the CSA

Feb 10 - Jefferson Davis received telegram of his election at Brierfield Plantation, near Vicksburg

Feb 16 - Jefferson Davis arrived Montgomery, midnight train, took suite in Exchange Hotel

Feb 18 - At 1:00 P.M. Jefferson Davis inaugurated Provisional President of CSA

Feb 21 - Provisional Congress authorized lease of the Executive Mansion

March 2 - Mrs. Davis en route to Montgomery

March 4 - Mrs. Davis arrived and went to Executive Mansion to supervise renovations

March 11 - President and Mrs. Davis held a levee at the First White House

March 17 - Provisional Confederate Congress adjourned until second Monday in May

April 1 - Mrs. Davis returned to Brierfield to supplement the White House furnishings

April 10 - Beauregard given discretionary authority to "demand evacuation Fort Sumter or reduce it".

April 14 - Mrs. Davis returned to Montgomery with the children and certain household items.

April 24 - Description of the Davis' $ 1300 coach, ordered in New Orleans, reported in newspaper.

May 20 - Provisional Confederate Congress passed proclamation to move Capital to Richmond

May 24 - First bloodshed in the War Between the States occurred.

May 26 - President Davis left Montgomery

May 20 - President Davis arrived Richmond. Mrs. Davis remained to supervised packing.

June 15 - Mrs. Davis reported holding receptions at Spotswood Hotel in Richmond.

She was waiting to move into the old Brockenbrough House which would remain the permanent and last White House of the Confederacy.

Civil War Christmas Ornaments

2011-11-26T11:06:00.000-08:00

Last year I bought a Christmas Ornament of "The Gray Ghost" done by Mort Kunstler, as a fundraiser for Timber Ridge School in Winchester, VA. Mr. Kunstler's work is beautiful and I can't recommend enough that you go to the www.timber-ridge-school.org and buy one of these wonderful Civil War ornaments.

The special ornament for 2011 is "Mrs. Jackson comes to Winchester". This is the 16th year that the School has been producing an ornament and the 15th year the School has been partnering with Mr. Kunstler. Every dollar raised from the sale of the ornaments goes to Timber Ridge School for at-risk boys.

The Gray Ghost (last year's ornament) was John S. Mosby, a Confederate Cavalryman, 1833-1916. A limited supply of previous years' ornaments are available on the website.Please consider enhancing your own Christmas by helping this school in their endeavors. I assure you that you will enjoy your ornament for years to come. I know I am!

Jefferson Davis And His Place in History

2011-11-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

Hudson Strode, who wrote a sympathetic biography on Jefferson Davis, says:" Davis was a Jeffersonian Democrat, dedicated to the principle of States Rights under the Constitution. He had inherited his ideas on politics from his father and George Washington."

As the leading Southerner in Congress in the late 1850's, he struggled to save the Union and its federal principles as much as he later struggle to save the South. Hudson Strode quoted Horace Greeley, who in 1858 declared, "Mr. Davis is unquestionably the foremost man in the South today".

Though a reluctant secessionist himself, when the Southern States seceded in 1861, Jefferson Davis was the unanimous choice of the Confederate Convention for President. Professor Strode goes on to say:"Jefferson Davis was a President without precedent. He formed a brand new nation in the cauldron of a terrible war...It was far easier to be chief executive of a powerful, established country (Lincoln) than to create a nation with few resources but cotton and courage".

After Hudson Strode's understanding biography of Jefferson Davis appeared, Bruce Catton wrote: "Davis finally becomes a possession of the whole country and not just a section." Strode adds, The place of Jefferson Davis in American history as the first and only President of the Confederate States of America is unique."

Winston Groom Writing About Civil War Battles

2011-11-24T15:46:00.000-08:00

Winston Groom, famous for writing Forest Gump, was in Montgomery recently speaking at an event. Did you know that he has written a fine book about Confederate General John Bell Hood's audacious attempt to vanquish the Union on the western front during the final months of the War?

The name of the book is Shrouds of Glory with the subtitle "From Atlanta to Nashville, the Last Great Campaign of the Civil War." It is dedicated to his great-grandfather, who like many of ours, fought in the Confederate Army.

While Winston was in town promoting his newest book, Kearney's March, he told us he is in the process of doing one about the battle of Shiloh. He has also written a book about Vicksburg. It is so great to know that we have fine writers such as him, interested in writing about the War all these many years later.

Guests At The First Whie House of the Confederacy

2011-11-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

We enjoy all our visitors and are so thankful (on this Thanksgiving Day) for each and every one of them. Some are local, others from throughout Alabama and many others from other States and even from outside the United States.

I want especially to thank "Jim and Joy" for their recent visit from Pensacola and their taking the time to send in a comment. It was great to meet you both. Please come back soon!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Looking Back To The Civil War on Thanksgiving Day 2011

2011-11-23T15:59:00.000-08:00

Can we be thankful for that hateful and cruel war as we look back 150 years? Romans 8:28 says that "all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose".

What good could possibly come out of the death of 620,000 brave men, plus the destruction of a Country?Was the war right? Was secession justifiable? What about the slavery issue? So many questions bubble up when we try to look back to that time in history, forgetting that our vantage point is so different for theirs.

Yes, good came out of it: for one thing we are now and for always "one nation" again. That was proved by the triumph of the federal government. The slavery issue was settled too, although if the South had just waited, perhaps this could have been worked out without all the bloodshed, as was true in most of the rest of the world.

Unseen benefits: many came to Christ during the war. We will not know until we get to Heaven, how many conversions came as a result of the fear of imminent death, and of losing all one held onto so dearly.

Our Providential God does work in mysterious ways, but He works! I am thankful for the brave men and women on both sides who set a godly example for us, so long ago. We have much to live up to!

Devoted Christian Warrior Stonewall Jackson

2011-11-23T15:34:00.000-08:00

General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was well known as a devout Christian warrior. William L. Maughan writes "Christians still study his life of devotion to God in Christ".

Maughan writes that in every circumstance of life he saw the hand of God, and every victory that he won he ascribed to the Providence of God. Every morning and evening he held a brief prayer service in his tent.

Kate Cumming in her diary mentions comments upon Jackson's untimely death that it seemed reserved for his own men, much as Jephthah (in the Book of Judges) sacrificed his daughter.

Here is his advice to us: "The most important thing in the world is to know the will of God, and then to do it!"

Grey Gardens Connection with The First White House of the Confederacy

2011-11-17T14:59:00.000-08:00

Remember the book, movie and play on Broadway called Grey Gardens? Today I spent a while looking through our files about the connection between our first Regent, Mrs. Jesse Drew Beale and the two women of Grey Gardens "fame".

Our First White House archives tell how Mrs. Beale's son Phelan, a prominent New York attorney and sportsman, married Edith Ewing Bouvier, an aunt of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.The Beales acquired a house in East Hampton, NY, and among their children were a son, Phelan Jr., a son Bouvier Beale, and a daughter, Edith Bouvier Beale, "little Edie". The Beales were divorced in 1931 and for over 50 years the mother and daughter lived in the house, called Grey Gardens because of the color of the dunes, the cement garden walls and the sea mist!

By 1971-72 their eccentric lifestyle had led to unsanitary conditions in the house, which became infected with cats and racoons, fleas, no running water and garbage everywhere. Facing eviction, the mother and daughter were "rescued" by Jackie and her sister Lee, who together provided the money to keep the ladies from becoming homeless and the house from being torn down.

Big Edie died in 1977 and Little Edie sold it in 1979 with the understanding that it not be razed. It has now been restored by the new owners. Little Edie died in 2002. A far cry from Montgomery, Alabama, and the First White House, but what an interesting connection!

Restorations at the First White House of the Confederacy

2011-11-14T16:16:00.000-08:00

A carpenter friend told me today that he had not come to my house because he had been at someone's home working since August. He said "the house is really old, built in the 20's". I thought "little do you know. What about the First White House, built in the 30's" (the 1830's that is!!!).

