Conditions Governing Use

The materials from Washington and Lee University Special Collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be fully credited with the source. Permission for publication of this material, in part or in full, must be secured with the Head of Special Collections.

Online Access

View this collection online via W&L's Digital Archive

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Jefferson Davis Collection, WLU Coll 0011, Special Collections and Archives, James G. Leyburn Library, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA.

In some cases the citation format may vary. Please contact Special Collections staff to verify the appropriate format.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Nine letters are a gift of Ellinor P. Gadsden. The five items dated 1862-1865 are a gift of the Rosa Mason Tucker Estate. Letters to Mrs. Mary Meredith and the Govenor of South Carolina as well as the printed broadside are a gift of Miss D. D. Wescott.

Scope and Contents

This collection includes four telegrams and one letter, 1862-1865, from Davis to C.S.A. Generals Braxton Bragg, Joseph E. Johnston, and Robert E. Lee and Col. William Preston Johnston concerning conduct of the war; nine letters, 1867-1882, from Davis to General William Nelson Pendleton, the majority discussing the preparation of Davis' book, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government; one letter dated Feb. 4, 1887 from Davis to Mrs. Mary Meredith refusing assistance from Texas friends; one letter dated Sept. 3, 1862 (photocopy) to the Govenor of South Carolina concerning the execution of the conscription law passed by the Confederate States of America; one printed broadside dated January 5, 1863, issued by Davis in answer to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. There is also a clipped signature written in two hands, which has been mounted: 'Very Respectfully and truthfully yours, Jefferson Davis' and an unused envelope with two first national confederate flags printed in red, black, and blue. The text says 'Hon. Jefferson Davis, the Champion of the South.'

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Bragg, Braxton
• Confederate States of America. Army
• Correspondence
• Envelopes (Stationery)
• Johnston, Joseph E. (Joseph Eggleston), 1807-1891
• Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870
• Meredith, Mary
• Pendleton, William Nelson, 1809-1883
• Recruiting and enlistment
• Slavery -- Justification
• Slaves -- Emancipation