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 (one of which Sea Raven Press has reprinted: A
Short History of the Confederate States of America).
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
writer-historian-artist, Lochlainn Seabrook, a cousin of President
Davis, a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the author and
editor of nearly 100 scholarly and educational books.
As with all of our reprints, not a single word has been added to or
subtracted from the original text. 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 lends 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. Available
in paperback and hardcover.