And that made me think about the restorations (face-lifts as it were) that the Home in which Jefferson Davis lived for a time, has undergone, the first that I know of, coming before the Davises ever came to Montgomery. That was in 1855 when Colonel Winter renovated the two-story Federal frame house to the then fashionable Italianate style. He added the front portico and closed in the rear porch.

The second restoration came in 1921 when the house was skillfully dismantled by thirds, moved, reassembled, restored and presented to the people of the State of Alabama.

Fifty years later it was in need of major repair again. The second floor had been restricted to no more than eight visitors. The work began as a Bicentennial project in April of 1976. On December 10 of that same year the first White House of the Confederacy reopened with elegant fanfare!!!

The next work was begun in 1996 with both federal and state money. This included lead paint removal. The end result was the 1996-97 Restoration! And yet again, in 2007 we had another major overhaul, this time with the heating and air conditioning units. Are you getting tired yet? I think I am!!!

Trip to Beauvoir and Confederate Memorial Hall

2011-11-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

Last week we motored down to the "Big Easy" where the living is good, despite all that Katrina tried to do to make it otherwise. On the way we visited Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis's retirement home on the Miss Gulf Coast at Biloxi. It is just a short detour off the road to New Orleans and so worth the trip.

It is absolutely beautiful and now shows no damage from either Katrina or the many other hurricanes it has endured in its long life. The guide who took us through did a delightful job. They are rebuilding the Presidential Library and it will be ready soon. We met Richard Forte, Interim Director which was an added plus.

While in New Orleans we visited the Confederate Memorial Hall Civil War Museum, which is right across the street from the World War II Museum (location, location, location!)

Memorial Hall is the oldest operating museum in Louisiana. Thomas Sully designed it and it is a wonderful structure. It houses one of the largest collection of Civil War artifacts, and they are so nicely displayed. There are a number of things that belonged to Jefferson Davis, and that was especially fun to see. We enjoyed meeting Director Patricia.

Did I mention we went down to the French Quarter? Of course, no visit to New Orleans is complete without that!!!

What If Jefferson Davis Had Been Assassinated ?

2011-10-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

I was just wondering, what if Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of American, had been assassinated? Thanks to the Providence of God, he was not brutally murdered like Lincoln, Garfield, Kennedy and so many other notable men.

But this being said, his character certainly was assassinated, wasn't it? He was arrested, accused of treason, put in prison and treated very harshly. His citizenship, his home (temporarily) and his fortune were all taken away.

He was never brought to trial, because if he had, it would have been proved by the Constitution, that the South had the right to secede. After two years he was released on a $ 100,000 bail bond, signed by 20 prominent (mostly Northern) men. By then, he was virtually a broken man, but he had borne all his difficulties with dignity as befit the true Southern Gentleman that he was.

I have shared before, that after the war, he was like "the man without a country" on so many levels. It was Jimmy Carter (I shared this before too) who restored his citizenship.

In a sense (only a sense of course), he seems to me to have been in so many ways "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" as Isaiah describes the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course Davis was only a man, not a Savior, but guess what? Jefferson Davis had a personal relationship with the Man who Is Our Savior, and that is what makes all the difference!!!

Removing Confederate Flag From Capitol

2011-10-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

I had asked in a previous blog about the removal of the Confederate Battle flag from the Capitol Dome. My friend and White House Association member Sue read this and has sent me information from the Montgomery Independent (May 31, 2007), regarding the removal of the Confederate flag. Note: this information is just from part one of a three part report.

Background: George Wallace had been the one who first flew the Battle flag above the State Capitol, and it was flown from 1963 through the early 1990's. (Until 1963 only the state flag had been flown above the Capitol.)

It remained there until Governor Jim Folsom, Jr., made the decision to not put it back up (it had been removed because of a restoration project at the Capitol). It is important to note that there was no significant hue and cry when the flag was removed.

Folsom's decision was made much easier because civic leaders had concluded that the Battle flag was a detriment to the state's economic development efforts! They were entirely right in this conclusion.

The article specifically mentions some titans, Mayor Folmar, Governor Folsom, Richard Amberg, Jr., Wayne Greenhaw and especially General Will Hill Tankersley. These were the men who decided to "lead the charge to change the status quo image of our city and state". Thank you, gentlemen!!!

The four Confederate flags are now where they should be, around the beautiful Confederate Monument on the north side of the Capitol grounds.

Jefferson Davis Statue Made By Frederick Hibbard, Master Sculptor

2011-10-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I mentioned Jefferson Davis's statute on the grounds of the Alabama State Capitol. It was sculpted by Frederick Hibbard, born in 1881, who as a child, worked with the clay on the banks of the Mississippi River. There he sculpted some of his favorite animals. The clay ignited his fascination for the art of sculpture, according to Wikepedia, from which I found this information.

One of Hibbard's first major successes came when he was selected by the UDC to erect a monument on the battlefield at Shiloh. He said later:"This monument was erected in memory of the 10,000 Confederate soldiers who fell in the Battle of Shiloh. The subject was a difficult one, for the Battle of Shiloh did not result in a Confederate victory. I went weeks studying Civil War history and biography, deciding at last to use symbolic figures typifying the reasons for the defeat." This monument was dedicated in 1917.

Soon after this, he did an equestrian statue of U.S.Grant (boo) for Vicksburg. The requirement was that he should be depicted as he was during the Siege of Vicksburg. Hibbard said "I could not fulfill the latter requirement because the General wore a blouse and his pants were over his boots. Had he been made in sculpture during the siege, he would have looked like a rooster with its tail feathers pulled out and spurs cut off."

The Sculptor's impressive career spanned almost a half century from 1904 until 1948. One of his masterpieces is a twelve-foot statue of Jefferson Davis, in Frankfort, Kentucky. In 1940 a second statue of Jefferson Davis was unveiled - ours in Montgomery, Alabama, the birthplace of the Civil War.

Jefferson Davis Statue On "Goat Hill"

2011-10-26T06:42:00.000-07:00

At the UDC convention of 1935 plans were approved to proceed with placing a statue of Jefferson Davis on the State Capitol grounds in Montgomery, the first Capitol of the Confederacy.

The proposal read as follows: "The projected Jefferson Davis Statue would be of heroic size and would cost not more than $20,000. The delegates suggested to the chapters that funds for procuring the monument be obtained by per capita assessment of 50 cents on the 40,981 members of the national organization. Mrs. John L Woodbury, new president-general was empowered to appoint a committee to seek approval of the Alabama Legislature at its next session for the memorial."

The Sculptor was Frederick C. Hibbard of Chicago and I will talk about him in my next blog. The statue is indeed a thing of beauty and I know all Southerners are grateful for the foresight of these ladies and the monetary sacrifices they made to get this to happen. 50 cents was alot of money back then!

How The Star Came To Mark The Spot Where Jefferson Davis Stoood...

2011-10-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

A delightful story has been sent by SueB, one of our Board members who has forgotten more Southern History than anyone else has ever learned. It is about the "Star". First to give credit, it is by Mrs. Charles Duncan of Montgomery and appeared in the August 1955 United Daughters of the Confederacy Magazine.

The Federal troops occupying Montgomery after the War were very annoying, especially a particular captain. Making his rounds he knocked on a Mrs. Janney's front door. The housekeeper was out and she answered the door, holding a wet plate and drying cloth in her hands. The captain said "so the dainty southern lady has to get down to menial labors of the servants." She retorted, "when you come to look over our premises, go to the back door with all the other Yankees...if you don't go now, I'll break this plate over your head".

Many years later Mr. & Mrs. Janney were visiting a swanky resort in the north and met "the captain" yet again. They remembered each other. He said..."you couldn't possibly be the little fire eating rebel who wanted to break a plate over my head?" She said, "so you are that horrible Yankee" !!! They both laughed.

