Adjacent to Beauvoir is the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum. The Library tells the story of the only man to serve as the President of the Confederate States.
Jefferson Davis
Davis and his elder brother, Joseph, were raised on Hurricane Plantation near Vicksburg, Mississippi. Davis attended West Point, receiving degrees in both architecture and engineering. He served six years in the Army. He fought in the Mexican-American War under his father-in-law, Zackary Taylor.
Sarah Davis
Davis’s first wife, Sarah Tyler, was the daughter of President Zachery Tyler. Sarah contracted malaria and died three months after their marriage. Although Davis recovered from the disease, he had ill health for the rest of his life. He lost vision in his right eye.
Varina Davis
After losing Sarah, Davis became a recluse and studied politics. His brother Joseph introduced Jeff to Varina in 1844. She was 18, and Jeff was 35. They married only a month after being introduced.
Jefferson and Varina had six children. Jeff Jr. died at twenty-one of yellow fever while Davis was writing his memoir at Beauvoir. The youngest child, Varina Ann, was named after her mother and was called Winnie. Winnie was born in 1864 and died at age 34, nine years after her father. Only Margaret survived, married, and had children.
Political Career
Davis served as a Mississippi House Representative. He was elected to serve as Mississippi’s Senator twice. He was the Secretary of War in President Franklin Pierce’s cabinet.
While Davis believed that states could secede from the Union, he did not think the North would stand for it. Having served as Secretary of War, he knew the Southern states lacked the resources to defend a war. South Carolina seceded in 1860. Against Davis’ advice, Mississippi was the second state to secede. He was then appointed Major General of the Army of Mississippi. He attended the Confederate Constitutional Convention in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was elected President of the Confederacy.
President of the Confederacy
After a brief stay in Montgomery, his government moved to Richmond, Virginia, where his family moved into the Confederacy’s White House. When Richmond fell in 1865, Davis fled to Danville, Virginia. The Confederate Cabinet’s final meeting in May 1865, disbanding the government, took place in Irwinville, Georgia. It was near Irwinville that Northern troops captured Davis. The raincoat he wore is a prized artifact on display in the museum.
The aftermath of the Civil War
Davis was charged with treason and imprisoned at Fort Monroe in Virginia. No trial was ever convened. He was released two years later on a hundred-thousand-dollar bail that six prominent Northern citizens posted. In December 1868, President Johnson issued a general pardon for Confederate soldiers. He would no longer seek to prosecute Davis. However, the general pardon did not apply to Davis. As a former Senator, he had “engaged in the insurrection” against the United States Constitution. He lost his United States citizenship under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. President Jimmy Carter restored his citizenship posthumously in 1978.
Home to Beauvoir
Davis faced financial hardship after his release and pardon. He tried several ventures, but many wanted nothing to do with him. He had been encouraged to write his memoir, and in 1875, a Mobile, Alabama insurance agent and former Confederate officer obtained a contract for Davis’ biography. “The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government”, Davis’ memoir was published in 1881.
Davis’ death
After visiting Hurricane Plantation to check on his father’s grave, Davis contracted bronchitis. After refusing to see a doctor, Varina took him to New Orleans for treatment. He died there in 1889 at age 81. He was buried in the Metairie Cemetery near New Orleans for four years, then, at Varina’s request, was moved to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. Varina and the children are buried beside him. His New Orleans funeral was one of the largest in the South. His body lay in state at the New Orleans City Hall for several days. The Wagon from the funeral procession that carried Davis’ body for his funeral in New Orleans is on display in the Library.
Presidential Library and Museum
In 1998, Beauvoir became a Presidential museum for Jefferson Davis. Visitors begin their visit with a short film on Jefferson Davis’ life that will set the scene of Davis’ life and career. There is an extensive exhibit of Civil War weaponry, flags, and artwork on the second floor. The Wagon that took Davis’ body to his internment is a central artifact in the museum.
The Library
Jefferson Davis was a central figure of the Civil War. Within the Library, visitors find all books related to Jeff Davis, the Confederacy, and the Civil War.
Artifacts
Winnie’s piano is on display in the Library. It was found in a tree near the residence after Hurricane Katrina.
The museum’s cases are filled with artifacts from Davis’ life and military career.
While not a Presidential library in the strictest sense, it is a testament to the life of a man who filled a unique place in history.
