The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-11-12
jefferson Davis.

More than forty years nave NV
elapsed since the Confederate states 81
America, that rose like a meteor
athwart the sky, went down in dlsas-
ter and defeat at A~ppon9atto1 Court
house.
The states have been rc-admstted 70
representation In Congress, the mon
has been restored, and the nag o. our
common country. az the proud ensign
of the Republic, now floats on e."iE
sea and bIazes in every cline PrFiaEe
the time has not Yet come men q LII
and impartial history Of the war BE
tween the States can be written 8ut
We may reasonably indulge the nope
that its hates and asperltes nave
nevertheless, disappeared Win tht
lapse Of time, and that the time mas
come when justice may Dc d"he -
the distinguished civilians VINO faa the
honor to be chosen as the IeAHeFE o.
their people in the trying emerg@hct.
Much has been written in regard 70
the military operations OF the Gomez
crate government during the war, bIL
comparativeIv little as 70 its ciFll ms
tory As one Of the few survivors or
the Secession Convention IN Virginia
and as the only survivor Of the Con-
fdereate Congress in that state, from
February. 1862, to March. 1863 pro-
pose to give ny recoliections Of some
of It's great chieftafns.
The first time / ever saw JedefSoh
Davis was in the winter OF 1851, Wh"h
the sectional roubles OF the couLlI%
were RAPIDLY approaching illumination.
He wac At that time q membe OF the
Iipit cd state senate. and occupied a
e.an ronL az = graceful and
uolished speaker He impressed me as
the most animated speaker at
3b,t tine belonging to that august as
semhlaee. stephen A. DOuglaS was, at
all times. powerful and logical Doug
las used but a single gesture, but ms
thoughts seemed to come az MS pld-
IrnIcan he god of fire himself.
80 ,.s uivst
~
But Mr.. Davis impressed me as "a
clio princeps" Of taen ali b. the eie~
eance OF his d;ct'on ana the a'ilI.@tith
Of his etvIe. Aa I eat IN the senate
chamhcr an Interested 7pectatof on we
debates, ] mad an "EPoriuhiI5
Serve . t. nous. Atc.tIa1i3" - xcr,
-. De- ana Mf Ht"ata'' %
A""E- -. - nl.0. - 80 80 mo senate
- Hli ''. u,
on that occasion, had Chdiseu ~"
-r.,is rad "".o tflat re h"u S9Le
into IL" cabinet % MI f1efce DIS d az
nionist. Mr.. DAVIS promptly 4hu ~
d~isnantly denied the charge u" o0i"
for PROF., - unnort Of his accu-
sation. cited a newspaper publisher az
the time in Mississippi and proceeded
70 road extracts. Mr.. Davis, who SEEM
e0 10 De NtJN IIoCh C~N~HN.''
from his seat and exclaimed with great
yehemence:
"A false quotation of the-teXt, SIT; a
false quotation of the text
.John c. breckenridge. who was in
the chair as presiding officer, prompt
" required both parties to return to
their seats. and thus the alteration
terminated.
General breckenridge was an eT-
ceedinglv handsome man. tall, grace
81 Ill rrornrtinnn1 and Nithai a
most e1oouent speaker. His speech on
the removal of the CaritOl has, per-
hans. never Deer surpassed in the his
tor of the country. In speaking of
Genera Breckenridge, I am reminded
of a story.
While I was a member Of the House
of I invited General
Joseph e. Johnson to accompany me
to Norfolk to attend . memorial meet
ing to be held by the ex-Confederate
soldiers. He accepted the invitation
upon the condition that he was not to
be required to make 2 speech, because
although he was Il man of r~ernarkahle
information. he had a great aversion 10
speech making. and always avoided it
if nOssibIe.
p,o.a,ratoa and cbarn,.p
On our return trip to W~aSnlngton'
General Johnston told me that IN the
last days OF the C~onfederacy Wnen
~ hCS'bthtSt G I-NoNS - 49,
General Sherman, he asked permits
sion to bring General breckenridge
with him to the conference
General sherman objected. however,
upon the ground that he was not q
mllltafy oflcef. but upon pelhS assured
that he was a 6enefaI IN the
Confederate state service, the opJec-
ton was withdrawn and Genefal
~JohnstoH SAID that after the business
OF the meeting had Geel entered Illo'
and General b~rechehfldS became IN
terested IN the SUBJECT ne oecafhe so
eloquent and persuasive, " much
intimate famlllarlty WITH al the sur
renders that had ever taken place, IN
ancient or modern times, that General
Sherman jumped up and said
Johnston. If listen to this man
talk much longer. he will persuade
me 70 surrender my enIlre army.
tan county, Nv. and educated at
Trans<Iyaria College in that state and
at WeG+ Point He an+arad tho Mil
tarv Academy in 1904 nnfar am an
rointment from President Monroe He
sraduate1 in 1s2S and was ASSIGNED
to the Third Infantrv as second lien