He asked what she had done to memorialize the dead, and she said "nothing, but since you are so good on making suggestions, what would you do?" He said, "you haven't marked where your illustrious Jefferson Davis walked or stood? Why don't you mark the spot where he took his oath of office as President of the Confederate States of America with a star?"

And that's "the rest of the story"! By the way, Mrs. Janney was the aunt of Mrs. Duncan, who wrote the article from which I have written this abbreviated tale. Thanks, Sue!!!

Running From The Battle, Yankees In Hot Pursuit

2011-10-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

I came across an account by Pvt John Johnston, 14th Tenn Cavalry, in one of our library books at the First White House of the Confederacy, the "Journal of Confederate History, Volume 1, Summer 1988" that was quite fascinating. I will share a brief portion of it with you today, from his account of the Battle of Nashville.

He talked about how quickly the time passes while engaged in battle, so that he did not know how long the fight lasted, but suddenly the whole line broke, and went to pieces like a rope of sand. He says: "We now ran back to our horses as fast as we could, every man for himself...most of us made it to our horses in safety..The Yankees were firing at us from behind and all was excitement and confusion. I had great difficulty in mounting my wiry little sorrel as he was very restless and my feet were clogged with mud.

When I had gained my saddle and was about to ride away, John Holden, a boy from Somerville, Tenn. called to me and said his horse was gone. I told him to get behind me and I would take him off..."

It took several tries before John was able to mount, and by this time all their men had disappeared, but over to the right they saw the enemy. They managed to slip by them and then they saw a loose horse which his friend managed to catch and mount.

John goes on to say: "all the shouting and clamor had ceased and we rode quietly and undisturbed down this road for a mile or more when much to my surprise...we saw our infantry marching down it (the Franklin Pike) quietly, but apparently disorganized. Just then the clouds broke and the moon shed a brilliant light over the scene. While I sat my horse and saw this long line of infantry passing my heart sank within me, for, for the first time, I FELT MY CAUSE WAS LOST."

Jefferson Davis Lies In State In Montgomery

2011-10-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

This week someone sent us and we circulated via email a wonderful photo of Jefferson Davis's casket being taken from the train station to the Capitol building where he lay in state on the way from New Orleans to Richmond. Then one of our White House Association Board members sent us an account from the L&N Magazine, 1955 as follows:

"As the funeral train arrived in Montgomery and stopped near Molton Street shortly after six a.m., on May 29, a violent rainstorm burst over the city - weather relented and at 8:30 that morning the funeral cortege moved to the capitol building as scheduled. Six black horses drew the platform bearing the casket, and a covering of purple and gold lent a colorful note to the otherwise somber scene. En route up Dexter Avenue, two columns of infantry marched alongside. Somewhere, a cannon fired."

The article then describes the scene inside the Capitol. "The casket was placed in front of the bench in the supreme court room. Over the right exit was the word 'Monterrey' and over the left, 'Buena Vista,' names of two famous battles in which Jefferson Davis had so gallantly figured before the days of the 'Lost Cause'. "

"All businesses and schools closed, and church bells tolled during the procession to and from the capitol. In final tribute, thousands of people of Montgomery, including many ex-solders and school children, filed by the casket."

At 12:20 p.m., about an hour and 20 minutes late, the funeral train departed over the Western Railway of Alabama..."

The photo is now of our website, www.firstwhitehouse.org. /Click the heading Jefferson Davis, and then Jefferson Davis's death to see it.

The Daughter of the Confederacy - Winnie Davis

2011-10-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

Varina Anne "Winnie" Davis (1864-1898) was the second daughter and sixth child, of Jefferson and Varina Howell Davis. The youngest, she was the only one who was allowed to visit her father in Fort Monroe with her mother, during his two years of imprisonment following the War.

In her early years she was home schooled, and then sent to Germany to study at the age of twelve, where she stayed for more than five years. Later she attending boarding school in Paris. Interestingly, in later years, she wrote a biography in which she declared it folly to send children to Europe to be educated. Wow, I was just thinking how much fun that must have been, oh well.

On a visit in Atlanta in 1886, the Governor anointed her as"The Daughter of the Confederacy". This title stuck and she became an icon for Confederate Veteran groups. Along with her aging father, she made public appearances and speeches and acted as his representative.

She was engaged once, to a man from NYC. When she announced her engagement to the "Yankee" an outcry in the South dampened the romance and it soon ended. In 1891 she and her widowed mother moved to New York where they worked as correspondents for the New York World paper.

She died at the age of 34 of malaria and was buried with military honors in Richmond, next to her Father's grave.

Jefferson Davis Returns To Montgomery

2011-10-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

On "Times Gone By" a History of Montgomery, Alabama, on face book, there is an interesting article from the 1937 Advertiser: Mark Young Give To Fund For Jefferson Davis Statue"

I quote from the article: "Mr. Young recalled yesterday that on two of Jefferson Davis's visits to Montgomery he was paraded up Dexter Avenue in a carriage drawn by four beautiful white horses.But when he returned as a corpse they used four black horses to bear the body to the capitol. In that procession Mr. Young marched beside the bier and near the depot he cut some of the fringe from the cover to keep as a sacred possession."

It goes on to say: "Rebuked by a guard or officer, his heart was gladdened a moment later when Miss Winnie Davis, daughter of the beloved president, assured him he had done no wrong, and that her father had loved everybody in Montgomery".

The photograph of the bier being carried up Dexter Avenue (then Market Street) is on our website. To view, just go to www.firstwhitehouse.org and at the home page click on Jefferson Davis tab and then under that, Jefferson Davis's Death. It is a fine tribute to a most worthy gentleman, our beloved President of the Confederate States of America!

A Generous Gift To The First White House of the Confederacy

2011-10-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

Just read those famous words by Scarlett: "Fiddle-Dee-Dee! War. war. war, this war talk is spoiling all the fun at ever party this spring. I get so bored I could scream". That got me thinking (dangerous).

Then in the mail came "The Statutes At Large of the Confederate States of America", an 1864 manuscript generously donated to the First White House of the Confederacy by our good Southern friend, Richard Bowers in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

He has given this manuscript in memory of Whittington Lee Bowers, Richard's beloved Grandson, who was the Great-Great Grandson of four Confederate soldiers: Major William H Foute I, Army of Northern Virginia, Captain W. H Foute II, 17th VA. Infantry, Pvt.Joshua Ramsay, 11th North Carolina, and Sgt. Russell J. Bates Phillip Lage, Georgia Calvary. (I may have misspelled some names).

Richard, we appreciate this so much and will place it with reverence and devotion in the Relic Room at the FWH. This is a valuable treasure, that Richard found in a Civil War Shop and purchased for us.

On the front it says: "Passed at the Fourth Session of the First Congress; 1863-4. Richmond" I may add it is in mint condition. Richard and all, come to visit us and see it proudly displayed.

The Field Officers Who Served Under Robert E. Lee

2011-10-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

From the News From The Cradle, the SCV newsletter put out by Cradle of the Confederacy Camp # 692 edited by George Gale, came an interesting article, Lee's Colonels, by Robert K. Krick.

He says 422 field officers, under Robert E. Lee in the Army of Northern Virginia were killed in action during the War Between the States. Another 52 died of accidents or disease, meaning 24% of the men in the field officer category under Lee were lost during the war.

The 1480 or so who survived the war lived longer than might have been assumed. Death dates were found for two-thirds of them. It was not until 1898 that half of them had died. That was the year Jefferson Davis died as well. And interestingly, Hitler was preparing to absorb Poland when Stephen P. Halsey, the "last of the breed", finally died on the eve of an infinitely different war.

Lee's officers lived on an average to be about 70 years of age. Many seemed to have met violent deaths. Some died of gunfights, murders, or duels, and others of accidents. The post-war South was obviously a dangerous time in which to live. But at least they had survived the WAR!

