In this Book
- The Papers of Jefferson Davis: 1862
- Book
- 1995
- Published by: Louisiana State University Press
- Series: The Papers of Jefferson Davis
Volume 8 of The Papers of Jefferson Davis brings the Confederate president to the second year of the War Between the States and shows that during 1862 Davis was almost completely overwhelmed by military matters. Indeed, early that year, in an address to the Confederate Congress, he admitted that in trying to defend every part of its far-flung territory, the “Government had attempted more than it had power successfully to achieve.”
During 1862, Judah P. Benjamin was replaced as secretary of war by George W. Randolph, who was then succeeded by James A. Seddon. As the year advanced, Davis’ relationships with certain key generals continued to sour. Chief among them were P.G.T. Beauregard, who was finally removed from his last significant command, and Joseph E. Johnston, whose fall from grace precipitated Robert E. Lee’s rise to influence as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. Lee proved to be as adept in communicating and coordinating plans with the president as Johnston had been inept.
At the inconclusive Battle of Shiloh, Davis lost Albert Sidney Johnston, a trusted friend and the general he had most admired. Like Shiloh, many other campaigns of 1862 ended in stalemate and withdrawal, including Henry H. Sibley’s New Mexico campaign, Braxton Bragg’s Kentucky campaign, Earl Van Dorn’s battle at Elkhorn Tavern, and the Confederacy’s greatest gamble—Lee’s Invasion of Maryland.
Correspondence with Davis’ brother, Joseph E. Davis, reveals the ever-worsening situation in Mississippi. The Federal occupation of New Orleans, the fall of new Madrid and Island No. 10, and Grants repeated attempts to capture Vicksburg heightened anxiety about the area and persuaded the president to tour the western theater in December.
Because the Union’s springtime invasion of Richmond prompted Davis to send his wife and children away, Volume 8 contains an unusually rich collection of letters exchanged during their separation. This correspondence offers a rare glimpse into the minds and hearts of Davis and his wife.
Altogether, more than 2,000 documents, many never before published, are included in Volume 8; 133 are printed in full. Culled from fifty-nine repositories, twenty-one private collections, and numerous printed sources, they reveal that despite the many setbacks he suffered in 1862, Davis maintained a deep devotion to duty and an unbending will to win.
Table of Contents
- Title Page, Copyright Page
- pp. i-vi
- Introduction
- pp. vii-xvi
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xvii-xx
- Editorial Staff
- pp. xxi-xxiv
- Editorial Method
- pp. xxv-xxx
- Symbols and Abbreviations
- pp. xxxi-xxxiv
- Repository Symbols
- pp. xxxv-xxxvi
- Chronology, 1862
- pp. xlv-lii
- From Wirt Adams . . . January 11
- pp. 11-15
- From Leonidas Polk . . . January 11
- pp. 15-17
- From A. Dudley Mann . . . January 18
- pp. 20-28
- To Leonidas Polk . . . February 7
- pp. 39-41
- From Henry A. Wise . . . February 13
- pp. 46-48
- To Joseph E. Davis . . . February 21
- pp. 53-56
- To Joseph E. Johnston . . . March 4
- pp. 77-81
- To Joseph E. Johnston . . . March 6
- pp. 81-83
- From Joseph E. Johnston . . . March 13
- pp. 96-100
- To William M. Brooks . . . March 15
- pp. 100-108
- From Beverley Tucker . . . March 20
- pp. 108-112
- From Jefferson D. Bradford . . . March 23
- pp. 112-117
- To Albert Sidney Johnston . . . March 26
- pp. 117-120
- From Douglas H. Cooper . . . [April] 2
- pp. 126-129
- From Joseph E. Johnston . . . April 4
- pp. 129-131
- From P. G. T. Beauregard . . . [April 6]
- pp. 131-133
- To Joseph E. Brown . . . April 7
- pp. 133-135
- To Earl Van Dorn . . . April 7
- pp. 135-147
- From Joseph E. Davis . . . April 20–22
- pp. 147-153
- To Clement C. Clay . . . April 25
- pp. 153-159
- From Joseph E. Davis . . . May 2
- pp. 159-164
- From William Lowndes Yancey . . . May 5
- pp. 164-167
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . May 9
- pp. 168-170
- To Joseph E. Johnston . . . May 11
- pp. 170-172
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . May 12
- pp. 172-174
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . May 13
- pp. 174-177
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . May 16
- pp. 178-184
- To Joseph E. Johnston . . . May 17
- pp. 184-187
- From Varina Howell Davis . . . May 19
- pp. 187-192
- To Margaret Howell Davis . . . May 20
- pp. 192-193
- To Earl Van Dorn . . . May 20
- pp. 193-195
- From Joseph E. Davis . . . May 22
