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Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [item], [folder], Jefferson and Varina Anne Davis Letter, 1886, Ms2022-028, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Jefferson and Varina Anne Davis Letter was acquired by Special Collections and University Archives prior to 2012.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Jefferson and Varina Anne Davis Letter was completed in August 2022.

Biographical Note - Varina Anne Davis

Varina Anne Davis was the youngest daughter of Jefferson Davis. She was born in Richmond on June 27, 1864, and lived until September 18, 1898. Following the death of her father she moved to New York where she worked as a novelist under the name Varina Anne Jefferson-Davis.

Source: Ferrell, Chiles Clifton (1899). "The Daughter of the Confederacy – Her Life, Character, and Writings." Mississippi Historical Society. https://archive.org/details/thedaughterofcon00ferr/page/n1/mode/2up?view=theater .

Biographical Note - Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Finis Davis was born June 3, 1808 and lived until December 6, 1889. Davis was the first and only President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Prior to the war, Davis was elected to the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. During the Mexican-American War, Davis was offered a promotion to Brigadier General but he turned it down. Also prior to the Confederacy, Davis was the United States Secretary of War.

Source: American Battlefield Trust. "Jefferson Davis Biography." https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/jefferson-davis . Accessed August 2, 2022.

Biographical Note - James H. Lane

Born on July 28, 1833 in Mathews Courthouse, Virginia, James H. Lane was educated at the Virginia Military Institute and later became a brigadier general in the army of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. After the war, Lane served at the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (later Virginia Tech) as a professor of Natural Philosophy, General Chemistry, Military Tactics, as well as VAMC's first Commandant of Cadets. Lane went on to teach at the Missouri School of Mines and Auburn University. He passed away in 1907.

Scope and Content

This collection contains a July 25, 1886 letter penned by Varina Anne Davis for her father, Jefferson Davis, to James H. Lane, a former Confederate general and former VAMC Commandant of Cadets. The letter is in response to a previous letter from Lane asking Jefferson Davis for a recommendation. This letter informs Lane that Davis' recommendation won't carry the same weight as it might have once had. The collection also includes two typed copies of the letter.

Related Material

See the Varina Anne Davis Letter , also held at Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• Lane, James H., 1833-1907
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Jefferson and Varina Anne Davis Letter by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).