New Book By Eddie Pattillo

2011-10-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to share that Edward Pattillo (a great friend of the First White House of the Confederacy) has a new book coming out very soon. The name of the book is "Carolina Planters On The Alabama Frontier"

The Alabama Department of Archives and History will have a Book Talk for Eddie at noon on Thursday, December 8th in their auditorium. Eddie will talk about the book and sign autographs. I want everyone to know about it, and I especially hope the ladies of the White House Association of Alabama will come and support Eddie and buy his book.

Please put this date on your calendar and circle it in red. I hope to see all of you there for this book which has been a long time in the making (7-1/2 years). Wow. Congratulations, Eddie!!!

Jefferson Davis's Portable Writing Desk

2011-10-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

A good friend has offered the First White House a wonderful portable lap desk that is said to have belonged to the President, and was given by Mrs. Davis to our friend's great-grandmother. This is very exciting because we are now only accepting items that either belonged to the Davis family, or things that are original to the House and this is a rare find indeed.

The outside is leather over wood and needs a bit of conservation, but until that is undertaken we will put it in a locked cabinet in the Relic Room, so that people can see it, but can't "travel" with it! I wish it could talk, because I can just imagine the stories it could tell, can't you?

We are very grateful to our generous friends for donating this fine piece of history to our Museum.

Families Divided By The War

2011-10-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

The "Civil War" divided not only the nation but many individual families. It is only too true that the conflict pitted brother against brother. Four of Lincoln's brothers-in-law served in the Confederate army.

Henry Clay, dead by the time of the war, had grandsons who fought on both sides. John Crittenden, a U.S. Senator from Kentucky , who tired to prevent the war in 1860 with a compromise known as the Crittenden Plan, had sons clad in both blue and gray.

Dr. Thomas R. Turner, in 101 Things You Didn't Know about the Civil War says it was rare for relatives to end up facing each other in battle, though there are numerous stories of wartime encounters. He says that some are "clearly apocryphal". One he does mention was of Major A.M. Lea, part of the Confederate force that captured the USS Harriet Lane in a naval battle off Galveston, Texas. When Lea's party boarded the Union ship, he found his son - a Union lieutenant - dying on its deck.

According to Dr. Turner, the duel between the Confederate ironclad Virginia and the Union ironclad Monitor had a family connection. McKean Buchanan, the brother of Virginia commander Franklin Buchanan, was aboard a Union ship sunk during the battle.

Do you know of any stories like that about the War? If so, we would love your comments below.

Beauvoir and Hurricane Katrina

2011-10-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

On August 29 (my birthday), 2005, Beauvoir was nearly destroyed by damage from Hurricane Katrina.

Fortunately the home has been restored, and was reopened on June 3, 2008. The Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum and other outbuildings are still being rebuilt.

Varina Howell Davis's diamond and emerald wedding ring, one of the few valuable possessions she had managed to keep after the war and all the struggles they encountered, had been housed in the Museum at Beauvoir. It was one of the items lost in the hurricane.

Amazingly, it was found on the grounds a few months later! What an incredible occurrence, considering all the damage that was done and all the things people lost.

I am looking forward to visiting Beauvoir very soon, and will give a full report when I get back

What Became Of Varina After Jefferson's Death?

2011-10-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

Jefferson Davis died in 1889. According to Wikepedia, Varina completed an autobiographical writing he had begun and published as Jefferson Davis, A Memoir, but it did not sell well. She then accepted an invitation from the Pulitzers to become a full time columnist and she and Winnie moved to New York City in 1891 where they pursued literary careers.

They took rooms at a series of residential hotels. In 1902 she sold Beauvoir to the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for $10,000 to be used as a Confederate Veterans' home. (She had turned down larger offers from real estate developers).

She offended many Southerners by her move to NYC and also by the friends she made, particularly the widow of former general and president Ulysses S. Grant. He was anathema to the South (remember the bumper sticker that says "forget, hell"?)

The greatest tragedy of her later years was the death of her beloved daughter Winnie in 1898. Nevertheless, she continue to write for the newspaper and to appear socially until poor health forced her to retire and she was no longer able to go out. She died at age 80 in her room at the Hotel Majestic on October 16, 1906. The Hotel, via daughter Margaret's direction, sent us her furniture and we have it upstairs in our "New York Bedroom". It is quite lovely, and we are blessed to have it and to know that those pieces were her's.

The Davis Children

2011-10-05T06:21:00.000-07:00

When Jefferson Davis and his family left Montgomery for Richmond, they had already lost one child, Samuel Emory Davis, (born 7-30-1852 and died 6-30-1854 at age two). They moved with their three living children, Margaret, born 2-25-1855, Jefferson, Jr., born 1-16-1857, and Joseph Evan, born 4-18-1859, to the Second White House.

They were soon joined by William, born 12-16-1861, and Varina Anne (Winnie), born 6-27-1864, both at the Second White House. Under "The Museum of the Confederacy website" we read: "Visitors to the home were likely to hear ringing laughter and screams of bedlam from the playing children, who were infamous for having unbridled spirits and unbroken wills".

Tragically, Joseph, died from a fall from the east portico on April 30, 1864. In tbe decades following, three more Davis children died of disease. William died on 10-16-1872 at age 11 of yellow fever. Jeff Jr., died 10-16-1878 at age 21 of yellow fever, and Winnie died on 9-18-1898 at age 34 of pneumonia.

Only one daughter, Margaret, survived her parents and had children of her own. She too, died at an early age however. President Davis died on 12-6-1889 of pneumonia and Varina Howell Davis died on 10-16-1906 at age 80 of unknown causes.

It seems strange that both parents lived to be so much older than Margaret, who died 7-18-1909 at age 54. She only outlived her mother by three years. Looking at their lives it does seem they all had many trials and heartaches. Life was just not easy in those days. Is it today, do you think?

Jefferson Davis, The Real Man Without A Country

2011-10-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

Jefferson Davis was one of the most admired man of his time before the War Between the States. His background included service in the Army, bravery and acclaim in the Mexican War, terms as a Representative and then a Senator in congress, and a stint as Secretary of War.

He struggled to save the Union, but when Mississippi seceded, he resigned his Senate seat and then accepted the Presidency of the Confederate Government. He helped form a new nation, while at war. He worked day and night to save the Confederacy, just as earlier he has sought to save the Union.

After the collapse of the Confederacy, Davis was imprisoned at Fortress Monroe. He waited for two years to vindicate the Southern cause, but the Federal Government never brought him to trial for treason, because it feared it would be proved that the South had the right to secede.

After the war, he was truly a man without a country, with no livelihood, no salary and no home, as it had been seized by Union troops in 1862.Along with thousands of others, he had gambled all and lost all. With a wife and young children to provide for, he lived in Canada and England, hoping to find a suitable job. Finally in 1869 he agreed to be president of a Middle Tennessee life insurance company and lived there until the 1870's.

His fortunes changed when a longtime admirer Sarah Ellis Dorsey offered him a cottage on her seaside estate near Biloxi as a place to write his memoirs of the war. There Jefferson Davis was home at last. The property became his when Ms. Dorsey died. In November, 1889 he fell ill at Brierfield and died in New Orleans. Before 200,000 people he was interred in Metairie Cemetery, and in 1893, re-interred in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital identified with his most famous political years.

Our Heroes, Let Us Never Forget

2011-10-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

On the bureau in the "Cabinet Bedroom" upstairs in the First White House is a photo of John Pelham, one of our heroes, so much so that he is called the "Gallant Pelham". Honestly I think every man who served was a hero, but some we must never forget.

Pelham fought with such valor and dedication for the Confederacy, finally giving his life for her, so that he has become symbolic of Alabama fighting men in all wars.

He resigned from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1861, just weeks before graduation, in order to return to Alabama and enter the Confederate Army. He was involved in every major military campaign of J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry from First Manassas to Kelly's Ford, more than 60 encounters.

