Beschreibung:

ALS by John Pettus, Governor of Mississippi, 3pp, 8 x 9.75", Jackson [MS], 31 Dec. 1860. In this letter that appears to be somewhat hurriedly written, Governor Pettus addresses issues of military build up and financing of arms and other militia needs. Pettus writes: Volunteer Companies are forming in every county of the state & no effort I can make can furnish arms as fast as they call for them & unless you help me to convert auditors warrants into rifles I shall not be able to supply the arms they prefer. If any thing could add to your zeal in this matter, you will please remember that you will be called to command the men who will use the arms [emphasis added], for that reason among many others I claim your aid in procuring the most efficient....The Treasury warrants have been sent to New Orleans & I presume the muskets are on the way by now. I will call the military board in a few days. You will be elected to command the volunteers of Miss - & If Lincoln makes fight, as I doubt not he will, I think you had better be getting ready to meet Genl. Scott at the head of 200,000 wide awakes. On this New Year's Eve of 1860, Mississippi had not yet seceded, although her convention was meeting and it was clear she would probably do so. On the surface, in the U.S. Senate, Davis still eschewed secession, although he had long been an ardent advocate of States' Rights. He apparently communicated a somewhat different view to the Mississippi convention, indicating that if conditions warranted, they should take the obvious step - secede. When Mississippi did as expected on 9 January 1861, Davis resigned from the Senate and was immediately appointed to command the state's militia forces, a position he sought and a move apparently planned at least several weeks earlier judging by this letter from Pettus. Of course, Davis served in this position only a few weeks before being elected to lead the entire Confederacy as its President, a position he actively tried to avoid. Davis was an 1828 graduate of West Point, and served in several early Indian wars, including the Black Hawk War, before resigning his commission, in part to marry the daughter of (then) Col. Zachary Taylor. He later commanded Mississippi militia units in the Mexican War, and served as Pierce's Secretary of War in Washington. He may well have been better suited to serve as Mississippi's Secretary of War than as President of the Confederacy. Davis has sometimes been accused of dragging out the conflict longer than necessary as a consequence of ill-advised military decisions in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the CSA. Condition: Usual folds, light toning of back page (which was folded to the outside).