The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-06-08
Jeff Davis's Book.
"THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CONFED-
ERATE GOVERNMENT"
Story of the Confederacy from the Pen of
it's Chief.

The history of "The Rise and Fall of tn
Confederate Government" by jefferson Davis
will soon bo published by the Appletons. Ad
vance sheets of this important contribution t.
the history of the civil conflict show that tn,
author has written with boldness and an un
compromising presentation of the Southern
view of the war and the causes leading up Il
it. The stern temper in which this remarka
Bile book is written is what will give it it
chief value as the official and authoritative de
fence of the States in rebellion. To the polti
clan and student of history Mr.. Davis's chap
ters on the ante-belluna conflict over the ques
tion of slavery will be of great interest. Ht
tells an anecdote Of Clay, the great compromis
or, wherein Clay suggested that Davis should
"join the compromise men,, saying that il
was measure which he thought would proba
bly, give peace to the country for 80 years-the
period that had elapsed since the adoption ot
the compromise of 1920. Then, turning to Mr.
Berrien, Mr.. Clay remarked, alluding to Da
Wis, then man of 40, "You and L will be un
der ground before that time, but our youns
friend here may have trouble to meet"
The campaign of 1860 saw the opposition tc
Mr.. Lincoln, the Republican candidate, divid.
ed. Mr.. Bell was the Whig candidate, Mr..
Douglas the standard-bearer of the northern
Democracy, and Mr.. Breckenridge the nomi.
nee of the ultra ring of the pro-slavery party.
Mr.. Davis appears to have felt that the i'm
pending election of Mr.. Lincoln would result
in the dissolution OF the Union, and he laws
claim in his book to having undertaken to
prevent the catastrophe by arranging a COM
promise whereby the triangular opposition to
the Republican candidate could be united on
some new man, the three rivals-Bell, Doug
las, and Breckenridge-resignin their candi-
dacies In fact, Mr.. Davis charges upon
Douglas the responsibility of the election of
Lincoln aud the war of secession. Mr.. Davis
says: "Mr. Bell, the Whig candidate was
highly respectable and experienced statesman,
who had filled many important offices, both
State and Federal. He was not ambitious to
the extent of coveting the Presidency, and he
was profoundly impressed by the danger which
threatened the country. Breckenridge had
not anticipated, and it may safely be said did
not eagerly desire the nomination. He was
young enough to wait, and patriotic enough to
be willing to do so, if the veal of the country
required it. This much L may confidently as
sert of both these gentlemen, for each of them
me to say that he was willing to
if an arrangement could be effected
by which the divided forces of the friends of
the constitution could be concentrated upon
some one more generally acceptable than eth
er of the three who had been presented to the
When / made this announcement to
Mr.. Douglas-with whom my relations had
always been such as to authorize the assurance
that he could not consider it as made in an
unfriendly spirit he replied that the scheme
proposed was utterly impractcable, because
his friends, mainly northern Democrats, if he
withdrew, would join in the support of Mr..
Lincoln rather than of any one that would
supplant him (Douglas); that he was in the
hands of his friends, and was sure they would
not accept the proposition"
THE BEGINNING OF HosTILITIEs.
There are some interesting passages showing
the intimacy existing between President Bu-
chanan and the author. Mr.. Davis, then Sem
ator from Mississippi, urged the President to
abandon his policy of strengthening the fed
eral forts in Charleston harbor, believing it to
be ''impolitic to make ostensible preparation
for war when no attack was threatened" "My
opinion was,' says Mr.. Davis, "that the wisest
and best course would be to withdraw the gar
rison altogether from the harbor of Charles
ton," Mr.. Davis was right in anticipating that
the first shot fred in that harbor would be
accepted as beginning of hostilities-a result
which both he Mr.. Buchananl and 1 desired
to avert, as the greatest calamity that could be
foreseen or imagined"
Concerning his election to the presidency of
the Confederacy when he would have pre-
ferred position in the army, he says:
"On the next day (the 9th of February an
election was held for the chief executive Off
GER, resulting, as / afterward learned, in my
election to the presidency, with Hon. Alexan-
der II. Stephens OF Georgia, as vice president.
Mr.. Stephens was delegate from Georgia to
the Congress. While these events were occur
ring, having completed the most urgent of my
duties at the capital of Mississippi, had gone
10 my home (Briarfield, in Warren county, and
had begun, in the homely but expressive Ian
guage of Mr. Clay, to repair my fences
While thus engaged, notice was received of
my election to the presidency of the Confed-
crate States, with an urgent request to pro-
ceed Immediately to Montgomery for inaugur-
alton. AS this had been suggested as proba-
BILE event and what appeared to me adequate
precautions had been taken to prevent it, /
was surprised, and still more, disappointed.
For reasons which are not now necessary to
state, had not believed myself as well suited
to the office as some Others L thought myself
had given me the position which l
preferred to any other, the highest rank in her
army 1t was, therefore, that afterward said
in an address delivered in the Capitol before
the Legislature of the State, with reference to
my election to the presidency of the Confeder-
acy. that the duty to which Iiwas thus called
was temporary, and that I expected soon to be
with the army of Mississippi again"
In refutal OF the report believed by many
Southerners to-day, that Robert Toombs was
the real choice of the Confederate Congress for
the presidency, Mr.. Davis cites the written
declarations OF almost every surviving member
of the first Confederate Congress, all pointing
to the conclusion that Mr.. Davis
was the virtually unanimous preference of the
delegates for the headship of the Southern
cause. Another "Toombs" story, to the effect
that the fiery Robert was rendered the post of
Secretary of State, or as the hot-headed Geor-
gian reported, that che carried the State De-
partment in his coat tails pocket" is disposed
of by the declaration that the portfolio eally
rendered Toombs was that of Secretary of the
Treasury, place for which he was deemed by
many to be best qualified.
THE WAR.
Coming down to the actual opening of hos
tilities, Mr.. Davis writes:
"We now enter upon those terrible scenes
Of wrong and blood in which the government
of the United States, driven to desperation by
our SucceSSIul resistance, DrOke tnrOugn every
restraint of the constitution, of national law,
Of justice and of humanity"
1t is curious fact that, at the close of the
first battle of Bull Ran, President Davis and
staff, on approaching the field were in the be-
lief that the Confederate forces had met with
a crushing defeat. Flying fugitives rushing
southwark told them that the battle had been
lost, and it was not till Gen. Johnston had
been reached that the true state of affairs was
made apparent to the Southern President.
Mr.. Davis says that he counselled vigorous
following up of the enemy, and even dictated
an order for an immediate pursuit" The
failure of the Confederate army to follow up
it's unquestioned advantage is placed to the
charge of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. The Con-
federate commander and the Southern Presi.
dent believed that between Bull Run and
Washington there existed strong Notifications,
amply garrisoned, and the possibility, even
that the capital of the United
States could easily have been captured was
not apparent to them for long time after
ward Mr.. Davis does not stop to mourn over
the loss of this great opportunity, and thus
dismisses the matter: "What discoveries
would have been made and what results would
have ensued from the establishment of our
guns upon the south bank of the river to open
fire upon the capital are speculative questions
upon which it would be useless to enter.'
Tk Sc, ali f1., Al ~