Jefferson Davis examines the politician, planter and former United States officer who became president of the Confederate States. It follows his military service in the Mexican-American War, his career in the Senate and cabinet, his defence of slavery and states’ rights, and his reluctant acceptance of secession.
The book assesses Davis’s leadership from Richmond, including his relations with generals, governors and the Confederate Congress and the mounting problems of manpower, finance and supply. It concludes with defeat, imprisonment and his later role in shaping the Lost Cause interpretation of the war.
