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Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 17. (ed. Reverend J. William Jones), Life, services and character of Jefferson Davis. (search)
d—how a navy, small indeed, but one that revolutionized the naval warfare of all nations and became the terror of the seas, was fashioned out of old hulks or picked up in foreign places; see how a world in arms was held at bay by a people and a soldiery whom he held together with an iron will and hurled like a flaming thunderbolt at their foes. The Cabinet of Jefferson Davis. In his Cabinet he gathered the foremost civilians of the land— Toombs, Hunter, Benjamin, Bragg, Watts, Davis, Memminger, Trenholm, Walker, Randolph, Seddon, Breckenridge, Mallory, Reagan. Good men and true were these, regardful of every duty. His Generals and his armies. To the leadership of his soldiers whom did he delegate? If some Messioner could throw upon the canvas Jefferson Davis in the midst of those chiefs whom he created, what grander knighthood could history assemble? Robert E. Lee, Albert Sidney Johnston, Joseph E. Johnston, G. T. Beauregard, Samuel Cooper, and Braxton Bragg were gene
Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 17. (ed. Reverend J. William Jones), The Monument to General Robert E. Lee. (search)
r to relieve the seceding States from legislation on the subject of duties. A remarkable illustration of what I now say occurred during the discussion in the convention of South Carolina of the address proposed to be issued to the people of the slave-holding States, declaring the causes of the action of that State. Mr. Maxey Gregg, afterwards the brave General Maxey Gregg, who died nobly on the field of Fredericksburg, objected to the form of an address for that purpose submitted by Mr. Memminger because it did not set forth the causes of the secession of South Carolina correctly. He said: In the declaration not one word is said about the tariff, which for so many years caused a contest in this State against the Federal Government. Not one word is said about the violations of the Constitution in expenditures not authorized by that instrument, but the main stress is laid upon an incomparably unimportant point relative to fugitive slaves and the laws passed by Northern States
Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 24. (ed. Reverend J. William Jones), chapter 1.41 (search)
ll. In the winter of 1862-‘63 the Confederate Congress decided to place a loan of $10,000,000 on the European market. The French financier who came over here to confer with the authorities at Richmond, Va., in the matter strongly urged upon Mr. Memminger, the Secretary of the Treasury, and upon the joint committee of the Congress the advisability of making the loan—one or two or five hundred millions—stating that it would be entirely practicable to negotiate such a loan; and gave as a reason orable to the Confederacy, and might force their respective governments to recognize the independence of the Southern States and lend them valuable aid as a means of securing the repayment of their money thus subscribed. It appears that Secretary Memminger favored the suggestion of the French banker, but that Congress decided to adhere to its first determination; and in February, 1863, the loan was placed on the Paris Bourse. When the result was announced it astonished Europe, and convict<
Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 25. (ed. Reverend J. William Jones), chapter 1.20 (search)
He had the friendship and confidence of Mr. Davis and his Cabinet; of James A. Seddon, John A. Campbell, Graham, Cobb, Lamar, Curry, Letcher, Bocock, Harvie, Caperton, Joe Johnston and Robert E. Lee. He was one of the first to discover and appreciate the superb genius of Stonewall Jackson. He counselled often with Robert E. Lee, relied on his ripe judgment, and gave him his fullest support. In all fiscal and economic measures, he naturally took the lead. Respecting and trusting Secretaries Memminger and Trenholm, he, nevertheless, originated all the general features of Confederate finance. With an infant republic, compelled by a powerful adversary to incur an enormous war expenditure, and not able to export its surplus products or even fully to raise them for the markets, it is not strange that Confederate money should have sunk to so low an ebb as it finally did. The only wonder is that it did not fall much earlier and more rapidly. We may recall with instruction and profit t
Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 25. (ed. Reverend J. William Jones), chapter 1.38 (search)
ce. In September, 1861, I was called by President Davis to Montgomery, to consult with him as Attorney General of our State, as to the suspension of specie payment by the banks. The first loan ever made to the Confederacy, as testified by Mr. Memminger in a letter to the Confederate Congress, was by Mr. Knox, father of Mrs. Semmes. Mr. Memminger justly praises the devotion of that patriotic gentleman in this volunteer offer. In November, 1861, Mr. Semmes was elected a member of the ConfeMr. Memminger justly praises the devotion of that patriotic gentleman in this volunteer offer. In November, 1861, Mr. Semmes was elected a member of the Confederate Congress at Richmond, and took his seat in the Senate with his colleague from Louisiana, General Edward H. Sparrow. He passed through Montgomery on his way to Richmond, and here Mrs. Semmes met her parents, who were delighted that a son-in-law of theirs had this high honor conferred upon him, so dearly did they love the South. Mrs. Semmes referred laughingly to the beautiful trousseau that her father presented her with to take to Richmond, as became the wife of a Confederate Senator.
Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 26. (ed. Reverend J. William Jones), chapter 1.14 (search)
on at that place. In the mean time Colonel Shields established his artillery camp at a fine spring on the farm of the late John N. Shields, of Richmond, where he commenced his work. Troops had been at that location previously and it was known as Camp Jackson. Knowing that the artillery camp would soon be changed to Camp Lee, where were stores and staff officers, a temporary organization sufficed at Camp Jackson. On taking command at Camp Lee, December, 1861, Colonel Shields found Dr. Memminger, surgeon; Major John C. Maynard, quartermaster; Captain D. C. Meade, commissary; Lieutenant West, of Georgia, adjutant, and Rev. Dr. M. D. Hoge, chaplain. Companies reported very rapidly for instruction and equipment till about July, 1862, the conscription law having taken the place of replenishing the army by the assignment of those liable to service under that law. Some of the batteries: In all, there were seventy-five batteries trained and equipped and sent to the field fro
Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 28. (ed. Reverend J. William Jones), Thomas R. R. Cobb. (search)
d found that Alabama, Mississippi and Florida were in favor of Davis, Louisiana and Georgia for Howell, and South Carolina divided between Howell and Davis, with Memminger and Withers wavering. Howell immediately announced his wish that Davis should be unanimously elected. When the Georgia delegation met, Mr. Stephens moved to gilina. Rhett is a generous-hearted man, with a quantity of cranks. Barnwell is a gentlemanly man, full of politeness and modesty, and attracts my kind feeling. Memminger is very shrewd—a perfect Mc-Coy metamorphosed into a legislating lawyer. February 15.—I am sick at heart with the daily manifestations of selfishness, intrigu Everybody and his wife were there, except me. I stayed in my room and worked hard on bills until past 1 o'clock. Various rumors are abroad about the cabinet. Mr. Memminger will probably be Secretary of the Treasury. The firm conviction here is that Great Britain, France and Russia will acknowledge us at once in the family of nat
Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 29. (ed. Reverend J. William Jones), chapter 1.46 (search)
formed, if anybody was. With such relations, therefore, between these two gentlemen, and much more of which I do not propose to speak, it is a moral impossibility that Mr. Davis would dream of transacting diplomatic business outside of the regular channels. If Mr. Davis had not fully trusted his secretary he would have dropped him and appointed some one whom he could trust. Mr. Davis practically left the State Department to its secretaries. He has said that he left finance to Hunter and Memminger, and this was quite true. The grand objective point of Confederate diplomacy for four years was to secure recognition as an independent government for the Confederacy. This was the policy embodied in Mr. Hunter's letter of instructions to Mr. Slidell already mentioned, and it was the policy constantly kept in view by his successor in office, Mr. Benjamin. An offer to cede territory in exchange for intervention and help would have been fatal to the arguments on which the demand for re
Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 31. (ed. Reverend J. William Jones), chapter 1.28 (search)
$5 bills are as follows: $5, female seated in center, with a caduceous in her hand, and in the background a train of cars and vessel, to the lower left a gayly dressed sailor leaning on a capstan; engraver, J. T. Paterson. $5, portrait of Secretary Memminger in center, with figure of Minerva on right, no engraver's name. $5, the same bill as the one preceding, but printed in green instead of black; no engraver's name. $5, sailor in center, seated by cotton bales, portrait of Memmniger in oneer, leaning on shield, bearing a Confederate flag of the first design (this is almost exactly like a part of the $10 bill of the issue of July 25, 1861); engraved by Hoyer & Ludwig. $10, woman in center, leaning on an anchor, with portrait of Memminger on left; engraved by Keatinge & Ball, Columbia. $10, portrait of Tombs in one corner, and an infant in the other, nearly all in red, with the figure 10 many times repeated; engraved by J. P. Paterson. $10, in center, two females, with an urn b
Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 31. (ed. Reverend J. William Jones), The First Marine torpedoes were made in Richmond, Va., and used in James river. (search)
ar, General J. C. Breckinridge, of Kentucky. There were present: Judah P. Benjamin, Secretary of State; Trenholm, Secretary of Treasury; S. R. Mallory, Secretary of the Navy; Davis, the Attorney-General; J. H. Reagan, Postmaster-General, and Mr. Memminger, formerly Secretary of the Treasury; also Mr. Harrison, the President's private secretary. Mr. Davis, while in Danville, remained at his temporary home and capitol very little. He was very busily engaged in examining into the fortificatiod, none too soon, as a party of Federal soldiers, who had been sent to cut the road, arrived at a trestle a few miles south of the city just after the train carrying the President had passed over. After the President had gone to the depot, Mr. Memminger, who had been confined to his bed for several days with a severe attack of neuralgia, and from whom the bad news had been carefully kept, accidentally learning of what had happened, got up and dressed at once, and insisted upon going to the d
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