This house served as the executive mansion of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his family from August 1861 until April 2, 1865. Davis, a West Point graduate, former U.S. senator from Mississippi, and former U.S. secretary of war, was the Confederacy’s only president. He worked long hours here, meeting with Confederate civilian and military leaders, and on April 14, 1862, he held a council of war with Secretary of War George W. Randolph, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, Gen. Robert E. Lee, and other officers to discuss the Confederacy’s defense against Union Gen. George B. McClellan’s advancing army. The house was also the setting for official receptions and unofficial parties, where Varina Davis was remembered as warm-hearted, witty, caustic, sensitive, and gracious, while the Davis children brought laughter to its halls and gardens. Two Davis children, William and Varina Anne, were born here, and one, Joseph, died here from a fall on April 30, 1864. On April 4, 1865, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln visited ten days before his assassination and less than 48 hours after Davis departed, and here Lincoln began meeting with prominent Virginians to discuss the state’s reconstruction.

Photo: Bernard Fisher

Photo: Anonymous

Photo: Bernard Fisher

Photo: Bernard Fisher

Richmond, Virginia · USA