He particularly distinguished himself at Sharpsburg and Fredericksburg. Jackson wrote of him: With a Pelham on each flank, I believe I could whip the world". Lee praised "the gallant Pelham" in his report after Fredericksburg.

At Kelly's Ford on March 17, 1863, Pelham participated in a cavalry charge and was struck in the head by an exploding Union artillery shell. He died the next morning. Such is the way of War. What a loss. All we can say is "oh, if only..."

Richard Taylor, Brother of Jefferson Davis's First Wife

2011-09-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

When I read about the end of The Wah recently, the name Richard Taylor caught my eye. I knew he was Sarah Knox Taylor Davis's brother and the son of Zachery Taylor. I wanted to know more.

He was evidently a very talented soldier like his father and brother-in law. When war erupted, Taylor was asked by Braxton Bragg to help him organize and train the Confederate forces that were sent to Pensacola. He rose through the ranks quickly, was made a colonel, and served at First Manassas.

By October, 1861 he had been made brigadier general and commanded a Louisiana brigade under Richard Ewell. Some thought it was favoritism, because of Taylor's relationship with Davis. Instead, Davis countered that he was recommended for the promotion by General Jackson himself.

Taylor was promoted to the rank of major general on July 28, 1862, the youngest major general in the Confederacy at the time.He served brilliantly throughout the duration of the war.

In the last days of the war, he was given command of Alabama and Mississippi, and after John Bell Hood's disastrous campaign, Taylor was given command of the Army of Tennessee. He surrendered his department at Citronelle Alabama, the last major Confederate force remaining east of the Mississippi on May 8, 1865.

Nathan Bedford Forrest said about him: "If we'd had more like him, we would have licked the Yankees long ago"!!! Would that we had.

Montgomery During THE WAH

2011-09-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

We are very excited that we are close to printing a booklet by General John H. Napier, III about Montgomery during the Civil War. This article originally appeared in the April 1988 issue of the Alabama Review and will be used by permission.

It takes the reader from the beginning when Jefferson Davis wrote his wife, Varina, that "Montgomery was a 'gay and handsome town' that would not be an unpleasant residence" all the way to the end of the War when Wilson's Raiders swept down from Selma to Montgomery.

On April 11, 1865, General Adams issued orders to burn 88,000 bales of cotton stored in Montgomery to keep it from Yankee hands, although the war was apparently lost. Miraculously the city was not destroyed, thanks to the heroism of the local fire company.

According to General Napier one die-hard secessionist ninety-one year old had sworn that she would rather die than see the Yankees enter Montgomery, and she got her wish, dying on April 11 as the sky glowed red with flames from burning cotton.

I am sure there are many such stories and we are so glad General Napier has written this down for the First White House of the Confederacy to share with others.

Little Known Facts About Jefferson Davis's First Wife

2011-09-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Many people do not know that Varina Howell Davis was Jefferson's second wife but if you are a consistent reader of this blog you know that he was married first to Sarah Knox Taylor, the daughter of Zachery Taylor.

Unfortunately, Knox died after contracting malaria three months after she and Jefferson were married, while they were visiting Jefferson's sister on her Locust Grove Plantation. Knox is buried in the Locust Grove Historical Cemetery in West Feliciana Parish, La. (see yesterday's blog). The cemetery is tiny with 27 graves.

Dr. Benjamin Davis, brother of Jefferson Davis is buried here. It is a peaceful looking place. You can see pictures of it if you google Sarah Knox Taylor or Locust Grove Plantation. Her original grave was made of brick. Sometime after 1920 her grave was covered with stone and the engraving added.

This came about after an attempt by the United Confederate Veterans to remove her remains to a spot beside her husband in Richmond. I don't think Varina would have liked that too much!

It is said that Jefferson had a miniature portrait of Sarah Knox with him when he was arrested. We have the miniature in our relic room at the First White House. I don't know if the story is true or not, but the person who gave us the miniature, says that it is!

The Homes Of Jefferson Davis

2011-09-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

Jefferson Davis is so famous that the places he lived are documented, unlike probably you and me!

His first home was in Fairview Ky but while still a small child he moved with his family to Woodville, Miss. Their plantation home was called Rosemont and can still be visited today (google it).

His first wife Sarah Knox Taylor died while they were visiting his sister at their plantation, Locust Grove in West Feliciana Parish, La. Later, when he and Varina Howell of Natchez (The Briars) married, they settled on their plantation Brierfield, on Davis Bend near Vicksburg.(no longer there unfortunately).

While serving in Congress they lived in Washington but of course kept their plantation. When the War came, they moved to Montgomery and lived at the First White House during the spring of 1861, and after that, the Second White House in Richmond. Visit both First and Second WH, both wonderful!!!

After the War and his imprisonment, he visited Canada and traveled in Europe as well as Britain. He lived in Memphis for a time, and in 1877 moved to Beauvoir where he wrote his memoirs. He died in New Orleans after a trip to Brierfield. Beauvoir restored after Hurricane Katrina, happily again open to the public. I plan to visit soon.

Who Really Designed The First Confederate Flag?

2011-09-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

Short answer to the question - we really don't know! We thought all these years that Nichola Marschall, a renown artist who was originally from Prussia, but who migrated to Marion, Alabama, designed the Confederate Uniform and the Flag.

The claim is made that Mrs. Napoleon Lockett, who lived in Marion came to him and asked if he would design a flag and uniform; the information we have says that he did, and both flag and uniform were accepted.

But Bob Bradley, Curator with the State Dept of Archives, says "not so"!!! Guess its like Betsy Ross and the First Stars and Stripes, did she or didn't she? If not her, then who?

Our interest in all of this is intensified because we have two marvelous portraits in the Second Parlor of the First White House of the Confederacy, a self-portrait of him and one he did of his wife, Mattie Eliza Marshall Marschall..We also have a portrait of Mrs. Napoleon Lockett, hanging in the dining room at present. Come and see them!!!

The Jefferson Davis Family Bible, Stolen And Returned

2011-09-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

When the Davis family left their plantation home, Brierfield, to move first to Montgomery, and then to Richmond during the war, they left behind most of their possessions, including the treasured family Bible. We don't know if Mrs. Davis moved the Bible from the main house before she left, or if one of the servants moved it later for safekeeping, but the Bible waited out the war in a shanty near the big house.

That is where it lay when the Yankees marched into Vicksburg, cocky and sure of victory. According to journalist H.C. Reed of Delaware, Ohio, and Cameron F. Napier, Honorary Regent for Life of the White House Association of Alabama, this is what happened next.

A young Union sergeant named Charles Smith found the brown Bible in its shanty hiding place. He reportedly presented the confiscated Bible to Dr. Plynn a. Willis, his commander in the 48th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Commander Willis was a surgeon from a prominent Ohio family. Dr. Willis took the Bible home to his family after the war. Sadly, he died of pneumonia in 1876 at the age of 39.

A half century later, his younger brother, Rollin K. Willis, then 83 years of age and the president of the Delaware Board of Education, sent Jefferson and Varina's brown Bible back to their former home in Montgomery. Here it remains, on the center table in the 2nd parlor of the First White House of the Confederacy, under the watchful eye of the ladies of the White House Association and the WH Receptionists. People are astonished when they hear the story of the "lost and then found again" stately family Bible. We are most grateful to the gentleman who returned it to us. What a treasure!

History Is A Teaching Tool And Tourism A Contribution To Economic Growth

2011-09-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

I read an article last week quoting Richmond resident Leighton Powell, executive director of a magazine called Scenic Virginia. Here is what he says about Richmond, and I think this is applicable to Montgomery and other southern cities as well.

"The whole race issue has held us back for so long because nobody wanted to talk about it." Then he added: "Now everybody's getting on board, realizing you can't hide history, you can't pretend it didn't happen. But if you do it the right way, it can become a teaching tool, and if you do tourism right, it can pay for everything you need in this city."

