Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-06-13
The Southern Cabinet.
MEN WHO GUIDED THE FORTUNES
OF THE CoNFEDERACY.
+. A. ALLFRIRND.

ts A. Al4l<r
WASHINGTON, May S.-Within
10 days past two of the original
Cabinet of Jefferson Davis, ap-
pointed at the formation of the
Confederate Government at Mont
gomery, in February, 1861, have
claimed public attention; the one
by reason of sudden death in a
foreign land, and the other because
of his serious illness at Federal cap
ital. While the sensible and sturdy
Texan, Representative Reagan, who
served as Postmaster General of
the Confederacy throughout its
brief and stormy life, was sum-
moning convalescent energies to get
to the Capitol to vote for tariff re-
form on Tuesday, Judah P. Benja-
min confronted death in London.
He, too, had served in the Con-
federate Cabinet during the whole
whole of the war, commencing as
Acknowledgement, for brief sea-
son acting as Secretary of War,
and at the close of the war filling
the position of Secretary of State.
One other member of Mr.. Davis's
Cabinet, long since dead, Mr..
Mallory, of Florida, Secretary Of
the Navy, served continuously
through what he called the four
years night of the Confederacy.'
The original Confederate Cabinet
was framed with regard to the usual
considerations of geography and
personal fitness. 1t was assumed
by the South that Jefferson Davis
was peculiarly qualified by natural
gifts and experience in civil and
military administration for the
wise direction of the affairs of the
new Government, and that he
would not err in the selection of
his constitutional advisers. He
had illustrated American soldier
ship in a serious crisis to our arms
at Buena Vista, and, as War Sec
retary under President Pierce, had
shown striking military instinct
and provision. His eight years
service in the Federal Senate, and
a previous brief service in the
lower house made him familiar
with the leading men of the South.
The names he first sent to the Pro-
visional Congress of the COufed-
eracy-then having only the cotton
States in its membership, none of
the border States joining until after
Mr.. Lincoln's call for troops conse-
quent upon the firing on Fort Sum-
ter-were Robert Toombs, of
Georgia, Secretary of State; c. &.
Memminger, Of South Carolina,
Secretary of the Treasury; l.. p.
Walker, of Alabama, Secretary of
War; S. R. Mallory, of Florida,
Secretary of the Navy; John II.
Reagan, of Texas, Postmaster
General, and judah P. Benjamin,
of Louisiana, Attorney-General.
Toombs, Mallory, and Benjamin
had retired from the House of
Representatives at Washington to
the secession convention of Texas.
Secretaries Memminger and Wal
ker had local prominence in South
Carolina and Alabama, but were
without Federal distinction.
Mr.. Toombs's tenure of the port
folio of State was brief. The Con-
federate Government was trans
ferred from Montgomery to Rich
mond in May, 1861, and in the
exultant language of that day this
event was held to be very brave
and wife defiance of Nothern en-
leavor to coerce the seeded States;
a splendid courting of the issue
with the arrogant fOe,' twas the
phrase of a Richmond newspaper.
rbe burly figure of Mr.. Toombs was
. familiar sight as with insouciant
sir and carelessly arranged apparel
le daily walked from his Office to
lis quarters and laughingly told
low he carried the Confederate
State Department in his coat
pocket. The Confederacy then
vas too young to have much CORE.
Ipondence with foreign powers. In
he Summer of 1861 Toombsresign,
d from the State Department and
vent to the field in command of
Georgia brigade, which became
amous in the annals Of Lees army.
t was a firm belief of the late