{"id":3774,"date":"2013-10-23T01:00:12","date_gmt":"2013-10-23T07:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/apps.lib.ua.edu\/blogs\/digitalservices\/?p=2376"},"modified":"2013-10-23T01:00:12","modified_gmt":"2013-10-23T07:00:12","slug":"jefferson-davis-namesake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apps.lib.ua.edu\/blogs\/coolathoole\/2013\/10\/23\/jefferson-davis-namesake\/","title":{"rendered":"Jefferson Davis’s Namesake"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1878, more than a decade after his faction’s defeat in the Civil War, former Confederate President Jefferson Davis wrote a letter to the child of a friend, Confederate General and eventual University of Alabama President Henry De Lamar Clayton<\/a>. Since the young man, Jefferson Davis Clayton, bore his name, he apparently felt a responsibility to get to know him.<\/p>\n

Davis’s letter to Clayton was eloquently written, and it offers wisdom and advice that is clearly borne of his own life’s circumstances. You can click on the images below to read the original — his handwriting is fairly readable — but the letter has also been transcribed for your convenience.<\/p>\n\n

Beauvoir Harrison Co. Missi<\/p>\n

15th Aug. 1878<\/p>\n

Dear young friend,<\/p>\n

The high compliment your\u00a0gallant father bestowed on me,\u00a0in giving to you my name, not only\u00a0imposed an obligation on me to him,\u00a0but creates in me a deep interest\u00a0in you. Therefore I write to you, and\u00a0address you as my friend<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The stormy time in which you were\u00a0born, if not most favorable to your\u00a0comfort, was, it has been thought by\u00a0many, most conducive to noble characteristics in the children of that period.\u00a0Without [assenting?] to, or [dissenting?]\u00a0from the physiological problem, I can\u00a0hope all which is possible for the\u00a0son of parents as true, and heroic\u00a0as yours; and so expect my name\u00a0to receive lustre from your deeds.<\/p>\n

Circumstances even more than merit, decide whether one shall be\u00a0famous or not: but it is in the powers\u00a0of most men to leave behind them a\u00a0[pg. 2]\u00a0good name, on which shall have\u00a0the unfading lustre of a virtuous and\u00a0charitable life. The true gentleman\u00a0never sacrificed his self respect to\u00a0gain temporary success, on what a\u00a0poor ambition considers glory; therefore he can never be humiliated\u00a0by disaster or defeat. The condition\u00a0of our country enables you to find\u00a0instructive examples illustrative\u00a0of the above remark.<\/p>\n

But I only intended to express\u00a0my affectionate regard for you and\u00a0must apologize for wandering into\u00a0general reflections.<\/p>\n

Please present my respectful regard\u00a0to your parents and believe me ever<\/p>\n

Cordially yours<\/p>\n

Jefferson Davis<\/p>\n

Mr. Jefferson Davis Clayton
\nBarbour Co. Ala.<\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

Davis also wrote to another Civil War General and future UA President, Josiah Gorgas, whose papers are housed at the\u00a0W. S. Hoole Special Collections Library<\/a>. To find those letters, go to the\u00a0online finding aid<\/a>\u00a0and find the series Josiah Gorgas. Click Components in Detail, where you’ll find Incoming Correspondence, and, within that, a folder for letters from Davis.<\/p>\n

\"Gorgas<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 1878, more than a decade after his faction’s defeat in the Civil War, former Confederate President Jefferson Davis wrote a letter to the child of a friend, Confederate General and eventual University of Alabama President Henry De Lamar Clayton. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":426,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3750,6463],"tags":[5882,3717,3744],"class_list":["post-3774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-civil-war","category-letters","tag-1870s","tag-deep-south","tag-historic-figures"],"yoast_head":"\nJefferson Davis's Namesake - What's Cool at Hoole<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/apps.lib.ua.edu\/blogs\/coolathoole\/2013\/10\/23\/jefferson-davis-namesake\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jefferson Davis's Namesake - 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