Jefferson Davis to John A. Quitman,* December 11, 1844

S. B. Ambassador        

11th Dec. 1844

Dear Sir,

Herewith I send you the paper on currency of which I spoke to you when I last had the pleasure to see you—valuable only as one of the branches of the besiegers against which we should be prepared to countermine.¹—

Please offer my respectful regards to your family and believe me very sincerely yrs. &c

Jeffn. Davis

Gen. J. A. Quitman
        Natches
    Endorsed: Jef Davis Decr 1845

_______________

* Quitman, John Anthony (1799-1858), an American soldier and political leader, was born in Rhinebeck, N. Y., September 1, 1799; graduated from Hartwick seminary in 1816; was instructor in Mount Airy college, Penn., 1818-1819; studied law in Chillicothe, Ohio, and in 1821 was practicing law at Natches, Miss. He was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives 1826-1827; Chancellor of the State 1828-1834; State Senator 1834-1836, serving as president of the Senate and acting governor 1835-1836; served with distinction as brigadier general and as major general in the Mexican war; was Governor of Mississippi 1850-1851; and a member of the national House of Representatives from March 4, 1855, until his death in Natchez, Miss., July 17, 1858. While governor he engaged in negotiations with General Lopez relative to a filibustering expedition to capture Cuba. He was indicted, resigned office, and was tried. The jury disagreed. He was arrested on a similar charge in 1854 but was not tried. Consult J. F. H. Claiborne, Life and Correspondence of John A. Quitman, 2 vols., 792 pp., New York, 1860.

¹ During the presidential campaign of 1844 Jefferson Davis was one of the candidates for elector on the Democratic ticket.

SOURCE: Dunbar Rowland, Editor, Jefferson Davis, Constitutionalist: His Letters, Papers and Speeches, Volume 1, p. 12-13