Gun to Prevent Sexual Assault

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Mar 19, 2019
So, I listened to "Varina" by Charles Frazier on Audible. This is a historical fiction novel about Jefferson Davis' wife, Varina Davis.

The book claimed that right before Varina Davis evacuated from Richmond, her husband gave her a small pistol. The book repeatedly referred to the gun as the "suicide gun." At one point in the novel, Varina explained to a new acquaintance that her husband gave her the gun so that she could shoot herself if a Yankee tried to dishonor her. The acquaintance said, "Does Mr. Davis know which direction you're supposed to point a gun?"

I haven't yet found any other source that references Varina Davis' gun. When I Googled this, all of the links that mention this also reference Charles Frazier's book. So, I haven't yet determined whether Jefferson Davis actually instructed Varina to shoot herself to prevent a sexual assault.

Has anybody else seen this story anyplace else?

Also, has anybody read about any other woman of the Civil War walking around with a pistol and instructions to shoot herself in order to prevent an assault?

I'm thinking that even if any other woman had been instructed to do this, this would not have been something that she would have spoken about or written about to others, or even written in her diary. I'm just curious about how common it was for the men of the Civil War to give their wives guns and instructions to shoot herself as an alternative to being assaulted.
 
So, I listened to "Varina" by Charles Frazier on Audible. This is a historical fiction novel about Jefferson Davis' wife, Varina Davis.

The book claimed that right before Varina Davis evacuated from Richmond, her husband gave her a small pistol. The book repeatedly referred to the gun as the "suicide gun." At one point in the novel, Varina explained to a new acquaintance that her husband gave her the gun so that she could shoot herself if a Yankee tried to dishonor her. The acquaintance said, "Does Mr. Davis know which direction you're supposed to point a gun?"

I haven't yet found any other source that references Varina Davis' gun. When I Googled this, all of the links that mention this also reference Charles Frazier's book. So, I haven't yet determined whether Jefferson Davis actually instructed Varina to shoot herself to prevent a sexual assault.

Has anybody else seen this story anyplace else?

Also, has anybody read about any other woman of the Civil War walking around with a pistol and instructions to shoot herself in order to prevent an assault?

I'm thinking that even if any other woman had been instructed to do this, this would not have been something that she would have spoken about or written about to others, or even written in her diary. I'm just curious about how common it was for the men of the Civil War to give their wives guns and instructions to shoot herself as an alternative to being assaulted.

You always read about it in books on the frontier (which, in the case of the U.S., starts in Virginia in 1607 or Massachusetts in 1620) and Indian Wars--but I have yet to read about a woman actually doing it. I'd think it much more likely they'd have a gun of some kind to try to kill an attacker beforehand. I did read the book, but didn't really dwell on that part.
 
You always read about it in books on the frontier (which, in the case of the U.S., starts in Virginia in 1607 or Massachusetts in 1620) and Indian Wars--but I have yet to read about a woman actually doing it. I'd think it much more likely they'd have a gun of some kind to try to kill an attacker beforehand. I did read the book, but didn't really dwell on that part.

Last night, I read a historical fiction novel by Carla Kelly about an army officer and his fiancee as they travelled from the west to Philadelphia for their wedding in the 1870's. They encountered a woman who had been taken prisoner by a Native American tribe and then went on to give birth to two children that were fathered by a member from that tribe. The fictional army officer and his fiancee then had a serious conversation with each other in which they discussed the expectation among members of their social class that a white woman in such a situation would be "better off dead" than to return to the east after such an experience.

This story reminded me of the Charles Frazier novel about Varina Davis.
 
Last night, I read a historical fiction novel by Carla Kelly about an army officer and his fiancee as they travelled from the west to Philadelphia for their wedding in the 1870's. They encountered a woman who had been taken prisoner by a Native American tribe and then went on to give birth to two children that were fathered by a member from that tribe. The fictional army officer and his fiancee then had a serious conversation with each other in which they discussed the expectation among members of their social class that a white woman in such a situation would be "better off dead" than to return to the east after such an experience.

This story reminded me of the Charles Frazier novel about Varina Davis.

Sounds like my kind of book. Hmmmm...have you read One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus? Possibly one of the best works of historical fiction EVER. So well researched I had to keep reminding myself it was fiction. And in the same vein, the very well researched A Fate Worse Than Death and The Settlers' War by Gregory and Susan Michno. I might have to re-read those and see if I can find any instances where it happened (but I really can't remember any).
 
Sounds like my kind of book. Hmmmm...have you read One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus? Possibly one of the best works of historical fiction EVER. So well researched I had to keep reminding myself it was fiction. And in the same vein, the very well researched A Fate Worse Than Death and The Settlers' War by Gregory and Susan Michno. I might have to re-read those and see if I can find any instances where it happened (but I really can't remember any).

I haven't read these. Thanks for the recommendations.

Carla Kelly writes historical romance, but her books are very well researched. She writes about both Regency England (including the Napoleonic Wars) and also the American West in the 1800's. Many of her novels are about soldiers' wives and daughters.
 