At the First White House we strive to attract more and more visitors to the River Region and to encourage them to include our attraction on their itineraries. This helps all venues in the immediate area because if tourists come to downtown Montgomery they are going to visit various museums. We must never forget that Montgomery is home to both the Civil Rights movement and the Civil War movement.

Our city is unique and has much history to share with people. We have the best of the old and the best of the new in Montgomery and we at the First White House of the Confederacy are eager to share the story of Jefferson Daivs, a renowned American patriot, and his family, as well as the story of the preservation of the House.

Words Memorializing Varina Howell Davis

2011-09-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I quoted the words written on the front and back of the stature of Jefferson Davis memorializing him. Words are also written on either side of the stature which I think you will find most interesting as they are about Varina.

On one side we read: Sacred to the Memory of Varina Howell Davis Beloved and Faithful Wife of Jefferson Davis And Devoted Mother of His children. "Her Children Arise Up and Call Her Blessed; Her Husband Also And He Praiseth Her."

And then the words: "She Stretcheth Out Her Hand To The Poor; Yea She Reacheth Forth Her Hands To The Needy." Give Her Of The Fruit Of Her Hands, And Let Her Own Works Praise Her In The Gates

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These verses of course are from Proverbs 31 about a virtuous woman. More about this remarkable wife and mother is written on the other side.

There we read: Erected By Margaret Howell Davis Hayes The Devoted Daughter of Jefferson and Varina Howell Davis In the Yer of Our Lord 1907. "Whom God Hath Joined Together Let No Man Put Asunder." "Lord Keep Their Memories Green."

Margaret, dutiful and loving daughter that you were, thanks to you for the memories that have been "kept green."

Who Is Buried With Jefferson Davis?

2011-09-15T04:54:00.000-07:00

In searching the Internet for information on Margaret on Monday I found photographs of Hollywood Cemetery where Jefferson Davis is buried. It brought back memories of the afternoon we visited his grave, which is a very peaceful place overlooking the river.

Varina and Jefferson lie side by side. Also in the plot are the remains of Joseph, their son who died in a fall off the balcony at 2nd White House in Richmond at age five; Varina Anne (Winnie), their youngest daughter, and Margaret Howell Davis Hayes, their oldest daughter and her husband.

There is a magnificent stature of President Davis and on it two plaques. The one in the front reads: Jefferson Davis At Rest. An American Soldier. And Defender Of The Constitution. Born In Christian Co. Kentucky June 3. 1808. Died At New Orleans Louisiana Dec.6.1889. West Point Class 1828.

Member House of Representatives From Mississippi.1845-1846.

Col. 1st Missi. Rifles Mexican War 1846-1847. Brigadier Gen. U.S. Army May 17.1847.

U.S. Senate 1847-1851. Secretary of War 1853-1857. U.S. Senate 1857-1861.

And the plaque on the back reads: President Of The Confederate States Of America. 1861-1865.

Faithful To All Trusts. A Martyr To Principle. He Lived And Died The Most Consistent Of American Soldiers And Statesmen. Blessed Are They Which Are Persecuted For Righteousness Sake For Theirs Is The Kingdom Of Heaven. Erected By His Wife Varina Howell Davis. And His Daughter Margaret Howell Davis Hayes. Nov. 9. 1899.

Tomorrow I will tell you about the marker for Varina.

Old Cahawba and The Land Of Cotton

2011-09-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

I read recently how much cotton was worth during the Confederacy. Goodness gracious, no wonder there was a war. Do you think that most cataclysmic events have as their root greed? Think about it.

Yesterday I attended a meeting and luncheon designed to raise funds for Old Cahawba, the site of the first Capitol of Alabama. It was cotton that put Cahawba on the map, but devastation left by the invading Yankee troops pretty much wiped out the South's cotton crop, and with it, Cahawba, with all it's hopes and dreams.

But the proponents of Cahawba say that it has a story to tell, one involving "rise, decline and renewal, a story worth telling and preserving." Hats off to this great effort. It will be a noble venture. Like the First White House, Cahawba was the First Capitol. No one can ever take that away.

Margaret Howell Davis Hayes, Daughter of Jefferson & Varina Davis

2011-09-13T15:31:00.000-07:00

Are you as interested as I am in the Davis family? I always find it so sad that of the six children of Varina and Jefferson, only one, Margaret lived to marry, bear children and outlive her parents.

Born in Washington in 1855 Margaret was the eldest of the surviving children (Samuel, the firstborn, died in 1854). She was known as both Polly (or Pollie) and Maggie. She was a great favorite of her father's. Maggie began her studies with a tutor at the Second White House in Richmond, and was enrolled in schools in Montreal, London, Paris and Baltimore as the family moved about after the war.

Like her parents, she was made of "sterner stuff". After she married J. Addison Hayes in Memphis in 1876, her brother Jeff Jr. came to live with them in 1878 when he contracted yellow fever. Margaret risked her own life to care for her dying brother.

Four of the five Hayes children lived to adulthood. The family moved to Colorado Springs in 1885 and as her husband rose in city banking circles Margaret became involved with charitable causes and was a leading member of local society, according to Internet information which was taken from Rice University: The Papers of Jefferson Davis..

Maggie died in 1909 at the age of 54 and her ashes were taken by her husband and children to Richmond to be interred with the Davis family at Hollywood Cemetery. I have been there and seen her marker.

Musings About The War

2011-09-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

Just a few comments about things Southern:

Most Confederates did NOT own slaves, thus they went to war, not because of slavery but to defend their home land.

Lincoln lost his best soldier when Robert E. Lee decided to fight for his beloved Virginia

Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis were all devout Christians

The Battle Flag, much maligned today was only a battle flag (one of thousands), and never a National flag. The First National flag was the Stars & Bars.

The Rebel Yell was a fearsome thing and frightened even the bravest of the enemy.

The horrors of war ranged from boredom, to disease to death.

Bathing was a rare luxury so the stench within the tents was suffocating during inclement weather when the flaps had to be closed.

The typical day began at 5:00 am during spring and summer and 6:00 during fall and winter.

Breakfast usually consisted of biscuits, cured meat, and coffee when available.

During the day, soldiers drilled, drilled and drilled. They learned to shoot if they didn't already know, with accuracy.

Battles were usually chaotic. The noise was deafening as cannons roared and hundreds (sometimes thousands) of soldiers fired on one another.

The smoke and noise made it difficult to rally and guide troops.

A few reckless generals liked to lead by example and were out in front. Sadly, both sides lost a great number of talented leaders as a result.

As Sherman said "War Is Hell"

The Blue and the Grayof the Civil War

2011-09-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

The War for Southern Independence is known as the War of the Blue and the Gray, describing the colors of the uniforms worn by the two sides, but in reality there was not total conformity on either side, especially during the early months of the war.

Dr. Thomas Turner in his "101 Things You Didn't Know about the Civil War" tells us that although the regular army had an established uniform, that the majority of participants on both sides were volunteers from state militias who often demonstrated their independence and esprit de corps by dressing in flamboyant uniforms of their own designs.

Often the Confederate troops wore yellow-brown instead of gray. Rank was indicated by stripes on their sleeves (remember Ashley Wilkes from Gone With The Wind?). Rank was also indicated by buttons and insignias. Generals wore three gold stars, one larger than the other two while Colonels had three stars of equal size.

Soldiers on both sides were expected to carry all their provisions, including clothing, equipment, personal effects and weapons. A fully equipped infantryman might carry 50 pounds. No wonder they were "lean and mean fighting machines" by the time the war was ended!

Mysterious Mist of Gettysburg

2011-09-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

A man came to visit the First White House of the Confederacy yesterday from western Pennsylvania, near Gettysburg. He "apologized" for being from the north but told us how interested he was in Civil War History, having grown up so close to the battlefield and spending much time there as a youth.

