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Kentucky
Historical Society
to mark event with slate of speakers
Abraham
Lincoln and Davis
born less than a year apart in Ky.
By
Helen E. McKinney
Contributing Writer
FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 2008) – As Kentucky
embarks upon a two-year celebration of the birth and life
of Abraham Lincoln, it will also honor native son Jefferson
Davis. In his roles as president of the Confederate States
of America and commander-in-chief of the army and navy, Davis
accomplished many feats in the development of the nation.
Often viewed as Lincoln’s rival during the Civil War,
it is surprising to note their similarities. Davis was born
eight months before Lincoln and less than 100 miles away in
Fairview, Ky. A 351-foot-tall monument marks a park-like setting
where commemoration events will kick off in June.
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Photo
courtesy of Kentucky Historical Society
Jefferson
Davis, the
president of the
Confederacy, was born
in Kentucky. Before the
Civil War, he was a
planter, soldier, politician
and U.S. Secretary of
War. He died in 1889.
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According to a statement from Lisa Cleveland,
spokeswoman for the Kentucky Historical Society, “It’s
historically significant that Kentucky was home to both Davis
and President Abraham Lincoln.” As a result, “The
Contested Legacy of Jefferson Davis” is a symposium that
will be held at the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort
from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, June 27. It will feature
nationally known Civil War scholar and author William J. Cooper
Jr. as the keynote speaker.
Cooper is a professor at Louisiana State University. He is
the author of “Jefferson Davis, American” (2000).
Two topical panels and a roundtable discussion are scheduled.
The one-day symposium is “an effort to examine complex
issues related to the president of the Confederacy of the
United States,” Cleveland said. “Since this year
marks the 200th anniversary of Davis’s birth, it’s
a prime opportunity to take up this subject.” This event
is a Lincoln Bicentennial-related celebration.
Born on June 3, 1808, in what is now Todd County, Ky., Jefferson
Finis Davis hails from a distinguished background. His paternal
grandfather was a Welsh colonist. His father, Samuel Davis,
was a Revolutionary soldier as were as his uncles. Davis’s
three older brothers fought in the War of 1812, two of them
serving directly with Andrew Jackson.
After the revolution, Samuel Davis temporarily moved to Kentucky,
where his son, Jefferson, was born. The family then moved
to Wilkinson County, Miss.
Educated at home, Davis was sent back to Kentucky to attend
Transylvania University. At age 16, he was appointed by President
James Monroe to West Point Military Academy as a cadet and
graduated in June 1828.
Davis was stationed at posts in the northwest between 1828
and 1833. During the Blackhawk War of 1831, Indian chief Blackhawk
was captured and placed in Lt. Davis’ charge. Davis suddenly
resigned from the army in 1835 from what looked to be a promising
military career.
His change of career may have had something to do with his
meeting and engagement to Sallie Knox Taylor, daughter of
Zachary Taylor. They were married at the home of the bride’s
aunt near Louisville. At age 27, Davis became a cotton planter
in Warren County.
By now he had taken a deep interest in politics and devoted
many hours to studies that would prepare him for a political
career. He took his seat in Congress in 1845 as a representative
of Mississippi. Through the many eloquent speeches he gave,
a deep devotion to the union and his country began to surface.
His staunch support of the Texas annexation issue may have
influenced him to re-enter military life. He resigned from
Congress in June 1846 and joined his regiment at New Orleans.
After success as a Mexican War hero, he once again entered
the Mississippi legislature.
Davis may not have taken an active part in planning secession,
but by 1861 he was elected president of the Confederate States
of America. The eventual defeat and surrender of Lee’s
army dissolved Davis’s presidency of the Confederate
States. As a result, Davis was imprisoned for two years at
Fortress Monroe on May 19, 1865.
After his release on bond, he visited Europe before returning
home to spend the remainder of his life in Mississippi. He
embarked on several business ventures but never again held
political office. Davis wrote “The Rise and Fall of the
Confederate Government” during 1878-1881 while residing
on the Gulf of Mexico.
Davis died Dec. 5, 1889, in New Orleans. His visionary political
life included such accomplishments as suggesting a canal to
connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans (which later became
the Panama Canal), establishing the army pension system, founding
the Army Medical Corps, introducing the light infantry, and
assisting in the development of the rifle musket.
The symposium helps accomplish the Kentucky Historical Society’s
mission “to engage people in the exploration of the commonwealth’s
diverse heritage,” said Cleveland. It will highlight
Davis’s role in the Civil War and life in the South during
the war, focus on actual and symbolic roles Davis and his
family played, and assist Kentucky’s museums and historic
sites in interpreting this critical period in the state’s
history.
• For more information on the Jefferson
Davis Symposium in Frankfort, Ky., or to register online,
visit: www.KyLincoln.org.
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