List of Documents Available Online
The following documents have been reproduced from the published volumes of The Papers of Jefferson Davis. They appear as they are printed, with spelling, grammar, punctuation, and abbreviations as written (editorial methodology appears in each volume). The extensive annotation that accompanies these documents is not included here. More material will be added over time.
From Volume 1:
- Record of Delinquencies of the Corps of Cadets, June 5, 1828
--a listing of the demerits Davis received while a cadet at the U.S.
Military Academy at West Point. - To Sarah Knox Taylor, December 16, 1834
--upon receiving word that Taylor would marry him - To William Allen, July 24, 1840
--demonstrating Davis' early interest in politics
From Volume 2:
- Speech recommending John C. Calhoun for president, January 8, 1844
--spelling out what he saw as the virtues of the politician he admired
the most; includes some of Davis' earliest recorded comments on
state and southern rights - To William Allen, March 25, 1844
--commentary on national politics - "Eulogy on the Life and Character of Andrew Jackson," June 28, 1845
--a tribute revealing much about the qualities he values in a leader - On Oregon Territory, May 12, 1846
--looking toward the Mexican War
From Volume 3:
- To Joseph E. Davis, September 25, 1846
--reports on the Battle of Monterrey - Speech at Vicksburg, Miss., November 10, 1846
--describes the fighting at Monterrey - To Charles J. Searles, September 19, 1847
--comments extensively on political situation
From Volume 4:
- To John J. Crittenden, January 30, 1849
--views on Congress and Henry Clay's influence - Speech at Jackson, Miss., May 7, 1849
--addresses growing sectional differences - Remarks on Henry Clay's Resolutions, January 29, 1850
--expresses opposition to the proposals that became the
basis of the Compromise of 1850 - To Lowndes County Citizens, November 22, 1850
--spells out his constitutional view of state rights
From Volume 5:
- Speech at Philadelphia, [July 12, 1853]
--on the prospect of a transcontinental railroad - To William R. Cannon, December 13, 1853
--discusses his views on running for Senate - To William B. Howell, October 22, 1854
--Davis writes to his father-in-law - Speech at Vicksburg, June 6, 1855
--the only speech Davis made in Mississippi as secretary of war - Library of Congress Loan Record, [October 26, 1855]
--Davis' library record, 1853-55 - To Collin S. Tarpley, December 19, 1855
--discusses Davis' candidacy for senator
From Volume 6:
- To Franklin Pierce, December 1, 1856
--Report on the Operations of War Department - Speech at Boston, Mass., October 11, 1858
--most famous of his New England speeches,
which positioned him as a national Democrat, much
to the consternation of many Mississippians - Resolutions on the Relations of the States, February 2, 1860
--probably the most notable legislation Davis ever introduced,
the basis of the southern position at the 1860 Democratic convention - Reply to William H. Seward, February 29, 1860
--responding to remarks of his personal friend but philosophical
enemy, defends slavery and asks why northerners continue to seek
its destruction - Address to the National Democracy, May 7, 1860
--attempts to maintain both party and southern unity in the wake of
the split of the Democratic party - Speech at Washington, D.C., July 9, 1860
--campaigning for Breckinridge, notes the threat that Lincoln and
the Republicans pose - To Robert Barnwell Rhett, Jr., November 10, 1860
--urges caution and cooperation among the southern states in
the wake of Lincoln's election
From Volume 7:
- To Franklin Pierce, January 20, 1861
--explains and laments his impending departure from the
Union - Farewell Address to the Senate, January 21, 1861
--announces his resignation and explains Mississippi's reasons
for seceding - First Inaugural Address, February 18, 1861
--outlines the course on which he and the Confederacy are
embarking - Speech at Richmond, Va., June 1, 1861
--rousing expression of the Confederacy's willingness to fight - To Samuel Cooper, July 21, 1861
--announces Manassas victory, leading some to believe Davis had taken
command of the army - Endorsement on Beauregard's Manassas Report, [October 30, 1861]
