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 left as written (the complete editorial method of the project may be found in the front part of each volume). The extensive annotation that accompanies these documents in the published volumes is not included here, so readers are encouraged to consult the books for more information about the documents and the events that spawned them.
More documents will be added over time. Please note, however, that the project can make only certain documents available on the web because of rights issues.
From Volume 1:
From Volume 2:
From Volume 3:
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 the growing sectional differences
- Remarks on Henry Clay's Resolutions, January 29, 1850
--expresses opposition to the proposals that would become the
basis of the Compromise of 1850
- To Lowndes County Citizens, November 22, 1850
--spells out his Constitutional view of state rights
From Volume 6:
- Speech at Boston, Mass., October 11, 1858
--the most famous of Davis' 1858 New England speeches,
which positioned him as more of 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;
became the basis of the southern position at the 1860
Democratic Convention
- Reply in Senate to William H. Seward, February 29, 1860
--responding to the 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 at its Charleston convention
- Speech at Washington, D.C., July 9, 1860
--campaigning for Breckinridge, notes the threat that Lincoln and
the Republicans pose to the Union
- 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 U.S. 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
- Telegram to Samuel Cooper from Manassas, July 21, 1861
--announces 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 Confederacy 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 wife of military developments, praising Lee, who
was then serving as Davis' top military advisor
- To Varina Howell Davis, June 19, 1862
--speaks of family 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 types of appeals the president received
from private citizens
- Speech at Jackson, Miss., December 26, 1862
--reviews the first two years of war, looks ahead to difficult struggle
From Volume 9:
- Speech at Raleigh, N.C., January 3, 1863
--short, positive statement in an area where he encountered much
opposition
- Speech at Richmond, Va., January 5, 1863
--criticizes actions of invading Federals, says CSA better off than
it was a year before
- 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 the CSA's setbacks in Mississippi
From Volume 10:
- Speech at Missionary Ridge, Ga., October 10, 1863
--praises army's triumph at Chickamauga, predicts ultimate CSA victory
- Speech at Wilmington, N.C., November 5, 1863
--encourages forebearance, 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:
- African Church Speech, Richmond, February 6, 1865
--
- Letter to Varina Howell Davis, Charlotte, N.C, April 23, 1965
--
- Speech at Macon, Georgia, September 23, 1864
--
- Jefferson Davis to John Forsyth, Richmond Va, Feb 21, 1865
--
- To the People of the Confederate States of America, Danville, Va., April 4, 1865.
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