It reminded me of an article I read in the Journal of Confederate History, Summer 1988 by Dr. Larry McGehee titled "The Mysterious Mist of Gettysburg". As he points out, words can barley describe the awesomeness of the battlefield.

I recently stood on top of Little Round Top where in his words "one looks down a ravine of boulders behind and around which butternut clad boys once swarmed".

Between the two armies, 33 generals were lost, "but it is the other 43,700 men whose ghosts walk the fields of Gettysburg and who filter through the sight seer's inner eye".

Have you been to the Peach Orchard, where some of the worst fighting took place? Dr. McGehee says: " It was left in splinters as if a tornado had touched down in Eden. Gettysburg is Paradise Lost, as not even John Milton could have described it".

Dr. McGehee ends his brief article by saying "In the midst of Gettysburg, amidst the ghosts, one dreams of a world that some day will find a way to avoid treating its boys as it does its wheat, lining them up to be scythed and ground for the rest of us.

Who Slept In The First White House of the Confederacy?

2011-09-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

The answer to the question about who slept in the First White House after the Davis family moved out is easy: lots of people! The House, as you know, was rented for Jefferson Davis . After he and his family moved to Richmond, the ownership of the "Jeff Davis House", as it was called, passed from Willis Calloway to William Crawford Bibb to Archibald Tyson of Lowndesboro, Alabama who maintained it as a "townhouse".

When Mr. Tyson died in 1873, his daughter, Sallie Tyson Render of La Grange, Georgia inherited it and she rented it out. By the turn of the century it had become a boarding house for train men.

I mentioned in recent blogs how it was saved, moved, and re-opened in 1921. At that time Confederate veteran John Cheney moved into the house, to sleep there, to safeguard the relics, and to keep up the place. As far as I know he was the last person to actually live in the House.

What Was Labor Like In 1861?

2011-09-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

Since today is Labor Day I thought we might consider what labor was like in 1861. Of course in the South, mostly agrarian, we know that work on the Plantations was done mainly by blacks. Many also went to war with their masters, and later received Confederate pensions, and in many cases recovered and brought home the last earthly remains of their masters. And when the men went off to war, the women had to work the farm or oversee the plantation.

The North was much more industrial and many men worked in factories. After the war began, opportunities for women on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line were abundant in a variety of vocations never offered to women before. These included nursing, spying, factory work, government office work and even soldiering.

The record of accomplishment and fortitude left by the women of the War Between the States foreshadowed the status of social structure to come and changed forever the way their gender would be viewed by men.

And in the words of Stephen Vincent Benet, in the South, it was the women on the home front who "made courage from terror and bread from Bran, and propped the South on a 'Swansdown fan.' "

Virginia City Bans Public Confederate Flag Displays

2011-09-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, folks, according to www.cbsnews.com in Lexington, Virginia, the city in which Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson are buried, city officials have voted to prohibit the flying of the Confederate flag on city-owned poles.

Of course individuals still have a right to fly the Battle flag or any flag, in Lexington and elsewhere. After all, we do live in a country in which our first amendment rights are protected. Here in Montgomery, the Battle flag was removed from the top of the Alabama State Capitol a number of years ago, by court mandate I believe, or else by public opinion (anyone remember?)

The four Confederate flags (1st, 2nd and 3rd National, and the Battle flag) are still flown at the site of the Confederate Memorial on the grounds of the Alabama Capitol. At the First White House we fly the First Confederate flag. as we feel that is the correct one, since it is the one that Letitia Tyler raised in front of the Alabama Capitol on March 4, 1861, the day Mrs. Davis arrived in Montgomery.

The Long Frustrating Struggle

2011-09-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

When the owner of the First White House died in LaGrange GA in 1918 her heirs took possession of the House but refused to sell the land. They did however promise the WH committee that whenever they decided to remove the house that they would give the WHA the "refusal of the building" for $ 800.00.

Later, the heirs were ready to sell the house but not the grounds. Where to move? Hope came at last in the form of a sympathetic governor, Thomas E. Kilby who signed a bill passed by the Alabama legislature in 1919 to provide $ 25,000.00

The plan was to buy the property next to the Archives. It was opposed by the director, Marie Bankhead Owens, but she was overruled by the Govenor. Moving the house was a complicated process. It was photographed from all sides and detailed plans were made of the interior. The house moved in three sections, dismantled, marked and reassembled. The structure was found to be in excellent condition.

The dedication of the First White House of the Confederacy on Jefferson Davis's birthday, June 3, 1921 was one mof the most relished and enjoyed events in Alabama history. The long and frustrating struggle to save the First White House had ended. Thre it stood, sparkling even more elegantly than it did in the spring of 1861, speaking eloquently of the heroic sentiment of its most splendid time and looking forward to the future!

The Continuing Story To Save The First White House

2011-09-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

Sadly, October 16, 1906 Varina Howell Davis died of pneumonia. Her daughter, Margaret Davis Hayes had the sad duty of disposing of Mrs. Davis's personal possessions. She offered many family pieces to the White House Association. Later the Association would receive the bed in which Mrs. Davis died, and other furniture from her room at the Majestic Hotel in New York.

By 1910 the WHA consisted of 167 Alabamians whose purpose was to raise money to move the First White House to another location. Meanwhile, the First White House remained entailed property, continuing as a boarding house and falling into disrepair.

There is even a story that a hack driver at Union Station, when asked by people waiting between trains to take them to see the FWH of the Confederacy, was so ashamed of its appearance (three blocks away) that he took tourists out Madison Avenue on the edge of Montgomery and showed them instead the magnificent "Houghton" house!

More to the story: Please "stay tuned".

Why The White House Association Was Formed

2011-09-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

Mrs. John Napier in her booklet "The Struggle to Preserve the First White House of the Confederacy" writes that at the first State Convention of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, which was held in Montgomery on April 18, 1897, a proposal was made that the work of the UDC Alabama Division be "the purchase and preservation of the White House of the Confederacy." It was Mrs. Jesse Drew Beale's idea, so naturally she was appointed chairman.

Even before the second convention in Birmingham on Feb 17, 1898 there was opposition to preserving the Jefferson Davis House, described by one critic as a "very large old dilapidated building which the owner asks enormously for."

In 1899 Mrs. Davis offered Mrs. Beale, a longtime friend of Mrs. Davis and her family many of Jefferson Davis's personal things. Mrs. Beale appealed to the Governor, and he replied that the furniture, etc. could be placed in the Capitol until a permanent place was made for it in the FWH.

By 1900 the project to save the House by the UDC had become "entangled in personal differences" and was dropped. Shortly thereafter twenty-seven ladies gathered at Mrs. Clifford Lanier's home to form the White House Association and to elect officers, including Mrs. Jefferson Davis as Queen Regent, and Mrs. J. D. Beale as Regent.

The rest of this very interesting story will be told tomorrow.

What About States' Rights?

2011-08-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

The Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850 both dealt with states' rights. The South especially disagreed with the Federal government's right to decide important matters within a state.

The Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution states that "the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

According to the Southern people this amendment should prevent the federal government from interfering in the individual affairs of a state - such as the slavery issue. It seems the South just wanted to be left alone to make their own decisions and laws. Lincoln and the Central government proponents of the North saw it differently.

It was Lincoln's election in 1860 that caused 11 Southern states to eventually secede. And we know the "rest of tbe story". It is "histoire" as they say.

Bogged Down From Blogging

2011-08-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

If you are a regular reader of this blog you may notice that I have take a break from blogging for several weeks while I worked on a special assignment for the First White House of the Confederacy, but I am happy to say that I am back with renewed vigor! Hope you missed me as much as I missed blogging.

Of course the First White House is closed on Sundays but I spent yesterday afternoon there with two young men who are doing a documentary on the War Between the States for their graduate work. In the quiet of those hours, I was taken aback by the beauty and solemnity of our wonderful one-of-a-kind Museum House.

