The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-03-03
CONFEDERATE VETS
INSTALL UrFICEKS
Annual Memorial Services Also Held
Veterans Invited to Birth
day Party.

Installation of officers was held at
the regular meeting of Camp Ward,
u. C. ", held at the Bivouac Tues
day afternoon.
The annual memorial services were
also held and fitting tributes were paid
to the lives and services of Comrades
G. NJ. Gentry, Mark Mayo, II. c. Cush-
man and G. w. Campbell, who had
crossed the river" during the year
1920.
Following are the officers installed:
Commander, Boykin Jones; first
lieutenant, j. N. Eubanks; second lieu
tenant, o. L. McVoy; third lieutenant,
F. c. Bombay; adJutant, w. A. Rawls;
chaplain, Rev. J. NJ. Tate; quarter
master, G. o. Brosnaham; sergeant
major, T. J. Roberts; color sergeant.
II. G. Flowers.
The sincere sympathies of the camp
were extended to that loyal Son of
Confederate Veteran, Hon. r. Pope
Reese, upon the death of his mother.
Mrs. Eliza J. Reese, who was indeed
one of the very mothers of the Con-
federacy.
Lieut.. Bombay extended a most cor
dial invitation to all members OF the
camp 10 be present at his birthday
party on next Friday and the members
will attend in a body during the after
noon Of that day.
The adjutant gave an interesting ac-
count of his visit to Richm 0nd, Va,
where the committee appointed to
transfer the remains of the first Mrs.
Jefferson Davis from an obSl are grave
yard in Louisiana to Hollywood met
and organized preparatory to carry
ing out the wishes of the Confederate
Veterans, as expressed by resolution
at the Houston reunion.
The story of the first marriage of
Jefferson Davis is quite a romantic
one. Mr.. Davis asked General Taylor
for the hand of his daughter, Sarah
Knox, and it was refused; not, as he
said, because of objection to Lieut..
Davis, but because he wanted his
daughter to marry a man who could
give her a permanent home and not
to a man in army life. She waited
two years, and told her father that she
would marry Mr.. Davis at the home of
her aunt, Gen. Taylor's sister. Gen.
Taylor severed all relations with them.
Mr.. Davis took his bride to his planta-
ton, THE Locust Grove Plantation"
in West Feliciana parish, Louisiana.
Less than two and one-haf months
afterward both were stricken with
typhoid fever. In her last moments,
in the delirium of fever, the beautiful
woman was heard by her husband, in
an adjoining room, singing love-song
which she had many times sung for
him. Rousing himself, and wrapping a
dressing gown around himself, he went
into her room and took her in his arms.
and she passed away while in his en-
brace.
In after years the Mexican war came
on, and we find Col. Davis at the head
of a Mississippi regiment, and at the
battle of Beuna Vista, which, our
readers will recall, was already lost,
and panic was about to set in. An
Indiana regiment, which occupied a
position in front of Col. Davis regi-
ment, broke and ran straight to the
rear. Col. Davis took in the situation,
and deployed his command into open
order. This allowed the Indianians to
pass through, after which he closed in,
drove to the front and won the battle.
Gen. Taylor, who had anxiously fol-
lowed the movements, galloped up to
Col Davis and said: col. Davis,
wish to congratulate you, sir, on your
splendid victory; and 1 will say fur
Their, sir, that Sarah Knox was a damn
Slgnt better Judge OF men imam L am,
sir" With this he rode away, and he
was ever afterwards a devoted friend
of Mr.. Davis.
During the civil war all the terri
tory of Louisiana was occupied by
federal troops, some of whom desc
Grated the grave of Mrs. Davis in their
search for hidden treasure. Mr.. Davis,
after the close Of the war, was con-
fnad In Fortress Monroe for two
years. AS soon as practicable after
his release, he visited the grave of his
wife and restored the brick walls and
replaced the marble slab! all of which
had been thrown down.
This property has now passed out
of the possession of any member OF
the Davis family and the Confederate
Veterans desire 10 have the remains
of this woman, so beloved by her hus-
band, placed by his side in the grounds
consecrated to the family of the pres
ident of the Confederacy.