New Varina Davis Book

[Linda Humphries]

I have finished reading the new book on Varina Davis., "THE FIRST LADY OF THE CONFEDERACY, Varina Davis's Civil War", by Joan E. Cashin, ISBN - 13: 067402294-2. I totally enjoyed this book. Once I started reading I did not want to put it down.

I have always thought that Mrs. Davis was a woman beyond her time and this book enforced that opinion. She was more well educated, well read, and well written than most men of that time. That in itself was enough to make her seem odd and unseemly to most of the female aristocracy in Richmond. My heart bleed and cried for her many times while reading this book. It must have been extremely difficult to live in a patriarchal society, when at the same time you had been educated to have your own thoughts and express them. It was also eye opening to read the different sets of rules for proper social behavior in the North and the South. I do highly recommend this book, for Mrs. Davis's life is a sad story at times filled with tragedy.

[Drygoods]

Re: New Varina Davis Book

Miss Humphries,
Many thanks for the notice of this new book. I had hoped to find something new of Varina Davis and read more of her life. My best friend is sort of a VD collector so this will make a fine gift for her.
Another highly accomplished woman/writer was Augusta Jane Evans. If you are interested there are her novels, plus a volumne of her personal letters. From your description in the previous post, I would say that you perfectly described AJE exactly the same as VD.

[Emmanuel Dabney]

Re: New Varina Davis Book

I have mixed feelings about the new Mrs. Davis book. I haven't read it in total but went to Borders and picked it up and read pretty much her young young years and then the wartime.

Wartime Mrs. Davis was portrayed as a ceaselessly disinterested in the South's plight, never liked by anyone in Richmond or half the wives of famous people, distant from Jefferson Davis, adoring her children, caring for Union PoWs, and the author at several times gets off on a tangent about why no one tried to get Mrs. Davis to be a Union spy. (?!) I only remember the author making it sound like Mrs. Davis was friends with Judah Benjamin and Mary Chesnut with a respect found for Priscilla Tyler (one of President Tyler's daughter-in-laws) and perhaps one or two more people.

I didn't find the author to make any reference to Mrs. Davis' care of her husband many days during the course of the war or at least in any way as she has been portrayed by the Museum of the Confederacy. This in fact makes me want to find out who is telling the truth. Did Mrs. Davis work in some capacity behind the scenes for her husband when he was in the bed ill at times or has this been some Lost Cause cutesy story made up in the 1890s and continued to present by staff?

On a positive note it did highlight the Howell family problems, financial disasters, and in the portions about her young years the author does illustrate her high education (but in my opinion forgets about this during the wartime section).

Maybe that's me and I'd like to take the book on in total and follow it up in some primary research of my own and questioning things "heard." However, time will tell when that can all happen.

[Linda Humphries]

Re: New Varina Davis Book

Ms. Judith,

Thank you for the information on Augusta Jane Evans. I will most definitely do some research on her.


Mr. Dabney,

I think you would have a better understanding of Mrs. Davis when you have finish the book.

I did not get the idea that Mrs. Davis was “ceaselessly disinterested in the South's plight”. My understanding was that Mrs. Davis was completely torn between her love for the South as well as the North, having family and friends in both areas. She had to repress so much of her concerns for all her loved ones in the Union. I think it was a great emotional stress on her trying not to take sides and still having to be the “First Lady of the Confederacy”, a position she did not covet. I am amazed she retained her sanity for this fact alone. I applaud her for trying to continue her correspondence during the war with three of her closest friends in Washington, DC. This shows that her love for them had no bounds not even by the war.

As to her being “distant from Jefferson Davis”, she was no more so the he was distant to her. I don’t recall off hand of any instance where he ever put her before his own interests. She was expected to be under his command, even having to ask permission to visit her own family members. I lost count of the anniversaries that they spent apart.

As to your statement, “I didn't find the author to make any reference to Mrs. Davis' care of her husband many days during the course of the war”, before you finish the book you will read about this care and more. Therefore, I would not be too concerned about “the way as she has been portrayed by the Museum of the Confederacy”.

Also the author was using extant correspondence to document some of Mrs. Davis’ well known close friends in the South, not all I am sure by any means. As to Mrs. Davis’ high education being forgotten by the author “during the war time section”, I did not get that impression. I believe Mrs. Davis was would have been more reluctant in wartime Richmond to be as open about her education and intelligence due to the sectional differences of what was proper in public and in social situations.

I admit I did not feel her that her life was completely covered, but certainly we can know more about this grand misunderstood Lady, buy a thorough reading of this book.

[Emmanuel Dabney]

Re: New Varina Davis Book

As I said, didn't finish the book and didn't read from cover to cover but I intend to.

Regarding Augusta (nee Evans) Wilson, a book of her letters were published. It is titled A Southern Woman of Letters: The Correspondence of Augusta Jane Evans Wilson . Amazon has some copies of St. Elmo and Macaria, both by Evans.

[Drygoods]

Re: New Varina Davis Book

Dear Mr. Dabney,

First off, thank you for writing the collection of letters of AJE, I have that also, but not in the house so couldn't quite put it within my post.

I find the wonderful thing about this hobby is the continuous pursuit of learning more about our ancestors. I find it great that people still continue to write and research about these people long past. It gives folks like us a different perspective and more regard for those we study. I know that you, also, enjoy researching Mary Chestnut and someday I hope that another volumne of her life is presented to the public. Isn't it funny how some women in history are written of, over and over?

Yes, weird and silly as it sounds, I could easily read another book about Mary Chestnut, Mary Lee, Fanny Fern, Agusta Evans, Sarah Morgan, Varina Davis, and Lola Montez! :D I think I'm done with Mary Lincoln though, however if someone wants to send along a book about General's wives, I'd like that. Anything out there about Mrs. Jackson?

All these people who dig up neat facts for our research and enjoyment -- God Bless 'em!:D

[Linda Humphries]

Re: New Varina Davis Book

Ms. Judith,

I have not run across any book on Mary Anna Jackson herself, but I do own a reprint and have read her "Memoirs of Stonewall Jackson". It is a very well written and a very thick book. Well worth the read if you are a Jackson fan , which I am. This book gives a great insight to Jackson and her life with him.

I also recommend a biography on Jackson's sister in law, "Margaret Junkin Preston: A Biography" by Mary Price Coulling. Margaret was sister to Jackson's first wife. Margaret was considered the "poetress of the South". If you can find an old copy of her book, Breechenbrook, you will have found a treasure.

[Miss L]

Re: New Varina Davis Book

Mrs. Peebles:

'The Women's War in the South: Recollections and Reflections of the American Civil War' contains a brief sketch (4 pages) of Mrs. Jackson. Entitled 'Stonewall's Widow' it was written by Varina Davis. It was originally published in the Southern Historical Papers (1893).

The sketch is just that - a brief sketch, but is interesting not just for its topic, but also for its author!