For their wonderful work on the bliss of the. And i think former staffers teresa and i think former staffers for their aid with my archival and photo research. This book literally would not have been possible without their expertise and assistance. Since we are here on site, i want to set the scene at the white house of the confederacy, nextdoor. I want to make sure you know the setting before we get started. Can everyone hear me ok . Is that good . Book,oing to read from my winnie davis, daughter of the lost cause, from the introduction. The girls who loved the poison great, the girls to country true, can never in wedlock give their hands to those who were the blue. This is from a southern poem called true to the gray. Was april 1864, in richmond, virginia. The northern and Southern United States were locked in an epic battle for dominance over states rights and slavery. Thousands were being slaughtered every day. Richmond was literally surrounded by rivers of blood. Depressed and dow
SUMMARY Varina Howell Davis was the second wife of Confederate president Jefferson Davis and the First Lady of the Confederacy during the American Civil War (1861–1865). She was manifestly ill-suited for this role because of her family background, education, personality, physical appearance, and her fifteen-year antebellum residence in Washington, D.C. (She once declared that the worst years of her life were spent in the Confederate capital at Richmond while the happiest were in Washington.) A native of the urban South, she always preferred the city to the country, and after her husband died in 1889, she moved to New York, where she resided until her death in 1906.
4th, 1865, that s when lincoln was here and jefferson davis had left town april 2nd, 1865, at 11:00 p.m. the union army took over the city and this house on the morning of april 3rd. and abraham lincoln was here april 4th. he came in through the front doors, of course, just five days after that general lee surrendered his army at apple maddux. april 14th he was shot at ford s theater and died the next day. jefferson davis was captured may 10th, 1865. now, general godfrey weitzel turned this house into union army headquarters the day he got here, april 3rd, and it remained that until january of 1870. so actually the union army took very good care of this house, for the most part. this was their home and headquarters for almost five years. now n the first week or two of occupation, things were a little different. there were soldiers and officers coming and going. they were taking those souvenirs from the house and sleeping on the floors and the chairs and on the piano, in one c
2, 1865, about 11:00 p.m., the union army took over the city with the house on the morning of april 3rd, and abraham lincoln was here april 4th. he came in through the front doors. five days after that general lee surrendered his army and on april 14th lincoln shot, died the next day, jefferson davis captured by the union army may 10th, 1865. now, general godfrey whitzel turned this into headquarters april 3rd and remained that until january 1870. the union army took very good care of the house, for the most part. this was their home and headquarters for almost five years. now, in the first week or two of occupation, things were a little bit different. soldiers and officers coming and going, taking souvenirs from the house, sleeping on the floors and in the chairs and on the piano, in one case. so it was pretty chaotic first couple of weeks. after things settled down here a bit, this was lived in by a succession of u.s. army generals who took good care of the house. in januar