CSA First Lady Varina Davis ALS with Incredible Content

CSA First Lady Varina Davis ALS with Incredible Content Regarding Jefferson Davis' Experiences in the Black Hawk War

Davis, Varina Banks Howell (1826-1906). Wife of CSA President Jefferson Davis and sole First Lady of the Confederate States of America (1861-1865). ALS, "V. Jefferson Davis," written on black bordered stationery, 6pp, 6.25 x 8 in., "Hotel Gerard." February 6, 1901. Addressed to an unidentified gentleman, concerning a recent publication by a "Miss Tarbell," who cast Jefferson Davis in a somewhat unflattering light.

In the letter, Davis shares salient details of her husband's life before he served as President of the Confederacy, including his involvement in the Black Hawk War, May-August 1832. She writes that "Mr. Davis was in Kentucky in 1832 for a short time on leave. . . he also I believe went to Woodville to see his mother. . . the proof is however abundant that Mr. Davis was in the Black Hawk war, and must be recorded in the War Dept. . . he said he missed capturing Blackhawk personally by about five or ten minutes."

Davis writes that Tarbell's account of her husband's life is "a bundle of prejudice, spite, and partisanship" and recommends her own memoir instead, Jefferson Davis, Ex President of the Confederate States, published in 1890. She notes that it "is an expensive book but I think you'll find more in it than there is anywhere else of a personal nature."

In addition the aforementioned book, Davis also authored several articles for New York World as a means of supporting herself following the death of her husband in 1889.
Condition Report: Some wear to fold lines and at corners.