Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 December 1889 — DEATH CF JEFF DAVIS. [ARTICLE]

DEATH C F JEFF DAVIS.

B* Peacrfully Passes Away at New Or* leans—Sketch of His Life. Hon. Jefferson Davis, ex-President of .the Confederacy, peacefully died at New Orleans, at 12:45 a. m., Friday morning, after an extended illness of several weeks surrounded by his family and friends. [Jefferson Davis was born June 3,1508, in Todd county, Kentucky. Soon after his birth his father moved to Mississippi Young Jeff received an academical education, and was then sent to Transylvania College, which he left at the age of sixteeh to accept an appointment at West Point, tendered him by President Monroe. He graduated four years later. He remained in the army seven years, serving with considerable distinction in the Black Hawk war and in various expeditions against the Indians. He married a daughter of Gen. Zach Taylor, returned to Mississippi and became a cotton planter. He soon, ~ssS*er« became interested in politics, and in 1845 was elected to Congress. He bore a conspicuous part in the, discussions of the . session on the tariff, the Oregon question ami on the preparations for war against Mexico. <>n the Oregon question he said: ’“From siic to son has descended the love of union in our hearts, as in our history are mingled the names of Concord and Camden, of Yorktown and Saratoga, of Moulirie and Piattsbnrg, of New Orleans and Bunker Hill. Grouped together they form a monument to the common glory of our common country; and where is the Southern man who would wish that that monument were less by one of the Northern names that constitute the mass!” In July, 1840, he was elected colonel of -JoT-fho' First regimeaK3Kssissippi volunteers, and he promptly led the regiment to Gen. Taylor on the Rio Grande. He dis tinguished himself at Buena Vista, where his regiment sustained an overwhelming attack by superior numbers, and he, badly wounded, remained in his saddle until the close of the action. He refused a commission of brigadier-general of volunteers, tendered by the president, on the ground that the constitution reserves to the states respectively the appointment of the officers of the militia, and that consequently that appointment by the Federal Excutiye is a violation of the rights of the States. In August, 1847, Col. Davis was appointed a U. S. Senator to fill a vacancy. He remained in the Senate until 1851, when he resigrfbd to make the race for Governor of Mississippi against Henry S. FootA The latter was successful by just 1,000 majority save one. In 1853 he was appointed Secretary of War by President Pierce, which post he he held until the inauguration of President Buchanan, in 1847. His administration of the War Department was marked by ability and energy, and was Highly popular with the army. He made many improvements in the service. Soon after his retirement from the Cabinet he ;e entered the Senate and continued there until the attempted secession of the Southern States. He was the leading member if the Secret Caucus of the Senators from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and other States which met in Washington Jan. 5,1861 in a committee room of the Capital and framed the scheme of revolution, which was implicity and promptly followed at the South, and no was made the chairman of the Kxecutivo Committee appointed by that mucus to cai’ry out the objects of that meeting. The plan to hasten the secession of the Southern States, of which South Caro. :ina only had yet openly left the Union; to accumulate munitions of war; to organize and equip a force of SIOO,OOO, men; and lastly, to hold on as long as possible to the southern seats in Congress, in order to paralyze the government to gain time for the South to arm and oi’ganize. Mississippi followed South Carolipa, Jan. 9, fS6I, but, Davis did not make his farewell speech to the Senate until Jan. 21. Soon after this no was appointed Commander in Chief of the Mississippi State Militia, With the rank of Major General. Feb. 4,-1861, the Confederate Congress met at Montgomery, Ala., organized a provisional government and elected Jell Davis “President of the Confederate States of America” and Alexander H. Stephens “Vice-president. “In a . speech after his election Mr. Davis expressed himself in a confident manner as sure of ultimate success. He said “England will recognize us and a glorious future is before us.” The war, as is well , known, ended in disaster alike to the Confederacy, and also to Mr. Davis and his fortunes. In June, 1871, he made a speech at a public reception given at Atlanta, Ga., in which ho said that he still adhered to the principle of State Sovereignty, but declared that the power of the Union was too great to be resisted. He also said, “I don’t believe 1 did any wrong, and therefore I don’t acknowledge it,” He made a brief visit to England and France after the war and since then he has led almost a persuaded to join an occasional reunion of the -Confederate soldiers.]