The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 86, July 1982 - April, 1983 Page: 455
616 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Book Reviews
office space, some staff, and the use of the Fondren Library. The Jef-
ferson Davis Association, initially chaired by Cooper K. Ragan of
Houston, supplied funds and encouragement. Vandiver supplied the
idea, the drive, other funds through such sources as the National His-
torical Publications and Records Commission, and a remarkably tal-
ented researcher named Haskell M. Monroe, a former graduate student
then teaching at Texas A&M University. Monroe edited the first vol-
ume before moving on to administrative duties, which meant that he
went over the public and private depositories of the nation locating
Davis materials and determined editorial policy and procedure. He
currently serves as president of the University of Texas at El Paso.
Monroe's replacement as editor was James T. McIntosh, who labored
on volumes two and three before leaving the project in 1979. He was
replaced by Linda L. Crist.
The third volume brings Davis's career through the Mexican War.
Volume I covered his early years; Volume II contained materials from
1840 to July, 1846, including Davis's life as a Mississippi planter and
return to political life. The present volume concentrates on Davis's
well-known career as commander of the First Mississippi Regiment in
the Mexican War and his experiences in the war and his reaction to
the peace that followed.
As in the previous volumes, the editorial work is superb. McIntosh
and staff have been forced by increased production costs to delete some
items sent to Davis and have wisely chosen to concentrate on materials
from the principal subject himself. Still, every item available is calen-
dared in a lengthy section toward the end of the book, so researchers
interested in a particular letter or item will be able to know of its ex-
istence and a little of its contents. For the items presented the editors
have provided a note or other explanation for every person, place, or
event mentioned in the correspondence. Their tracks are plain; omit-
ted material is marked, as is all other tampering with the original
wording.
The materials in this volume begin with Davis's acceptance of com-
mand of the Mississippi regiment, his methods of command, his re-
union with former father-in-law and now commander Zachary Taylor,
his activities in the battles at Monterrey, Fort Teneria, and Buena
Vista, among others, his participation in the truce negotiations, and his
reaction to the Nicholas P. Trist treaty that ended the war. Davis's con-
troversial actions at Fort Teneria receive the same thorough treatment
as do his better-known heroics at Buena Vista.455
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 86, July 1982 - April, 1983, periodical, 1982/1983; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101209/m1/503/?rotate=270: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.