Lesson 56: The First Inauguration of the Southern Confederacy

Very different from the last inauguration of the old Union was the first of the Southern Confederacy. The one was performed with all the "pomp and circumstance of state" that might have attended the ascension of a monarch to his throne; the other with the dignity and simplicity befitting a truly republican form of government.

Mr. Lincoln took his seat amid the glitter of muskets and the exultant shouts of fanatics; Mr. Davis amid the prayers and strong resolutions of a people determined to be free. Unlike the 4th of March, which smiled so brightly on the inauguration of the former, the 22d of February, 1862, was one of the gloomiest of gloomy days. The morning broke mid clouds, rain and wind, and shower after shower followed one another from daylight until dark. Truly was the day a fitting emblem of the feelings of our people then. Our reverses in Tennessee, which were the first serious blows that we had received, and which gave the enemy possession of almost the entire State, had fallen with stunning effect upon the minds of all, and cast a gloom over the whole country. All, even the most cheerful, were sad, and many weak-hearted and almost fainting in spirit. Until the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson, our arms had scarcely known a defeat, and, without exaggeration, it might have been said that we had met the enemy only to conquer. But the scales had turned at last. It was at this desponding period, which doubtless all remember, and on such a day as the one described, that Mr. Davis was officially and publicly inaugurated as the first President of our young Confederacy.

The ceremony was short and simple. A platform was erected on the north side and immediately adjoining the splendid equestrian statue of Washington. The statue stands in the State Capitol grounds, and not more than fifty yards from the Capitol itself. By 10 o'clock, in defiance of wind and rain, a large crowd had assembled, and with dripping dresses, dropping bonnets, rain above and mud beneath, the scene was quite a varied one. Besides the crowd in the grounds, a large number of spectators sat comfortably ensconced in carriages, hacks, omnibuses, and every other description of vehicle, and being too distant from the platform to hear, amused themselves by watching and laughing at their unfortunate foot neighbors as they splashed along through the mud. At 11 o'clock, the President, accompanied by his Cabinet and a number of other friends, including many of the most prominent men of the country, came out from the Capitol and advanced to the appointed place. An awning had been stretched over the platform to protect the party from the rain, which was mercilessly descending. Mr. Davis, in a few moments, arose, and in a calm, impressive and deeply earnest manner delivered his inaugural address. It was, as all know, short, but feeling and appropriate, and every way worthy of the occasion, the man, and the situation of the country. He was then sworn into office, and in a few moments more the crowd dispersed. Thus quietly and without parade our President took his seat. How he has filled it and met its thousand arduous duties will be the part of history to record. It will tell how through sunshine and clouds, success and adversity, his steady hand has guided the destinies of our country. How, when the mighty host of our enemy was within sight of our Capital, the same quiet determination, the same cool and collected action distinguished him as when, flying, that host was driven from the confines of Virginia. It will tell how in every emergency his iron will and unflagging spirit has sustained the hearts of our people and the determination of our armies. That he has faults, all will admit, but who is free from faults? That he has committed errors who will deny, but where in the history of our race do we find but one infallible man? Let us then not ask "has he failed in nothing?" but has he not done as well, aye, far better than any other man we could have chosen? His task has not been an easy one. To organize a revolution as vast as ours; to overlook the innumerable wheels in the intricate machinery of government; to supervise the operations of our armies; to build up a navy; to regulate and sustain a currency. These vast duties, though not devolving solely upon his shoulders, yet all have felt his influence and bear the impress of his mind.

Our success thus far, in the mighty struggle for liberty, has excited the wonder and admiration of the world, and to no man does the world attribute so much of that success as to the man who now presides over the destinies of our country. Throw, then, the mantle of charity over his faults, and look only upon the many bright qualities that adorn his character.

NOVEMBER 1ST, 1863.