In her book
Confederate Reckoning: Power and Politics in the Civil War South, Stephanie McCurry talks about a slave "outbreak" at the plantations of CSA president Jefferson Davis and his brother Joseph Davis.
McCurry notes that Jefferson Davis and his brother Joseph owned two plantations located on the Mississippi River about twenty miles south of Vicksburg. In February 1862, Jefferson advised his brother to move the slaves and other valuable property further inland, where they would be safer against a Union attack along the river. In May 1862, after New Orleans fell, Joseph took several pieces of property – including house slaves – by fly boat off the plantation, and eventually wound up in Choctow County, AL.
That led to events which would cause “Jefferson Davis (to) watch helplessly from Richmond as his elder brother, Joseph, struggled vainly to beat back the challenge of their slaves’ bid for freedom,” as McCurry puts it. Immediately after Joseph Davis left,
…the Davis slaves made their move, responding not to the immediate presence of the Union army (which was not yet near), but to the signal that (the departure of) Joseph Davis had sent about the shifting balance of power. No sooner had Joseph pushed off from the dock than the remaining slaves seized control of the two plantations, sacking the Hurricane plantation, destroying the cotton, carrying off every article of value, and refusing to work. They would retain control of the plantation, indeed would refuse to be forced off even later by federal troops, seizing a rough and ready freedom while still on their home plantation. By the end of May 1862, Jefferson and Varina Davis received a series of lurid accounts of events on Brierfield plantation. “Negroes at Brierfield…said to be in a state of insubordination…”
Sometime later, Joseph Davis had Confederate forces conduct a raid against the plantation. The slaves slaves had armed themselves, and shot at the Confederate raiders. At least fifteen slaves were captured, and some were killed. The Confederate lieutenant who led the raid claimed that “almost all the slaves on Davis plantation had guns and newspapers.” The slaves at the Davis plantation became part of the uncounted casualties in their own war for black southerner independence.
McCurry further describes the aftermath for Jefferson Davis:
While the battle was raging, Jefferson Davis retained his composure, at least publicly. But the blow had to have been staggering. His slaves had led federal soldiers to the farm where his private family possessions were concealed, despoiling his property and pointing out place after place where his valuables were hidden. A crowd of thousands (so it was said) had gathered to watch the boxes torn open and emptied of their contents, books and papers strewn all over the yard and through the woods for miles, fine carpets cut to pieces and carried off for saddle blankets… His image-the image of the Confederate president-had been desecrated by Union soldiers… and the Brierfield slaves had celebrated the fourth of July alongside not their masters, but the school marms and other disciples of the Freedman’s cause.
It seems that the Davis slaves also had a genuine love for freedom, and were willing to fight for it. Something which is not mentioned in the tours.
That's not lot of money from public coffers, although it's probably a large part of the their revenue budget. Still, I'll make an easy prediction: sooner or later, somebody will complain that the current interpretation at the House presents an unfair and unbalanced view of the history, and will ask that no public money be given to the museum. My advice to House management would be to fix your interpretative approach now, before the House is seen as a problem that needs to be fixed.
- Alan