Civil War Letter to President Jefferson Davis Offering Loan June 5, 1863

Description

Fascinating letter penned in the summer of 1863 by John W. Lewis to Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America. In his letter, Lewis offers to lend Davis up to ,000, interest free, after hearing of the destruction of the President’s Mississippi property by Union soldiers. According to the letter, Lewis may have become acquainted with Davis after a chance meeting on a train.
Lewis was born on a prosperous South Carolina plantation. He and his sister inherited a substantial estate after the death of their parents. John began his life’s work in medicine and dabbled in politics, taking a seat for a year in the South Carolina legislature, but his interests turned to religion in the early 1830s and became an ordained minister. In the late 1830s, he moved to Canton, Georgia where he labored as a pastor but also made substantial investments in real estate, iron furnaces, merchant mills, and other businesses. His wealth and popularity grew such that he was nominated to the Georgia legislature in the mid 1840s, and in the late 1850s, he was appointed by Gov. Brown to be the superintendent of the Western & Atlantic railroad. During the Civil War, he filled a vacant state Senate seat by the appointment of Georgia’s Governor. Biographical sketches attest to his generosity and his willingness to assist his acquaintances with loans. He died in June 1865 just after the close of the war.
Lewis’s letter apparently reached Davis, as the paper was initialed by his private secretary Burton Harrison. One wonders if the President of the Confederacy accepted the generous loan offer and if he did, whether he ever paid paid the Lewis estate back.
"Cartersville, Georgia
5th of June 1863
His Excellency Jefferson Davis
Dear Sir,
On your way from Mississippi to Montgomery,  Alabama, to fill your present, very responsible position, I introduced myself to you "as a sort of Rail Road Overseer" saying that is so doing I had nothing to ask of you in the way of office either for myself or friends, but added, that if at any time you should want money, I would try and furnish you, &C. I did not then know who such a thought should  then have occurred to me, or why I should have said it. It was un-premeditated. I don't understand it now but I have thought of it until it has produced this note, & it is in good fath, good feeling,  & earnestness.
Your property has been (as I saw in the papers months ago) & your salary must be insufficient to make the heavy expenses of living in Richmond. Now I ask you to draw on me for 1-2-3-4, or 5 thousand dollars, payable 1-2-3-4, or 5 years after the close of the war without interest & I will with great pleasure honor your draft. I beg you to do this if you need it. This may all seem strange to you & rather out of conventional form. These I have in the main great contempt for. I think and act for myself, only desiring to have the approval of my judgment, & of my God.
I only add, may God guide you by His counsel. With great respect, your friend,
John W. Lewis"
Letter is docketed on the back:
"John W. Lewis, Cartersville, Ga., June 5, 1863
Offers to lend the President money, &C.
Sec. President's endorsement within,
B.N.H. (Burton Norvell Harrison
Answered September 27, 1863
Private File
J.D. (Jefferson Davis)"
Burton Norvell Harrison  (1838-1904) was a lawyer and served as the private secretary to Jefferson Davis. He was taken prisoner at the same time as Jefferson and Varina Davis, and were imprisoned at Fort Delaware.
John W. Lewis was born in Spartanburg District, South Carolina, the son of a wealthy and respected planter. His father died young and his mother never remarried, so the bulk of his estate was passed on to him and a sister who became the wife of Major John Sharpe Rowland. John began his life's work in medicine, and dabbled in politics, taking a seat for a year in the South Carolina legislature, but his interests turned to religion in the early 1830s and became an ordained minister. In the late 1830s he moved to Canton, Georgia. There he labored as a pastor, but with his brother-in-law, made substantial investments with his inherited money in real estate, iron furnaces, merchant mills, etc. His wealth and popularity grew such that he was nominated to the Georgia legislature in the mid 1840s, and in the late 1850s,  he was appointed by Gov. Brown to be the superintendent of the Western & Atlantic Railroad. During the Civil War, he filled a vacant senate seat by the appointment of Georgia’s Governor. Biographical sketches attest to his generosity and his willingness to assist his acquaintances with loans. He died in June 1865 just after the close of the war. One wonders if Jefferson Davis accepted the generous loan offer and if he did, whether he ever paid the Lewis estate back. Of course the deflated and near worthless value of the Confederate currency may have essentially voided all such loans.
Also of note is that the letter was written to President Davis merely 4 days before the Army of Northern Virginia embarked on the Gettysburg Campaign. This, along with the fate of Vickburg, weighed heavily on the mind of Jefferson Davis during this time. An interesting letter written by a wealthy planter, offering wonderful insight into the personal affairs of the President.
The letter is in excellent condition, showing signs of age. Please see the pictures for more detail.
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