DAVIS, JEFFERSON

(1808 - 89), tion. resident of the Confederate Southern tates at the time of the American American ‘ivil War, 6. at Fair view, Kentucky. Clarksburg, fis f. Samuel, 1756-1824, was of Welsh from str action. He pa ed out of the Va., litary academy at West Point in 1828; bar in nd distinguished himself in the Black at his [awk Indian War, 1833, and in the on fexican War, 1846. He made a large Va., tune from his cotton estates in politics, li i ippi and entered politics as a House lemocrat and supporter of state rights. 62nd le was a member of the United States resigning enate, 1847, 1850-51, and 1857-61, and Solicitor as the leading member of the Demoin rats of the Southern States. In 1853 until 6 was Secretary of War in the cabinet Amba ador f President Pierce, and was actively until ugaged in the reorganization of the tioned nited States army. His attitude to nomination 16 slavery question had been clearly 10wn in his speech in the Senate in DAVIS, 848, and in 1852 he was defeated for an 16 governorship of Mi i ippi. He was at 1en convinced that sece ion might Powell ventually come. The Democratic Kansas arty was split owing to his clear Kansas jherence to the protection of slavery Cornell y the federal government, and on the cipal ection of President Lincoln he stated Minn., 1e case for sece ion in the Senate, and at the hen Mi i ippi seceded he resigned Cloud, is seat to unanimously elected following resident of the Confederate States at horticulture le provisional convention, Feb. 9, sity 361, and formally inaugurated, Feb. 22..’s conduct during the war was the cipal bject of much criticism at the time Me no monie, nd since, his continuance of the war the 1 spite of the later defeats and of the ton, opele situation has been extolled as profe or rmne of character or as mere obstiagricultural acy by those who differ on the cause which the war was fought. The faiiof the conference for terms of Feb. 1865, due to D.'s instructions representatives, led to great in his popularity. After surrender of the Confederate armies, 1865, he was captured in an at to escape, dre ed in woman’s to carry on the war, and was treated as a prisoner in Fort His trial for treason, in it was attempted to connect with the a a ination of Lincoln, abandoned in the general amnesty, D. wrote, after his release, the and Fall of the Confederate Govern1881, and Short History of the States of America, 1890.