I enjoy reading historical fiction as well. I suppose in some levels of society a woman who had been assaulted would really be unable to find a husband, so the idea of turning the gun on herself would make sense to some. For myself, I would not have the guts to do it.
 
I'm always curious as to which details from historical fiction are based on other sources, and which are invented by the author.

Yes. I have no problem with historical novels. If not for Killer Angels, an entire generation of Civil War nerds might have missed out. Like you, I research after (or as, thanks to my Kindle) I read. Bad historical fiction is truly awful for me--but the good ones--like the book I recommended above--is just riveting.
 
Apparently it was Varina herself who first told the story of her husband giving her a pistol just before the evacuation of Richmond.

see: https://www.historynet.com/americas-civil-war-the-fall-of-richmond.htm

"Varina Davis did not want to leave Richmond and pleaded with her husband to stay, but to no avail. He insisted that his headquarters must be in the field, and that his family’s presence would only serve to make him grieve rather than comforting him. ‘If I live you can come to me when the struggle is ended, but I do not expect to survive the destruction of constitutional liberty,’ he told his wife. Varina wrote that he gave her a pistol and showed her how to load, aim and fire it. ‘He was very apprehensive’ she recalled, ‘of our falling into the hands of the disorganized bands of troops roving about the country, and said, ‘You can, at least, if reduced to the last extremity, force your assailants to kill you, but I charge you solemnly to leave when you hear the enemy are approaching. If you cannot remain undisturbed in our country, make for the Florida coast and take a ship there for a foreign country.”
 
Apparently it was Varina herself who first told the story of her husband giving her a pistol just before the evacuation of Richmond.

see: https://www.historynet.com/americas-civil-war-the-fall-of-richmond.htm

"Varina Davis did not want to leave Richmond and pleaded with her husband to stay, but to no avail. He insisted that his headquarters must be in the field, and that his family’s presence would only serve to make him grieve rather than comforting him. ‘If I live you can come to me when the struggle is ended, but I do not expect to survive the destruction of constitutional liberty,’ he told his wife. Varina wrote that he gave her a pistol and showed her how to load, aim and fire it. ‘He was very apprehensive’ she recalled, ‘of our falling into the hands of the disorganized bands of troops roving about the country, and said, ‘You can, at least, if reduced to the last extremity, force your assailants to kill you, but I charge you solemnly to leave when you hear the enemy are approaching. If you cannot remain undisturbed in our country, make for the Florida coast and take a ship there for a foreign country.”

Thank you!
 
Apparently it was Varina herself who first told the story of her husband giving her a pistol just before the evacuation of Richmond.

see: https://www.historynet.com/americas-civil-war-the-fall-of-richmond.htm

"Varina Davis did not want to leave Richmond and pleaded with her husband to stay, but to no avail. He insisted that his headquarters must be in the field, and that his family’s presence would only serve to make him grieve rather than comforting him. ‘If I live you can come to me when the struggle is ended, but I do not expect to survive the destruction of constitutional liberty,’ he told his wife. Varina wrote that he gave her a pistol and showed her how to load, aim and fire it. ‘He was very apprehensive’ she recalled, ‘of our falling into the hands of the disorganized bands of troops roving about the country, and said, ‘You can, at least, if reduced to the last extremity, force your assailants to kill you, but I charge you solemnly to leave when you hear the enemy are approaching. If you cannot remain undisturbed in our country, make for the Florida coast and take a ship there for a foreign country.”

Wow. @Forks of the Ohio, wasn't that pretty much the wording in the book? Thanks!
 
I have read about Mr. Davis giving his revolver to Mrs. Davis when they fled Richmond. But it was not a "small suicide gun", it was his 1851 Colt Navy, I believe. And it wasn't for shooting oneself , it was for shooting Yankee soldiers. Actually any renegade soldier, North or south Or so I was led to believe.
 
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I enjoy reading historical fiction as well. I suppose in some levels of society a woman who had been assaulted would really be unable to find a husband, so the idea of turning the gun on herself would make sense to some. For myself, I would not have the guts to do it.
lot of history in historical fiction people may not be same but facts occurred here there every where I love The Black flower by Howard Bahr

Its a great read if like such its based on the battle of franklin tn 11/30/1864
 
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I've read where at one point in history ( don't ask me when ) women were expected to shoot themselves if they'd been 'dishonored'. Seems extreme.

Yes, from what we know of her you'd imagine Varina would have shot the other way not herself. I'm sure there were low lifes who attacked women but from what you see it was the exception rather than the rule. I've read more than one hilarious account of how soldiers hated the bejammers out of dealing with female prisoners. They were scared of them. Apparently Rosie Greenhow was terrifying.

@Nathanb1 , no Michenor? :biggrin: Sorry, couldn't resist. You cured me of Michenor in a big hurry although have to admit I was already a little disenchanted. He kills off more characters than Shakespeare, frequently your favorite one.
 
Ever since I picked up my single-shot "boot pistol", I've wondered who would carry a .31 caliber pistol and why. I was told that women also carried these pistols. I wouldn't trust this pistol except for firing at someone at close range. I can see a reason for a woman to need a weapon for close combat.
But if she was going to use a "suicide weapon" as a last resort, why not just wear a suicide vest?
 
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