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Maggie Hayes
- University of Georgia Press
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MaggieHayes october1898 Mymotherhasaflairforpersonalcorrespondence.Afriendof herswhohadtraveledfromKentuckytoRichmondtoattend Winnie’sfuneraltoldme,“Varinawritessoengagingly,asifwe seeeachotherfrequently.Indeed,afterI’vereadaletterfrom her,Ifeelasthoughwe’vejusthadagood,longvisit.”Inletters tome,however,Motherletsherhairdownaboutwhatever’s foremostonhermindatthatmoment—someonehasinfuriated her,orshe’selatedoverabitofgoodfortune.Untilthemost recenttragedy,themainthemeusuallyrevolvedaroundherother daughter—Winniehadprovokedherandtheywerenoton speakingterms;Winniewasseeingsomeonesecretlyanddidnot wanthertoknow;Winniewasailing,butwouldbebettersoon. ThefirstcommunicationIreceivedaboutwhatturnedouttobe mysister’sfatalillnesswasnotoptimistic,butneitherdiditsound acryofalarm: Maggie, dear—A quick note to let you know Winnie has scarcelyleftherbedsinceshereturnedfromtheAtlantaconvention afflictedwithgastricupset.Ibelieveshemayhave 144 devotion caughtsomeraregerminEgypt,whichlaydormantinher systemformonths,thenflaredupwhenshetraveledtothe DeepSouthduringthemostmiserabletimeoftheyear.On thetraincomingback,shehadaclearhallucinationofher ownfuneral....Lookingonthebrightside,thevillagedoctor seemscompetent,andIapproveofhismedicinalchoices.But oh,howIwishIhadgonedowntoGeorgiainherstead! That last was not true. Mother has never liked traveling to thosecrowdedpost-Reconstructiongatherings.She,Winnie,my littleboy,andIwereslatedtotravelonthespecialtourforthe twenty-fifthanniversaryofFather’sinauguration,butmychild camedownwithscarletfeversoonafterwearrivedfromColorado .MotherusedthatexcusetostayatBeauvoir,withus.Had webeenonthetrainasplanned,thegeneralfromGeorgiawould haveaskedMrs.JeffersonDavistofillinforherhusbandwhen hewastooweaktogreetthecrowd.WinnieandImighthavehad ournamescalledoutandwaveddutifullytothecrowd,butthere wouldhavebeennoanointingofoneofusasasymbolofthe Confederacy—likethebattleflag,andFather. AfterFatherdied,theSouthcriticizedhiswidowformovingherself andWinnietoNewYork,butWinniewasnotblamedforthat decision.Exceptforaflurryofoutrageoverherengagementto aNorthernerwithAbolitionistroots,theoldguard’sdevotion toits“Daughter”hasnotwaveredinthetwelveyearssincethey gaveherthetitle.Now,intheaftermathofherpassing,theyseem determinedtodeifyWinnieDavis. Anenergetic,pridefulorganizationformedafewyearsago, theUnitedDaughtersoftheConfederacy,hastakenontheproj- [54.81.185.66] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 07:32 GMT) maggiehayes 145 ectofprocuringamonumentformysister’sgrave.Mymother putthatbeeintheirbonnets,thensentthecommitteechairman apaperweightangel,whichshedescribedasbeingoneof Winnie’sfavoritepossessions,forthesculptortouseasamodel. IaskedherifthewomenknewthatobjectwasgiventoWinnieby themantheygotupinarmsoverheralmostmarrying.“Isawno reasontoincludethatinformation,”shereplied. Wehavecommissionedalife-sizedbronzestatueofFatherfor histomb.Thefinishedpiecewilldepicthimintheattirehemost favored,afrockcoatsuitandcavalryboots,holdingaslouched hatinonehand.Motherbelievesthisimagewillhelpdispelthe persistentrumorthatthePresidentoftheConfederacytriedto escapehiscaptorsbydisguisinghimselfasawoman. MyrecollectionofthatincidentinthewoodsoutsideIrwinville ,Georgia,isconjoinedtoanotherthatoccurredafewdays later.AsFatherwasbeingtransferredfromtheshipClydeonto asmalllaunchforthetriptoFortressMonroe,nearNorfolk, theYankeesoldiersmadecruelsportofseven-year-oldJeffJr. forbeggingthemtotakehimtoprisontoo.Shortlythereafter, Mother,Winnie,AuntMargaret,RobertBrown,Jeffie,Willie, andIwereputoff...