First and Only

The Maundy Monday Newsletter - This Week in History December 2 - 8.

Do you have the distinction of being the first and only person to do something? I don’t think I have. It seems like an impossible thing to achieve, but maybe there are a lot of people who fall into this category, and I just don’t know.

Also, the phrase “first and only” seems off. Shouldn’t someone be the “only” person to do something special first? “First” implies there was another, but then the word “only” comes in and renders it meaningless. So, I guess the phrase “first and only” is silly.

Jefferson Davis led a life that can easily be described as meaningless and silly. Born in Kentucky, he was the youngest of ten kids and spent part of his time being educated by Catholics. Imagine being a Protestant and attending a Catholic school in Kentucky around 1828. I bet that was silly.

The Davises moved to Mississippi for some silly reason – maybe to decrease your quality of life. Why else would you move to the worst-ranked state in Okay History History?

His oldest brother became one of the wealthiest plantation owners in Mississippi when he enslaved over 300 people. This gave him influence, and he secured a spot for Jefferson at West Point to attend the United States Military Academy. Isn’t it great that a guy who enslaved people paid for his brother to learn warfare at the highest levels and become the leader of the country who wanted it codified?

While at the academy, Davis was involved in the Eggnog Riot, which I poorly wrote about back in 2021 when ranking the presidents. He wasn’t expelled and instead graduated in the bottom third of his class, which, of course, indicated he would have some major role in American history.

His first post-graduation assignment was under Colonel Zachary Taylor, who would become a bottom-third president. Davis would later begin hooking up with Taylor’s daughter, Sarah, which Taylor didn’t like and refused Jefferson’s request to marry her. Then Taylor shipped Jefferson somewhere else, and Davis got court-martialed for not wanting to take the assignment.

Like the Eggnog Riot, Jefferson wasn’t convicted.

Sarah and Jefferson kept up their relationship and ended up marrying. Sarah then promptly died three months later. Davis then pivoted to another woman, Varnia Howell, who was 18 when they met. They were engaged and married within a year and had six children together.

Davis was back in Mississippi and began his political career. He was elected to the House of Representatives, and then war with Mexico broke out. He volunteered to lead a regiment and served under Taylor again, which had to be awkward, but Davis did enough in the war to be considered good at his job.

In 1848, he became a Senator, and he chose not to campaign against his old father-in-law but instead voted for the guy who had never voted in a presidential election. Later, President Franklin Peirce, also a bottom-their president, named Davis Secretary of War before returning to the Senate.

He resigned in 1861 when Ole Miss succeeded from the Union, and Jefferson would eventually become the first and only president of the Confederate States of America. He was elected because he had a moderate view of succession. I had no idea there were intensity levels regarding not being an American. I have moderate views of reality television. Some of it is okay, and most of it is garbage, but Anonymous is watching all of it, so whatever.

Davis proved to be an ineffective leader. When you go all in on state rights, many states don’t want to send their sons to defend another state across the country. I read Embattled Rebel back in 2018, which I thought was excellent, and James McPherson, who forgot more about history than I would ever know, wrote a compelling book about how effective Davis was.

Except I disagreed. It’s a funny book when you read how incompetent Confederate generals were. Davis spent most of his time frustrated by guys who didn’t want anyone to boss them around.

After the War, Davis fled, trying to keep the war going while all of his generals surrendered. In May 1865, he was captured trying to continue running away, but this time, he did it dressed as a woman.

He would be tried for treason, but just as he did with Eggnog Riot and his court-martial, the case never moved forward. Instead, President Johnson pardoned the silly fools who had fought against the United States.

In gratitude, Davis traveled all over the world, turning down gigs he thought were beneath him. He also developed and promoted the Lost Cause myth, which says the Civil War wasn’t about slavery, even though every state’s succession declaration said it was the primary reason.

He was sick most of his life, which had to make him fun at parties. Always Being Ill was a way of life for Jefferson Davis.

The first and only president of the Confederate States of America died on December 6, 1889. He was 81.

Okay, let's highlight what else happened this week. As a reminder, these events celebrate their anniversary, ending in 5 or 0. Here's what I got:

1. American Hero John Brown was hanged on December 2, 1859. The abolitionist, who was the first and only instrument of God delivering violence to those who enslaved God’s people, was executed after being found guilty of being awesome after he raided a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. We need a national movement to make this a national holiday. Who’s with me?

2. The United States Senate voted to condemn Joseph McCarthy on December 2, 1954. The Senate wrist-slipped the Senator from Wisconsin, who went on a crusade to root out Communists hiding in the federal government. His movement was called the “Red Scare.” Today, Republicans refer to Communists as Democrats and “members of the Deep State.”

3. An Italian jury convicted American Amadana Knox of murder on December 5, 2009. The Seattle, Washington, native studied in Perugia, Italy, where she befriended a British college student, Meredith Kercher. A migrant murdered Kercher, but a jury pinned it on Knox, who discovered the body and called police. Knox was imprisoned for four years before an Italian Supreme Court overturned her conviction. Knox was later convicted of slander for accusing a guy named Patrick of the murder. She now hosts a podcast and speaks on behalf of the Innocence Project, which provides legal aid to those wrongfully accused of killing roommates they just met.

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I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving holiday. This year, I accomplished a significant feat: I only had one plate of food. Usually, I go back for seconds and thirds. Not this year. One plate for this guy.

I did end up eating about a dozen large cookies, so let’s not go patting me on the back too much.

It was great hanging out with the DC family, where quite a few of them, like Aunt Joan, have been subscribers since the beginning. Over the holiday, I was fortunate to pick up a few more subscribers, so welcome! I'm glad to have you here.

Anonymous and I are headed to Portugal today for a week because Anonymous is “giving a talk.” I know what you are thinking; sure, she is. The spy game goes to great lengths to develop cover stories, but I get to tag along, so it doesn’t seem particularly dangerous.

I do have an Even More Okay piece ready to go on Friday for everyone to enjoy. It’s about an iconic Christmas tale turning 60 and my issues with its overall message that tends to be ignored. At the very least, if you read it to the bottom, you’ll get a picture of me as a kid.

December is here! Let’s make the last month of a very long and challenging year a good one!

Okay,

Chris

P.S. My practicum is due today, so I will turn it in shortly. Hopefully, I didn’t screw it up and get my planned giving certificate sometime in the next few months. Fingers crossed.

Blue will be waiting for his dog sitter to come get him for the week.