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Jefferson Davis Autograph Letter Signed Written from Canada....
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Davis writes about the despondency of the South: "The negroes have to a great extent become vagrant and the common complaint was that neither crop or stock could be protected from their thieving"
Jefferson Davis Autograph Letter Signed Written from Canada.
Four pages of a bifolium, 6.5" x 7.75"; Lennoxville, Canada; April
7, 1868. Davis writes to John Taylor Wood, a fellow Confederate who
had escaped to Canada after the war. Davis writes about a recent
visit to the South and his pending court case. In part: "The
desolation and despondence of the people I found even greater than
I had imagined. The failure of last year's crop rendered the
planters generally unable to repay the advances which their
merchants had made, and the latter unable to get further Bank
accomodations [sic], were unable to make even the
small advances to the planters which they required to by food for
their laborers and teams. The negroes have to a great extent become
vagrant and the common complaint was that neither crop or stock
could be protected from their thieving. The poor creatures are
however much to be pitied for their destitution and we who knew
their utter inability to govern themselves may well question
whether they or those who forced them into their present condition
are most responsible for the crimes they commit. So far as my
observation went, the negroes are humble and generally inclined to
cling to their old masters, ever recurring to the last fleshpot...
On the 25th of March I was required for the third time to appear at
Richmond to answer to the pending prosecution, but a short time
before that date I was notified that the hearing of the case was
postponed to the 14th of April, and afterwards that the case was
further postponed to the May term. Whether anything will then be
done beyond a renewal of the bond and the naming of another day is
very doubtful. It is also expected by some having better
opportunity than myself to form an opinion that my attendance may
be dispensed with. This embarrasses me in the formation of any
plans for the future, so that I am still quite adrift. Several
advantageous propositions have been made to me, but all contingent
as rather [unintelligible word] postponed until I am free
from the restraints of this government prosecution..." Signed,
"Jeffer Davis."After he was captured at the end of the War, Davis was imprisoned at Fortress Monroe. His family joined him there for a while, but then moved to Canada. Davis was indicted for treason, a course of action that was supported by the House of Representatives. After two years at Monroe, Davis was released on bail of $100,000. Upon his release, he joined his family in Canada and settled in Lennoxville, where he wrote this letter. He would remain in Canada until Andrew Johnson issued a pardon and amnesty for treason to every person who participated in the rebellion. The case against Davis was formally dismissed on February 15, 1869.
Condition: Flattened folds, with a partial separation (about 1.5" long) occurring at the integral fold at bottom. Some dampstaining along the top edge of both sheets, less so on the second. Pin points of paper loss occurring on the second sheet, where the folds intersect. Some light soiling and wear along the folds of the verso of the second sheet.
Auction Info
2022 June 4 Historical Manuscripts Signature® Auction #6247 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
June, 2022
4th
Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 4
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
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