Insight into the life of Varina Davis, First Lady of the Confederacy

I just left for my second trip to the Philippines with the University of Louisville's International Service Learning Program and missed the McConnell Center's public lecture by Dr. Joan Cashin. Cashin is the author of First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War. Though I missed the lecture, I was still able to learn from the life and times of Davis through Cashin's biography.

The books discusses Varina's outgoing personality; Varina considered conversation an art and had the ability to defuse an uncomfortable situation with humor. Davis stood out for her bracing wit, cutting humor, and seemed to be extremely personable. Her love for Jefferson Davis was evident as she yearned for his companionship when he was away (as did their children). Varina had an "easy friendship" with Lizzie Blair Lee for several years.

There was no solid evidence whether Varina supported secession. To many she gave the impression that she wanted to be the First Lady of the United States, not the Confederacy. It appeared she was both pro-Union and pro-slavery, declaring emancipation unconstitutional but wanting the states to remain in the Union and try to affect another compromise. Varina Davis seemed like someone who had the ability to stand out in a crowd, tried to be supportive of her husband yet always remained true to her own convictions.

A. Jenkins
McConnell Scholar, Class of 2012