Evening star., 1961-06-18
WOMEN IN THE CIVIL WAR
Leaders Of Both North and South
Were Married to Southern Bellies

ren White Sulphur Springs,
N. c.
And Mrs. Lee had seen Ar
lington'S seizure by the Gov
ernment for a national ceme-
terry and White House burned
to the ground. The latter
must have been a bitter
memory for before they had
to flee before the Union ad-
vance, Mary left a note be-
seeching the Union soldiers
"who profess to reverence
Washington, forbear to desc
crate the home Of his first
married life, the property Of
his wife now owned by her
descendants" and signed it,
"a Granddaughter of Mrs.
Washington"
Much Alike
In character Varina How
ell Davis and Julia Dent
Grant were very much alike,
both of them an inspiration
to their husbands, physically
strong and able with almost
superhuman endurance, to
brave the hardships Of war
and live to a ripe old age.
When these two former First
Ladies finally met in New
York as elderly dowagers
they must have found much
in common for they became
fast friends.
Varina Davis was well fit
ted for her role as First Lady
Of the Confederacy. She was
well read and a gifted con-
verSationalist.. Her opinions
were valued not only by her
husband but by other influ-
ential men, in Washington
when jefferson Davis served
in Congress during the 1850S
and later in Richmond when
that Virginia city became the
seat Of the Confederate gov
ernment.
1t was even said in the
last days of the Confederacy
when she was keeping visi-
tors away from her ailing
husband, who suffered great
ly with an ulcerous eye con-
dition, that she and Judah
Benjamin. the Confederate
Secretary of State, we're real
ly running the government, a
rumor that had no more
basis in fact than similar
charges leveled at Mary Lin
coin.
In many respects the lives
Of Varina Davis and Mary
Lincoln paralleled each other
Both were severely criticized
for their lavish entertaining
in wartime, and reputed in
fluence on their husbands.
But they reacted different
ly: Mary with hysteri-
cally critical letters to the
newspapers and notes to Of
ficials she didn't think were
loyal to her husband; Varina
with cool aplomb and criti-
cal observations that did not
go beyond the drawing room.
Both women suffered the
crushing tragedy of losing a
little boy while in the White
HouSe-Willie Lincoln from
a fever. and little Joe Davis
from a fatal fall from the
piazza Of the Confederate
White House in Richmond.
Mrs. Lincoln was a changed
and Saddened woman after
Willie's death. and never
completely recovered from
the shock. Mrs. Davis, though
much grieved by the loss of
little Joe, was more con-
cerned about it's effect on
jefferson, whose heart-rend-
ing cry when told of the
tragedy was, II must have
this day with my little child"
In the days that followed
the fall of the Confederacy
and during the two years her
husband was imprisoned at
Fort Monroe following his
capture, Varina Davis was a
pillar of strength to him. Few
women could have endured
those first few months.
With her children, Varina
was sent to Savannah, the
city purposely selected by the
Federal authorities because
she had neither friends nor
relatives there. She was vir-
tually a prisoner with no per-
mission to leave the city or
communicate with her hus-
band. When her children
were taunted in the street,
she desperately asked for and
obtained permission to send
them to Canada with her
mother.
In the meantime, after
tortuous months of silence
about the fate of her hus-
band, she succeeded in con-
tacting his doctor and get
ting messages through to him.
BY degrees she sought and
got permission to share his
imprisonment. Then through
Influential contacts in Wash
ington she finally succeeded