The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government – Jefferson Davis – 1881 | First Edition

First published in 1881, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government by Jefferson Davis appears here as a complete two-volume first edition set in original cloth bindings, with all issued illustrations and thirteen large, folding battle maps intact. Davis presents a combined personal narrative and political justification related to secession, Confederate leadership, military campaigns, and Southern politics. Prominent figures discussed include Lee, Jackson, and Calhoun, alongside detailed engraved maps covering major military operations in Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. All components and pagination align precisely with established references, confirming the set as the correct first issue.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government
• Author: Jefferson Davis
• Publisher: New York: D. Appleton and Company
• Edition: First Edition, 1881.
• Format: Octavo, two volumes
• Binding: Original burgundy cloth with gilt seal and spine titles
• Size: ~ 9.5 in x 6.5 in (24 cm x 16.5 cm)
• Collation:
  • Vol. I – xxi, [3], 707, [5]; 9 engraved plates; 1 fold-out map
  • Vol. II – xvii, [3], 808, [4]; 10 engraved plates; 17 maps (13 folding, 4 in-text)
• Illustrations: 19 engraved plates; 18 maps total
• Contents Include:
  • Davis’s account of the Confederacy’s formation and dissolution
  • Arguments on constitutional law and state rights, including slavery
  • Cabinet structure and key internal decisions
  • Military movements and firsthand reactions to battlefield losses
  • Complete transcripts of speeches and documents
• Reference(s): Howes D 120; Nevins II, 51
  • “…conceals more than it reveals of the inner history of the Confederacy…An argumentative dissertation on secession and states’ rights.” – Nevins

Condition:

Very Good. Volumes bound in original leather with marbled boards. Some rubbing at corners and spine visible. Text-block secure and strong, pages complete.

Why Collect This?

• Complete first edition
• All maps and engravings present, including rare fold-outs
• The only extended postwar publication by Jefferson Davis

• Ideal for Civil War collectors and American historical archives

Item Number: #29336