PRISON LIFE OF JEFFERSON DAVIS
REVIEW: “A bestseller in 1866 when it was first published, Yankee surgeon John J. Craven’s Prison Life of Jefferson Davis continues to fascinate and educate readers. Written in a diary like style, Dr. Craven details his daily experiences treating his famous patient, Confederate President and, at the time, Union military prisoner, at Fort Monroe, Virginia. Sea Raven Press is proud to offer this attractive 2020 reprint, respectfully edited, designed, and illustrated by award-winning Southern historian Lochlainn Seabrook.” - THE PUBLISHER
AUTHOR: John Joseph Craven
EDITOR AND DESIGNER: Lochlainn Seabrook
CONTENT: adult nonfiction
SUBJECTS: American history, Confederate history, Union history, medical history
ILLUSTRATED: yes (b/w)
SIZE: 5.5” x 8.5”
LENGTH: 214 pages
COVER: paperback/perfect bound/matte finish; hardcover/case laminate/matte finish
PUBLISHER: Sea Raven Press (This is a beautiful reprint of the original 1866 edition)
ISBN: 978-1-943737-92-5 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-943737-93-2 (hardcover)
Did you know that a Yankee soldier saved the life of Confederate President Jefferson Davis?
Between May 24, 1865, and December 25, 1865, Union surgeon John J. Craven was assigned to care for the newly arrested Davis, imprisoned at Fort Monroe, Hampton, Virginia. Dr. Craven immediately demanded that his superiors put an end to Davis' barbaric treatment, and set about making improvements in the prisoner's conditions that included new clothing, a fresh nutritious diet, current reading material, and daily outdoor exercise.
These betterments changed the course of history. Thanks to the doctor's kindly nature and attentive care, Davis was brought back from the brink of death and went on to live another 22 years, throughout which he vigorously defended the South and wrote several important works on the Southern Confederacy.
Fortunately, Dr. Craven took notes during his visits with the great Southern leader and later compiled them into a provocative book entitled, Prison Life of Jefferson Davis. First published in 1866, it humanized the great but misunderstood Confederate leader and helped soften the Liberal North's negative image of the Conservative South.
In our ongoing effort to preserve Southern history, Sea Raven Press is proud to publish Craven's book as a beautiful reprint, respectfully arranged, edited, designed, and copiously illustrated by award-winning author Lochlainn Seabrook, a cousin of President Davis, a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the author and editor of over 100 scholarly and educational books.
Along with a helpful "Notes to the Reader" section (that provides background on mid 19th-Century politics as well as his comments on his role as Craven's editor), Mr. Seabrook includes an absorbing introduction that provides context, interest, and background to Craven's already intriguing work.
A bestseller in its day, Prison Life of Jefferson Davis stirred up its share of controversies in both the South and the North, creating unsolved mysteries and partisan disputes that have continued into the 21st Century. Our Left-wing controlled education system and mainstream publishing houses have all but ignored and even suppressed Craven's book.
But Mr. Seabrook has rejuvenated it in this attractive, easy-to-read edition - the only reprint currently available with illustrations and an informative South-friendly introduction.
As with all of our Sea Raven Press reprints, not a single word has been added to or subtracted from the original text.
Available in paperback and hardcover. All text and images copyright © Sea Raven Press.
People who bought this book also purchased these titles:
The Quotable Jefferson Davis: Selections From the Writings and Speeches of the Confederacy's First President
The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government
A Short History of the Confederate States of America
Prison Life of Jefferson Davis
The Alexander H. Stephens Reader: Excerpts From the Works of a Confederate Founding Father
The Quotable Robert E. Lee: Selections From the Writings and Speeches of the South's Most Beloved Civil War General
The Quotable Stonewall Jackson: Selections From the Writings and Speeches of the South's Most Famous General
The Quotable Alexander H. Stephens: Selections From the Writings and Speeches of the Confederacy's First Vice President