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48 Army Hist. 1 (1999-2000)

handle is hein.milandgov/aryhsy0048 and id is 1 raw text is: ARMY HIS TORY TH E PROFESSIQNAL BULLETIN tFWARIY hIlSTORY WNa hingtoun, DW(L` Fall 1999-NNinter 21100 The Court-Martial of Jefferson Davis By James A. Beckman Could a drink of grog or the casual aswoiin ion of a young college student w ith a jovial tavern keeper have changed the course of American histor'? You bet. Cadet icfl'eron Dav is had both, and the ramitficat ions that to wed 1rn these aCtivites in 825 w d come precarnously c lose to altering the course of his Ihie and, perhaps, that of this country As most students of Amenrcan hislor are aware, Jefferson Day s att nded the U S. Milhtary Academy at West Point fron 1824 to I 828 Many do not know however. that the Inture Amercan so dier. congressnan. senator. secretar' of war, and president of the Confederacy was court- martialed and convicted at West Poin n 1825 for drinking spirituous and intoXicating htqutorIs and being presen t It an olriinits tavern not far from the academy the coutsmn him tobed J insed His whole future hung tn the balance durIng the bleak month of August 1825 as War Department offieils pondered whether to execute that sentence I his ar- tidce brety chronicles this lhtttknown incident in the life of Jefferson Dais W athm a y ear f itng at the academ, the 1 ear- 1ng II.e 11 sophomore) Cadet Jeterson Davis had be- come acquaited with West Point's notorious tavern keeper, lenlnm I Harens, popularly know n among hi if cad hente n Mirronn i I he such ticttona1 tmrn keepers asShakesper Fals aff and Victor Hugo's Thenardier, Benny Haven, serNed as thu provider of liquors. viands, raucous times, tav- ern escapades, and other off Iimits delights to the ca- dets at West Point for most of the li S Miltary Academ 3 first half century It was Davis's relaton- ship with Benny that would cause Davis so much trouble in August 1825 Jelehron Davis's probems with Benny Havens first'non i he rainy summer nihto of119u1: Sc5. ib u d un hedthr hIst yarat the academy laes w ere now ov er, and he was en gaged in his summer field encampment on what is to- da the parade field at West Point T hat night a heavy ran inundated the flat encarnmme grounds and flooded the tentsof flay s and the other cadets around him As Davs later esplained, he w as at that point 'at a loss to know w haI to do and began to wander around the gromds Whether Jeff Davis intended to seek out Benn is unuluar, as Davis later admited only that he had wandered lon far I' I lo wever tor whatever rea- sons Cadet Dav is and his companions made a two- male trek to Bennys abode and tavern and were soon Jer i aog Im e ourtesy of I u. a S t iv a t Pe PB-2t)#1--1 (No, 48)

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