073 - The Confederacy's Last First Lady: Varina Howell Davis

Threads From The National Tapestry: Stories From The American Civil War

About this episode:

She was witty, intelligent and a great conversationalist: everything that raised the eyebrows of proper Southern women in the mid-19th century. And then, she married the man who became the first and only President of the Confederacy. Wedded to her fate with him and a doomed nation, her life was filled with trying times. She was, if you will, locked in a personal civil war as she struggled to reconcile her societal duties with strong individual beliefs. This is the story of a remarkably resilient woman who served as the Confederacy's First Lady. This is the story of Varina Howell Davis.

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Some Characters Mentioned In This Episode:

Jefferson Davis

Sarah Childress Polk

Washington Irving

Jane Appleton Pierce

Elizabeth Keckley

Alexander H. Stephens

Additional Resources:

First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis’s Civil War by Joan E. Cashin

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Producer: Dan Irving