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History See other History Articles Title: A [r]epublican in Exile In Washington, D.C., while serving as Secretary of War in the 1850s, Jefferson Davis met Ambrose Dudley Mann, a native of Virginia who was the Assistant Secretary of State (and the first man to hold that office). The two men were drawn to each other immediately and became fast friends for the rest of their lives. In her biography of her husband, Varina Davis wrote that Mann had “every Christian virtue” and that “Mr. Davis and he gravitated toward each other at once, and loved like David and Jonathan until extreme old age.” [1] After the formation of the Confederate States of America, Davis appointed Mann, an experienced diplomat, as a commissioner to Europe. Mann left his country in March 1861, and would never return. After the war, fiercely unwilling to live under Yankee domination, he spent the rest of his life in France, hosting numerous Confederate expatriates at his home, and continuing to correspond with Jefferson Davis, who visited him in Paris in the winter of 1868-1869. On New Year’s Day in 1884, Mann penned a letter to Davis. Always a keen observer of international politics, he wrote pessimistically about the march of Western civilization in Europe toward nihilism, socialism, and communism. The United States, he contended, was marching not far behind in the same direction, and that unfortunately, the only force which could have checked that progress, was the South—but a South now gone. He wrote to his old friend: “I never was more bothered in mind for the formation of an opinion as to what point of descent the, so denominated civilized world is wending as on this New Year’s morning; nor do I believe that the brightest human vision can foresee. The propitious progress which it is making downward, in general demoralization, forbids a rational expectation that a halt is probable. Vice is in such supreme role everywhere that the masses of humankind are disgusted with government and are steadily embracing the sentiment of nihilism. Anarchy has become the impelling motive of their thoughts. Universal suffrage will not satisfy them. The potentates of Europe fancy that it will. Even Bismarck counts upon it as a cure for the Socialism of Germany. Gladstone seems to be quite willing to enlarge the elective franchise in Great Britain but he is met with the extremely puzzling question, to what extent? In like manner all the other premiers of the monarchs of Europe are secretly embarrassed for a trustworthy solution. But each, in the supposed interest of his reigning Mistress or Master, has no alternative but to make a ‘merit of necessity’ and allow every citizen to vote—and that before the lapse of a lengthened period. The political power thus created will inevitably sweep away the existing thrones. But it will not be inclined to stop with this procedure. It will institute Communism and precipitate a general division of property. The vox populi of the United States will not be far behind the lead of the movement. There was that virtue once in the South that would have efficiently checked such an attempt, but it has, as I contemplate the matter, actively disappeared. The sensibility of principle, in the control of affairs, no longer exists in that former Heaven favored land.” [2] Mann saw little hope that the South could check or even resist the relentless movement toward collectivism in America. He lamented that many in South had become as “selfish” and venal as Northerners, but his fervent love and admiration for men like Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson, never dimmed. In earlier, unpublished letters to another friend, Mann asserted that a republic was the best form of government ever given to mankind, declaring his undying devotion to that principle no matter what the cost. His beloved friend Jefferson Davis was of the same conviction, and in a well-known quote, predicted that this principle would “reassert itself, though it may be at another time and in another form.” Current events may not bode well for Davis’s prediction, but we can still hope that he was right. Ambrose Dudley Mann died in Paris on November 15, 1889. [1] Davis, Varina Howell, Jefferson Davis, Ex-President of the Confederate States of America: A Memoir by His Wife. N.Y.: Belford Co., 1890,I: 556-57. [2] Moore, John Preston, ed. My Ever Dearest Friend: The Letters of A. Dudley Mann to Jefferson Davis, 1869-1889. Tuscaloosa, Ala.: Confederate Publishing Co., 1960: 88-89. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: X-15 (#0)
Reading that collection of Dudley Mann's poignant letters to Jefferson Davis was part of my awakening many years ago. Sadly, Davis' letters to Mann were not preserved.
That reminds me of those old love letters to one of my first sweeties so many years ago. They were not preserved either. :-/ "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
Both Jefferson Davis and Hitler were snuffed out by the invisible rulers of the globe because they were made of stern stuff, able to see the future, and intent upon a better life for their own. By their own I mean people of similar values and race. Why is so vilified for people to have a kindred spirit. I think it only natural to be drawn towards people that are like ourselves and that driving people into a coral filled with differing traits and beliefs is UNNATURAL. All of the whimpering about a level playing field is nonsense because just like a farmer clearing the land of obstacles to his plan will "get er done" by working his ass off to accomplish it. The whining masses need to do the same, and can surely understand that there isn't any free lunch and the playing field has never ever been level ! The questions about multicultural societies have been answered. A coalition of like minded souls will prosper and learn to function through disagreements that are worked out. A diverse society will perpetually blame each other for their own deficiencies ! One other thing I'd like to mention is that as far as Hitler is concerned I don''t believe we will ever know the full truth of his time in power. What we do know is that never in history has a nation recovered and prospered like his and never has an entire population adored their leaders. (Until Trump). "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. "
Thank you for this poignant and prescient posting.
“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.” ~ H. L. Mencken
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