Go driving through southwest Kentucky west of Bowling Green and a little east of Hopkinsville, not far north of the Tennessee border some hot summer day when you could hear cicadas make a constant drone if you were willing to turn off the air conditioning and lower your windows. Highway hypnosis can come easily as you roll over the low ridges, through the farmland. Then, suddenly, you see something that jolts you to alertness: What appears to be the Washington Monument rising out of the summer haze.
It isn’t, of course, but a 351-foot obelisk does tower over the fruit trees and cornfields. It is the Jefferson Davis Monument, erected at Fairview in memory of the little crossroad town’s most famous resident, the one-and-only president of the Confederate States of America, born in a log cabin here June 3, 1808. Regardless of your feelings about Davis or the Confederacy, this monument is worth stopping at, if only to take an elevator ride to its top where you get great views of the countryside. These elevator rides to the monument’s top are normally available every half-hour, 9-5, May 1 through October 31.
Inside are displays of items related to Davis’ life and to “The Late Unpleasantness” of 1861-1865, including a Sharps carbine carried by a Confederate soldier. (The South only had the industrial ability to make ersatz Sharps, but the real thing could be taken from a Northern soldier who had no further use of it.) You’ll also learn about the “Orphan Brigade,” a brigade of Kentucky Confederates whose surviving members were instrumental in getting the Jefferson Davis Monument constructed. Among the brigade’s commanders during the war was Brigadier General Benjamin Hardin Helm, who was married to Abraham Lincoln’s sister-in-law Emilie Todd. After Helm was mortally wounded leading the brigade at Chickamauga, Lincoln invited Emilie to stay in the White House, until both of them became aware of the political liability her presence presented.
Stopping at this tall obelisk is a great break from highway hypnosis on a hot, muggy Kentucky summer day: history with a view.
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Mark Douglas said:
Jefferson Davis is a metaphor for the Confederacy — so have you ever wondered why Davis gets relativelly short rift in casual history, than, say Lee?
Few people realize it now — but the capture of Davis in a dress, trying to evade Union soldiers, was a well known and believed story in the North.
I bet you sit there and think, of COURSE Davis was not captured in a dress! Oh, wasn’t he? Well he was captured in attire that was intended to LOOK female – call it a dress or no.
Davis’ wife, Varina, wrote long letter not long after the incident to the Blairs, detailing what happened. She was desperately trying to save his reputation — and she unwittingly confirmed most of the details in the dress story. You can discount the reports from the soldiers that captured Davis — but you can’t discount her own handwritten 20 page letter.
In it – she claims that she pleaded with him to put on the disguise — which she describes as two piece. One was “dressing gown” to use her term, and the other was her shawl, which she put over his head. Then as he ran from the Union troops, a soldier called out demanding to know who that was. His wife yelled that it was HER MOTHER.
But the ruse did not work – the soldier went ahead of Davis by horse, and the jig was up. Mrs Davis said she went to Davis and got between him and the soldier. Many of the details she gives, are very much like the Captain — Dickinson– wrote at the time. She tries to take the blame in the letter — and pretty much says, well if he were in a dress, it was for a good cause. But she says it was not a dress, it was a dressing gown.
Well, men didnt wear dressing gowns. Women did. Men didnt put shawls over their heads. Women did. By her own account, Davis had on dressing gown, and a shawl over his head. And she was telling soldiers he was her mother. That all came from HER own letter.
The South ever since has tried to say Sec of War Stanton dreamed up this dress story to embarrass Davis. Staton dreamed up nothing — Davis was trying to escape in disguise of a female. Now, was the dress that was displayed for years at the War department, actually the dress he wore? I don’t know. But if I had to bet — I would say yep.
November 26th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Deb Goodrich said:
No, the dress at the War Department was not worn by Davis. Stanton placed the raglan and shawl in a safe and dressed a mannequin in the clothes he wanted the public to see. Davis was wearing a raglan and a shawl, and, if I’m not mistaken, Lincoln had a similar shawl. Many men threw shawls over their shoulders to stay warm, especially while sitting. Varina did say that there would have been no shame had Davis effected a disguise, but his attempt at one was half-hearted. Varina did try to interject herself and then Davis bared his chest and ask the soldier to shoot him rather than take him captive. Davis was no coward, whether you like the man or not.
November 29th, 2009 at 7:05 pm