It is such a treasure for the people of Montgomery and the State of Alabama, and such a valuable learning tool for young people about a time that was long ago but not forgotten.We never want to forget the past, we just want to learn from it. I suppose if cooler heads had prevailed the war could have been averted, but at least after four bloody years, we were able to come together and once more be "one nation under God".

And has been said so many times, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.Perhaps we are a stronger country today because of what we went through.

What the Southerners of 1861 Thought About Themselves

2011-08-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

From the Journal of Confederate History Vol. 1. No. 1, Summer 1988, Dr. John McGlone wrote: "It is safe to say that Southerners of 1861 did not think of themselves as rebels, traitors, or slavery advocates. Rather they thought of themselves as patriots defenders of the Constitution, and protectors of their homes and families."

Dr. McGlone goes on to say that they perceived themselves as engaging in a second American Revolution. Remember who is in the center of the Great Seal of the Confederacy? None other than George Washington on horseback.

He points out that most rebellions are an attempt by a "discontented minority" to destroy or alter the existing order. In contrast he says, our fore bearers were simply attempting to preserve the status quo.

I quote further: "...The South wanted to return to the ....simpler days of 1776 when Southerners controlled the nation's destiny. Whether one accepted or rejected this viewpoint largely decided the color of uniform to be donned in 1861 and still affects American politics and society to this day".

Comments from Readers

2011-08-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

I want to thank our readers for their comments. We always appreciate them. They are thoughtful and thought provoking.

I was asked to post pictures of the Yacht Clock and I will do so as soon as I obtain them from our files. They should be "up" in a day or two.

Please keep reading and I will keep blogging!

John Brown, The Most Controversial of all 19th Century Americans

2011-08-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

John Brown is remembered as a revolutionary abolitionist who engineered a slave rebellion and tried to capture the armory at Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). At the time his efforts electrified the nation.

Southerners alleged that his rebellion was the tip of the abolitionist iceberg and that it represented the wishes of the Republican party to end slavery. Historians agree that the Harper's Ferry raid in 1859 escalated tensions that a year later, led to secession and the American Civil War.

First he was involved with the "Bleeding Kansas" crisis; later he conceived a plan to lead a slave insurrection in the South and start a republic of free blacks in Virginia's Appalachian Mountains. On October 16, 1859, he and 22 followers rode into Harper's Ferry. They planned to take the federal arsenal and armory there and use the weapons to arm slaves in a rebellion they hoped would spread throughout the South.

The plan did not work and Brown and his men were trapped. The residents began firing on them and two of his sons were killed. A company of marines, led by Colonel Robert E. Lee soon arrived to put down the insurrection. Brown and his followers were charged with murder, treason and inciting insurrection, and were sentenced to hanging. He was executed on December 2, 1859.

According to Wikipedia, he is known as: "at certain times, a great man", but also "the father of American terrorism". The song "John Brown's Body" became a Yankee marching song during the War. I have been to Harper's Ferry. Today it is a peaceful and tranquil place!

What Do You Know About The Mason-Dixon Line?

2011-08-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

Did you know the Mason-Dixon Line was named for two British surveyors, who surveyed it between 1764 and 1767? Guess what their names were? Mason and Dixon.

What is it regarded as today? Of course - the demarcation point between the Northern States and the Southern states during the "Civil War" (well, that was a "duh" question, wasn't it?).

OK, next question: Did the Mason-Dixon line inspire the South's nickname of "Dixie", as in "Look away, Dixie Land"? The answer is some historians say so. What do others think? They believe the nickname came from the ten-dollar note issued by Louisiana. The notes were called "dixies" because the word ten was written as the French dix. Louisiana was, as you know, steeped in the French culture and influence.

You can find out lots more about the Mason-Dixon line if you want to google it.The funny thing is that they continued to squabble over the boundaries long after the line was established!

"Billy" Davis Hayes' Yacht Clock Given to the First White House

2011-08-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

William Davis Hayes (later the family adopted the surname Hayes-Davis) was the son of Margaret Davis Hayes, daughter of President Jefferson Davis of the Confederate States of America. Many of the Davis family heirlooms inherited and preserved by William Davis Hayes, are now in the collection of the First White House of the Confederacy, having been acquired after his death at Colorado Springs, Colorado.

This wonderful clock which had been owned by Billy, was given to the First White House by Dr. Craig Werner, whose parents Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Werner willed it to us. The clock is circular and has an ogee case surrounding a white face with Roman Numeral lettering, the hinged glass cover surrounded by a brass bezel.

The face is inscribed: Made by the New Haven Clock Co., New Haven, Conn. U.S.A.

On the back is the lettering:
Eight Day
6 Inch
  Yacht Lever Time Piece
  New Haven Clock Co. New Haven, Conn. (etc).
Also on that label are handwritten inscriptions: "(Symbols apparently ranch brands, which may be in part ciphers of his initials)"
plus: "1913 1908   1915   about 1920"
"Owned by Wm Davis Hayes. Ranch Swallows Colorado"

"Two Mainsprings S. No Striker. it fooled me too. I expected Ship Bells"

Mr. Werner says the clock traveled with Mr. Hayes to several ranches in Pueblo, Co. as he put the ranch brands on the back. It also shows a bit of his humor since he wrote on the back the part about "no strike, it fooled me too, I expected Ship Bells" !!!

This little clock is just one of our many, many treasured acquisitions because we have so many interested and generous donors.

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Blogging for One Year for the First White House of the Confederacy

2011-08-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,
On August 9th we will have been blogging for one year. We have had a total of 5,246 page views since we started and we have had hits from ten countries.

We have twelve "friends" and would like many more, so please join us if you wish. The most read post of all has been "Descendants of Jefferson Davis" (Jan. 9, 2011) and the next most hits was "The Man and The Hour Have Met" (Feb. 10, 2011).

In third place was "Doctors, Disease and Amputations in the Civil War" (Mar. 28,2011); then "Little Known Facts About The War" (Sept 20, 2010); and fifth most popular was "Reenactment of Inauguration Day, Feb 18, 1861" (Oct 18, 2010).

What is your favorite, or what would you like me to write about? Please let me know. You may be interested to know that next to the United States, the most hits have come from United Kingdom, then Russia, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, Ukraine, France, China and Slovenia, in that order.

Civil War and Civil Rights All In Montgomery Alabama

2011-08-03T13:42:00.000-07:00

Montgomery is so blessed to have had both great "game changing" events in our country's history having begun in Montgomery, the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement.

It is so nice that the custodians of these wonderful attractions work so well together here in Montgomery to challenge and to attract visitors from all over the world. The First White House is only one block from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and in the other direction a block from the King Memorial Church.

The Rosa Parks Library and Museum is a few short blocks from the First White House as well.The "trolley" goes by or close to, all of the above, as well as to the Alabama State Capitol where the Confederate Congress convened to work out the Confederate Government.

We are indeed a remarkable city to have all this right here at our fingertips!.

Andersonvile Prison Camp Synonymous With Horror

2011-07-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

What would you have done? Just suppose you were the Commander of the notorious Andersonville Prison Camp. Your name is Henry Wirz and you have just succeeded John Henry Winder, who has died of exhaustion. It is February, 1865.

Your camp was designed to hold 10,000 prisoners , but when "you" took over, it contained 30,000, with about 400 being added each day. Food, clothing and medical supplies were almost non-existent. Health care was an unknown quantity, as waste was dumped into the small stream that flowed through the prison yard, the only water supply. Downstream it was used as a latrine for all prisoners.

By the end of the war approximately 13,000 prisoners have died and YOU become the only Confederate officer to be tried and convicted and executed for war crimes. In your defense, you (Wirz) stated that you simply didn't have food or supplies to give the prisoners and that your own staff suffered equally as the Confederacy began to crumble.