- pp. 196-201
- To Joseph E. Johnston . . . [May 29]
- pp. 201-202
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . [May 30]
- pp. 203-205
- From Varina Howell Davis . . . May 30
- pp. 205-208
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . June 2
- pp. 208-212
- From Thomas O. Moore . . . June 2
- pp. 212-217
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . June 3
- pp. 217-219
- From Varina Howell Davis . . . June 3
- pp. 219-225
- From Robert E. Lee . . . June 5
- pp. 225-229
- From Robert E. Lee . . . June 7
- pp. 229-231
- From Charles J. Mitchell . . . June 7
- pp. 231-235
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . June 11
- pp. 235-239
- From Francis W. Pickens . . . June 12
- pp. 239-243
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . June 13
- pp. 243-246
- From Joseph E. Davis . . . June 13–14
- pp. 246-253
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . June 19
- pp. 253-256
- From J. L. M. Curry . . . June 20
- pp. 256-264
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . June 23
- pp. 264-268
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . June 25
- pp. 268-276
- To Robert E. Lee . . . July 5
- pp. 276-278
- From Robert E. Lee . . . July 5
- pp. 278-280
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . July 6
- pp. 280-282
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . July 7
- pp. 282-285
- From Joseph E. Davis . . . July 10
- pp. 285-290
- From John J. Pettus . . . July 16
- pp. 290-292
- To John Forsyth . . . July 18
- pp. 293-296
- From Robert H. Chilton . . . July 20
- pp. 296-302
- From Robert E. Lee . . . July 26
- pp. 302-305
- To E. Kirby Smith . . . July 28
- pp. 305-309
- To Robert E. Lee . . . July 31
- pp. 309-312
- From Braxton Bragg . . . July 31
- pp. 312-314
- From Henry T. Clark . . . July 31
- pp. 314-321
- To Braxton Bragg . . . August 5
- pp. 321-324
- To Francis W. Pickens . . . August 5
- pp. 324-331
- From E. Kirby Smith . . . August 11
- pp. 331-336
- To George W. Randolph . . . August 13
- pp. 336-339
- From Robert E. Lee . . . August 14
- pp. 339-344
- From Robert E. Lee . . . August 17
- pp. 344-349
- From John Milton . . . August 20
- pp. 349-351
- From Joseph E. Davis . . . August 23
- pp. 351-354
- From Robert E. Lee . . . August 23
- pp. 354-360
- From Theophilus H. Holmes
- pp. 360-367
- To Robert E. Lee . . . August 30
- pp. 367-373
- From Robert E. Lee . . . September 3
- pp. 373-379
- From Robert E. Lee . . . September 7
- pp. 379-387
- From Robert E. Lee . . . September 13
- pp. 387-393
- From Robert E. Lee . . . September 18
- pp. 393-395
- From Robert E. Lee . . . September 20
- pp. 396-398
- From Joseph E. Davis . . . September 22
- pp. 398-405
- From G. W. C. Lee . . . September 25
- pp. 405-407
- To Robert E. Lee . . . September 28
- pp. 408-416
- From Braxton Bragg . . . October 2
- pp. 416-420
- From Robert E. Lee . . . October 2
- pp. 420-426
- To Humphrey Marshall . . . October [6]
- pp. 426-432
- From Joseph E. Davis . . . October 7–8
- pp. 432-440
- From Lucius J. Dupré . . . October 11
- pp. 440-447
- To Braxton Bragg . . . October 17
- pp. 448-454
- To Theophilus H. Holmes . . . October 21
- pp. 454-459
- To Benjamin H. Hill . . . October 23
- pp. 460-468
- To E. Kirby Smith . . . October 29
- pp. 468-473
- From George W. Randolph . . . October 30
- pp. 473-476
- To Zebulon B. Vance . . . November 1
- pp. 476-490
- To George W. Randolph . . . November 14
- pp. 490-491
- To George W. Randolph . . . November 14
- pp. 491-493
- From Mary Jane B. Lipscomb . . . November 15
- pp. 493-499
- From Peter W. Gray . . . November 20
- pp. 499-508
- From Braxton Bragg . . . November 24
- pp. 509-517
- From Joseph E. Davis . . . November 27
- pp. 517-529
- To Joseph E. Johnston . . . [December 8?]
- pp. 529-530
- From Robert E. Lee . . . December 8
- pp. 530-533
- To Robert E. Lee . . . December 8
- pp. 533-537
- From Earl Van Dorn . . . December 8
- pp. 537-539
- From James Phelan . . . December 9
- pp. 539-548
- To Varina Howell Davis . . . December 15
- pp. 548-550
- To James A. Seddon . . . December 15
- pp. 551-552
- From Varina Howell Davis . . . December 18
- pp. 552-556
- From Varina Howell Davis . . . December 21
- pp. 557-558
- From Joseph E. Johnston . . . December 22
- pp. 559-560
- To Theophilus H. Holmes . . . December [22]
- pp. 560-565
- Speech at Jackson . . . December 26
- pp. 565-584
- From Theophilus H. Holmes . . . December 29
- pp. 584-587
- Speech at Mobile . . . December 30
- pp. 587-590
- From L. Q. C. Lamar . . . December 31
- pp. 590-596
- Addenda, 1840–61
- pp. 597-600