June third is Confederate Memorial Day in Tennessee, a “special day of observance” as declared in the Tennessee Code Annotated and as proclaimed by Gov. Bredesen. To honor the patriotic troops who served the Confederacy with honor and distinction, the Savage-Goodner Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans in DeKalb County has placed wreaths to mark the occasion at the Confederate monument on the south side of the DeKalb County Courthouse, the grave of the Unknown Confederate Soldier in the Smithville Town Cemetery, and at the John Hunt Morgan Confederate Monument on the public square in Alexandria.
The designation of June third as Confederate Memorial Day stems from that date being the birthday of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. This year holds special significance as it marks the 200th anniversary of the distinguished statesman’s birth. Events are being held all over the South in recognition of one of the truly great political servants of his generation.
Most people do not know about the greatness of the man who would ascend to the Confederacy’s highest office. For example, American history books do not tell of Jim Limber, a young mulatto slave boy whom Davis’ wife, Varina, rescued from an abusive slave owner. The Davises informally adopted young Jim, who took the Davis family name. He resided with the family until the end of the War between the States when Union soldiers forcibly took Jim away. The Davises spent much of the rest of their lives trying to locate their adopted son, but what happened to him remains a mystery. Such is the “true” history of the South that is almost always left out of the history books.
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