Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis was the 10th son of Sam Davis; he was a plantation owner from Missouri and was born June 3rd, 1808. When he was 7 years old he was sent to a boarding school in Kentucky and when he was 13 he later entered Transylvania College in Lexington.
In 1824 Davis entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. After graduating in 1828 he served as a lieutenant in the Wisconsin Territory and took part in the Black Hawk War. Davis resigned his commission in 1835 and became a planter to Vicksburg. He entered Congress in 1845 for Mississippi and served with distinction in the Mexican War.
Davis, a member of the Democratic Party, successfully won election to the Senate in 1848. His father-in-law, Zachary Taylor, became president and as a member of the Whig Party. Taylor supported the admission of California as a free state but Davis disagreed and led the pro-slavery faction in Congress. After the death of Taylor, Davis served as Secretary of War.
In 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the USA and 7 states seceded from the Union. Representatives from these 7 states quickly established a new political organization, the Confederate States of America. On February 8th the Confederate States of America adopted a constitution and within 10 days elected Davis as its president and Alexander Stephens as vice-president. Montgomery, Alabama, became its capital and the Stars and Bars was adopted as its flag. Davis was also authorized to raise 100,000 troops.
Davis took the view that after a state seceded, federal forts became the property of the state. On April 12th, 1861 General Pierre T. Beauregard demanded that Major Robert Anderson surrender Ft. Sumter in Charleston harbor. Anderson replied that he would be willing to leave the fort in 2 days when his supplies were exhausted. Beauregard rejected this offer and ordered his Confederate troops to open fire. After 34 hours of bombardment the Fort was severely damaged and Anderson was forced to surrender.
Major General Irvin McDowell was given command of the Union Army and in July ...
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Davis took the view that after a state seceded, federal forts became the property of the state. On April 12th, 1861 General Pierre T. Beauregard demanded that Major Robert Anderson surrender Ft. Sumter in Charleston harbor. Anderson replied that he would be willing to leave the fort in 2 days when his supplies were exhausted. Beauregard rejected this offer and ordered his Confederate troops to open fire. After 34 hours of bombardment the Fort was severely damaged and Anderson was forced to surrender.
Major General Irvin McDowell was given command of the Union Army and in July 1861, Lincoln sent him to take Richmond, the new base the Confederate government. On July 21st McDowell engaged the Confederate Army at Bull Run. The Confederate troops led by 7 great generals easily defeated the inexperienced Union Army. The South won the first great battle of the war and the Northern casualties totaled 1,492 with another 1,216 missing.
The Union consisted of 23 states and 22,000,000 people while the Confederacy had only 9,000,000 people (this included 3,500,000 slaves). Davis announced that the South could not win the war without recruitments so in April the Confederate Congress passed the Conscription Act that drafted white men between 18 and 35 for 3 years' service.
Thomas Stonewall Jackson was under orders from President Jefferson Davis to try and delay the attack on Richmond. Jackson attacked John C. Fremont at Cross Keys before turning on Irvin McDowell at Port Republic. Jackson then rushed his troops east to join up with Joseph Johnson and the Confederate forces fighting George McClellan in the suburbs the city.
George McClellan faced Robert E. Lee and Thomas Stonewall Jackson again at Antietam 4 months later. On September 17th, McClellan and Major General Ambrose Burnside attacked with over 75,300 troops against 37,330 Confederate soldiers. Lee held out until Ambrose Hill and reinforcements arrived. It was the most costly day of the war with the Union Army having 2,108 killed, 9,549 wounded and 753 missing. The Confederates, who were now having serious difficulty replacing losses, had 2,700 killed, 9,024 wounded and 2,000 missing. Abraham Lincoln now postponed attempts to capture Richmond and ordered McClellan back to Washington with the words: "My dear McClellan: If you don't want to use the Army I should like to borrow it for a while." Even though he was far from an overwhelming victory, Lincoln realized the significance of Antietam and on September 22nd, 1862, he felt strong enough to issue his Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln told the nation that from the 1st January 1863, all slaves in states or parts of states, still in rebellion, would be freed.
During the summer of 1863 Robert E. Lee decided to take the war to the north. The Confederate Army reached Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on July 1st. The town was quickly taken but the Union Army, led by Major General George Meade, arrived in force soon afterwards and for the next 2 days the town was the scene of bitter fighting. Attacks led by James Stuart, George Pickett and James Longstreet proved costly and by the July 5th, Lee decided to retreat south. Both sides suffered heavy losses with Lee losing 28,063 men and Meade 23,049.
Davis decided to build up the Army of Tennessee, now under the control of Joseph Johnson. His army was reinforced and by the spring Johnson had 62,000 men. When Ulysses S. Grant heard the news he gave instructions to William Sherman "to move against Johnson's army, to break it up, and to get into the interior of the enemy's country as far as you can, inflicting all the damage you can against their war resources".
On May 7th 1864, Sherman and his 100,000 men advanced towards Johnson's army that was attempting to defend the route to Atlanta, the South's important manufacturing and communications center. Joseph Johnson and his army retreated and after some brief skirmishes the 2 sides fought at Resaca, Adairsville, New Hope Church, Kennesaw Mountain and Marietta.
Davis was unhappy about Johnson's withdrawal policy and on July 17th replaced him with the more aggressive John Hood. He immediately went on the attack and hit George Thomas and his men at Peachtree Creek. Hood was badly beaten and lost 2,500 men. 2 days later he took on William Sherman and lost 8,000 men. By August 31st, Confederate forces began to evacuate Atlanta and by early September the city came under the control of the Union Army.
In March Sherman joined Ulysses S. Grant and the main army at Petersburg. On April 1st Sherman attacked at Five Forks. The Confederates were overwhelmed and lost 5,200 men. Robert E. Lee decided to abandon Richmond and join Joseph Johnson in an attempt to halt Sherman's army in South Carolina.
Davis, his family and government officials, were forced to flee from Richmond. The Union Army took control of Richmond and on April 4th Abraham Lincoln entered the city. Protected by 10 seamen, he walked the streets and when 1 black man fell to his knees in front of him, Lincoln told him: "Don't kneel to me. You must kneel to God only and thank him for your freedom." Lincoln traveled to the Confederate Executive Mansion and sat for a while in the former leader's chair before heading back to Washington.
Robert E. Lee was only able to muster an army of 8,000 men. He probed the Union Army at Appomattox but faced by 110,000 men he decided the cause was hopeless. He contacted Ulysses S. Grant and after agreeing terms on April 9th, surrendered his army at Appomattox Court House. Grant issued a brief statement: "The war is over; the rebels are our countrymen again and the best sign of rejoicing after the victory will be to abstain from all demonstrations in the field."
When his government collapsed in May 1865, Davis was arrested and imprisoned for two years in Fortress Monroe. Although indicted for treason, he was not brought to trial and was released in 1867.
