The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-12-14

| Todd County. HIS father was Samuel Davis
! and he had served in the Georgia cavalry dur
ing the revolution. When Jefferson was but al
infant the family moved to place near Wood
| vile, Miss, where young Davis began his cdu
| cation. later entering the Pennsylvania College
Kentucky. In 1924 he was appointed by Presi
| dent Monroe to the United States Military
| Academy. from which he graduated in 1898, ant
| was assigned to the First Infantry. He served
in the Black Hawk war of 1881 '32 and March 4
| 1898, was promoted to he First Lieutenant o
| Dragons
June 30, 1895, after more service against the
| Indians, he resigned, clopcd with tho daughter
| OF Zachary Taylor then q Colonel in the army
! and settled near VicSsbun Miss, as q cottor
| planter. He remained here quietly until 1913
| when he entered politics and made n reputation
| popular speaker In 1S45 he was sent Il
| Congress- where he at once took an active par
| in debate, especially with reference to the
| preparations for the war with Mexico. In Jnne
1s4G, he resigned his seat in the House to accep,
the Colonelcy OF the First Mississippi Voun
teers, and at once moved to reinforce General
Taylor on the Rio Grande. His record in this
war was an excellent one. He charged fort
at Monterey without bayoncts and led the
command through the streets nearly to the
Grand Plaza
May 81, 1s47 his regiment was ordered homo
and he was made Brigadier General by Presi.
dent Polk but declined the honor In August
he went to the Senate, where he became % zeal
GUS advocate of State rights. In 1851 he re.
signed his seat TO become candidate for Gov.
ernor of Mississippi, but was defeated at the
polls. year later he supported Franklin
Pierce for the Presidency, and as a reward for
his labors was made Secretary OF War. He in.
creased the standing army, improved the
equipment and made many changes in the tao
tics.
At the close OF President Pierce's term he
was again sent TO the Senate and became the
Iln,,n ti,. Mnnt- -nfh 10 a.la
ing this time contained strong Union senti-
ments. but December 10. 1860 he made speech
in which he carefully distinguished between
''the Independence which the States had
achieved at great cost" and the Union. which
had cost "lttlc time, little money and no
blood" thus taking his old State-rights posi-
ton. January 10, 1861, he made another
speech asserting the right of secession and urg-
ing that the garrison be withdrawn from Fort
Sumter
January "a, being officially informed that Mis-
sissipp had seeded January o, he withdrew
from the Senate and went to his home. He
was at once appointed Commander-in-Chicf of
the army of Mississippi, but February IS, 1851,
he resigned that office to accept the Presidency
OF the Confederate States. In his inaugural ad-
dress he sand that necessity not choice" had
led to secession. November 10, 1851, he was
formally elected President for six years and
was duly inauguratcd February 22, 1862. Before
ment by the Provisional Congress.
December % 1862. he issued proclamation
in retaliation for the emancipation proclama-
ton OF President Lincoln. In this he declares
that General b. +. Butler was a .aloE and
ordered that all commissioned oficers serving
under him. well as all serving with slaves,
should be treated as ''robbers and criminals de.
serving death"
In January, 1865 he sent three commissioners
TO treat with the United States Government
but their mission was unsuccessful. There was
temporary outburst OF enthusiasm, but it
soon died away, the Union armies continued
to advance, and more and more dissatisfaction
was expressed. In his last message to the
Congress-March 49, lS65-Mr Davis asserted
that the Confedcracy had ample means to meet
the emergency, and April Q less than month
later, he was obliged TO evacuate Richmond
He was captured near Irwinsvlle, Ga, May
10, and taken to Fort Monroe. May s, 1866 he
was indicted for treason by grand jury In the
United States District Court for Virginia, sit.
ting at Norfolk under Judge Underwood. May
IL, 1867, he was admitted TO bail in the sum of
Sl0O 000 He was never brought TO trial o nolle
being entered by the Government
December, 1863. After being given an en-.
thusiastic reception in the South |
his imprisonment having silenced all
opponents, he went to Canada |
and then to England. Returning he became |
presd ent of n life.insurance company In Mem |
phs. In 1879 Mrs. Dorsey, of Beauvoir, Miss,
bequeathed him her estate, and there he has |
since resided, occasionally appearing to make |
4 speech in some Southern city. He was ok. |
,epted from bill restoring political rights to |
hose who took part in the rebellion, and OK.
,epted from bill pensioring veterans OF tho
Mcxic IN war, 1t being charged that he was re-
'ponsibie for tho horrors OF Andersonvile.