--responds to Beauregard's accusations that Davis opposed an
offensive to follow up the Manassas success - To Congress of the Confederate States, November 18, 1861
--the state of the nation at the end of its first year
From Volume 8:
- To Joseph E. Davis, February 21, 1862
--laments recent military reverses - Second Inaugural Address, February 22, 1862
--accentuates the positives, urges faithfulness to the cause - To Congress of the Confederate States, February 25, 1862
--explains setbacks, focuses on military preparedness - To Varina Howell Davis, [May 30, 1862]
--writes of military developments and praises Lee, who
was then serving as Davis' top military adviser - To Varina Howell Davis, June 19, 1862
--after visiting his wife and children in Raleigh - From Robert E. Lee, September 3, 1862
--in the wake of success at Second Manassas, proposes a move
into Maryland (Antietam campaign) - From Mary Jane B. Lipscomb, November 15, 1862
--a good example of the appeals the president received
from private citizens - Speech at Jackson, Miss., December 26, 1862
--reviews the first two years of war, looks ahead
From Volume 9:
- Speech at Raleigh, N.C., January 3, 1863
--short, positive statement in a region where he encountered much
opposition - Speech at Richmond, Va., January 5, 1863
--criticizes actions of invading Federals - To E. Kirby Smith, May 8, 1863
--status report on operations in and near the Trans-Mississippi - To James M. Howry, August 27, 1863
--confesses surprise at setbacks in Mississippi
From Volume 10:
- Speech at Missionary Ridge, Ga., October 10, 1863
--praises triumph at Chickamauga, predicts ultimate victory - Speech at Wilmington, N.C., November 5, 1863
--encourages forbearance, says the army is confident - To E. Kirby Smith, November 19, 1863
--strategy and advice for the Trans-Mississippi Department - To Congress of the Confederate States, May 2, 1864
--reports on state of the Confederacy, suggests legislation
From Volume 11:
- Speech at Macon, Ga., September 23, 1864
-- on the Atlanta campaign and prisoners of war - African Church Speech, Richmond, Va., February 6, 1865
--reaction to the Hampton Roads conference - To John Forsyth, February 21, 1865
--rationale for enlisting blacks in army - To the People of the Confederacy, Danville, Va., April 4, 1865
--last official proclamation - To Varina Howell Davis, April 23, 1865
--surrender and the future
From Volume 12:
- To Nelson A. Miles, June 30, 1865
--asks permission to correspond with his wife, keep spare clothing in his cell, and address other issues with his confinement - To Varina Howell Davis, August 21, 1865
--first letter written from prison to his wife - From Judah P. Benjamin, May 28, 1867
--expresses sentiment of friends upon granting of bail - To Joseph E. Davis, July 22, 1867
--from Canada reports on family, business ventures, and politics - To A. Dudley Mann, November 4, 1868
--comments on his upcoming trial and the recent presidential election - To Isham G. Harris, June 22, 1869
--response to a job offer - Speech at Richmond, [November 3, 1870]
--speaks at the formation of the Lee Monument Association
From Volume 13:
- To Varina Howell Davis, August 24, 1873
--writes to his wife regarding the Carolina Life Insurance Company - To Varina Howell Davis, September 7, 1873
--writes to his wife on his personal and financial woes - To Varina Howell Davis, February 26, 1874
--writes to his wife from Liverpool on their anniversary To William Preston Johnston, June 13, 1874 - To William Preston Johnston, June 13, 1874
--gives opinions on events of the war and Joseph E. Johnston's book - To Jefferson Davis, Jr., July 21, 1874
--reprimands son on his failure in school - Speech in Houston, May 11, 1875
--speaks at Texas State Fair - William Mercer Green, August 18, 1875
--discusses the facts and rumors regarding his capture - To J. William Jones, May 10, 1876
--thanks Jones for his support and comments on rumors - To Varina Howell Davis, February 26, 1877
--writes a personal letter to his wife on their anniversary - To Frank Stringfellow, June 4, 1878
--on presidency and memoirs - To Susan B. Dixon, September 22, 1879
--gives his recollections and opinions on the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska Act