Sarah Knox Davis | |
|---|---|
 Sarah Knox Taylor, age 16 | |
| Born | Sarah Knox Taylor (1814-03-06)March 6, 1814 |
| Died | September 15, 1835(1835-09-15) (aged 21) |
| Cause of death | Malaria oryellow fever |
| Resting place | Locust Grove State Historic Site |
| Spouse | |
| Parent(s) | Zachary Taylor Margaret Smith |
Sarah Knox Davis (née Taylor; March 6, 1814 – September 15, 1835) was the daughter of the 12th U.S. presidentZachary Taylor and part of the notableLee family. She met futureConfederate presidentJefferson Davis (1808–1889) when living with her father and family atFort Crawford during theBlack Hawk War in 1832. They married in 1835 and she died three months later ofmalaria.
Zachary Taylor and his wife,Margaret, had three surviving daughters and one son. Sarah Knox Taylor was their second child and spent some years growing up on military installations. Her father became a general and commanded forts; her mother provided most of her education. Sarah was given the nickname "Knoxie," which originated from her middle name and fromFort Knox II inVincennes, Indiana, where she was born. In the early 1830s, her father commandedFort Crawford atPrairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and was involved in waging theBlack Hawk War. His wife and children lived there with him.
At age 17, Sarah fell in love withJefferson Davis, (1808–1889), a recent graduate of theUnited States Military Academy, and a newly commissioned lieutenant in theUnited States Army, who was second to General Taylor at the fort. Davis was transferred toSt. Louis in 1833, yet managed to keep in contact with the woman whom he wished to marry. Zachary Taylor admired Davis for his soldiering skills but opposed the romantic match. The Taylors' older daughter had already married Army surgeonRobert Crooke Wood, and they were raising three young children in a desolate frontier outpost. Together with their own experience, the Taylors felt that the military life was too hard and did not want Sarah to be an Army wife.[1]
Following discussions with his older brotherJoseph Emory Davis, Jefferson decided to resign from the Army so that he could marry Sarah. He returned toMississippi to develop hisBrierfield Plantation next to his brother'sHurricane Plantation. Joseph gave Jefferson the land, called Brierfield because it was largely covered with brush and briers.[2]
After Sarah turned 21, she married Davis on June 17, 1835, at the home of her aunt, nearLouisville, Kentucky.[3] Both of the newlyweds contracted eithermalaria oryellow fever on a summer visit to Davis's sister, Anna Davis Smith, inSt. Francisville, Louisiana. Sarah Taylor Davis died of the tropical illness just three months into her marriage to Jefferson Davis, while staying in her sister-in-law's home, Locust Grove Plantation. Her husband nearly died as well.[4]The young Mrs. Davis was laid to rest near other members of Jefferson Davis's family, in the cemetery located on the site of the (former) Locust Grove Plantation. The cemetery has been preserved by the state of Louisiana and is now known as theLocust Grove State Historic Site.[5]
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Jefferson Davis was devastated by the death of his young wife, as were her parents. Her death caused years of ill will between Davis and Zachary Taylor; Taylor and his wife felt that Davis should have known better than to go to St. Francisville in the "fever season".[citation needed] The men met by chance in 1845 on a Mississippisteamboat and achieved some reconciliation.[6]
After recovering from malaria, seeking respite from the loss of his wife, Davis sailed toHavana, and then to New York City. In 1836, he returned to his Brierfield Plantation inWarren County, Mississippi, to take upcotton cultivation. After being reclusive for years, he gradually became active in politics. He remarried in 1845 and had six children. He served in Congress and was elected asPresident of the Confederate States of America, after secession in 1861.
When Jefferson Davis marriedVarina Banks Howell on February 26, 1845, he insisted that the newlywed couple visit Sarah's grave during theirhoneymoon.
Davis served asColonel under the command of General Zachary Taylor in the 1847Battle of Buena Vista during theMexican–American War. Davis fought bravely during the battle but was shot in the foot, necessitating his removal to safety by Robert H. Chilton. In recognition of Davis's bravery and initiative, Taylor is reputed to have said, "My daughter, sir, was a better judge of men than I was."[7]
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