An American president was laid to rest on Memorial Day!

If you're tired of the sex, violence and bad language, on TV and in movies, may I offer you a true story that the whole family can enjoy? There was a time when the history of our nation was taught to our children and there was pride in who we were.

If you listen closely, and the wind blows in the right direction, you may hear a train whistle in the distance.

My Mother remembers that day in April 1945, when the funeral train for Franklin D. Roosevelt passed Roosevelt High school in Atlanta, Georgia, shortly before stopping at Atlanta's Terminal Station.

Many songs have been written about the passenger train. On Saturday and Sunday, May 27th and 28th, 1893, a news story took place in the crescent city of New Orleans that overshadowed all other events throughout the South.

No business was held on Saturday, May 27, 1893, when the remains of Jefferson Davis, former president of the Confederacy, was removed from Metairie Cemetery and taken to Confederate Memorial Hall in New Orleans where his casket was placed on a huge oak catafalque.

It had been nearly four years since Jefferson Davis died in New Orleans and was buried temporarily at Metairie Cemetery. Varina Davis, wife of the Southern leader, worked to secure an honor guard and funeral train to take her husband to Richmond, Virginia for final burial.

At 4:30PM on Sunday May 28th, a memorial service was held for Mr. Davis and it was reported that a moving memorial address was delivered by Louisiana's Governor Murphy J. Foster.

The casket of Jefferson Davis was then delivered to a committee of veterans from Virginia who had been sent to receive it. A procession was formed for the long, slow march to New Orlean's "Louisville and Nashville" Railroad Station on Canal Street.

Locomotive No. 69, with Engineer Frank Coffin, waited patiently as the casket was taken up a platform and passed through an open observation car widow to a catafalque. The cars wall could not be seen due to the many flowers.

At 7:50PM on Sunday May 28, 1893, Engineer Coffin pulled Locomotive No. 69 slowly out of New Orleans for the 1,200 mile journey to Richmond, Virginia. Old veterans saluted and women bowed their heads in prayer.

Newspaper reporters from New Orleans, Richmond, Boston, New York and the Southern Associated Press were guests on the train.

After a brief stop at Bay Saint Louis and slow-down at Pass Christian, the train stopped at Beauvoir, the Davis' family home near Biloxi, where Jefferson Davis and family had spent 12 years. It was there that Davis wrote his book, "The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government."

Following a brief stop at Scranton, Mississippi (now Pascagoula) the train pulled into Mobile, Alabama at midnight with a thousand people waiting. When the headlight of the train came in full view, the Alabama Artillery fired a salute. Children were kept up past their bedtime to witness this a part of our American history.

Locomotive No. 69 was retired and Locomotive No. 25 was coupled to the train. The new train's Engineer was C.C. Devinney and the fireman was Warren Robinson.

This special train pulled into Montgomery, Alabama at 6:00AM on May 29, 1893. A severe rain storm delayed the funeral procession to about 8:30AM when a funeral cortege started for the state capitol. Six black horses drew the platform bearing the casket.

The casket was placed in front of the bench of the Alabama Supreme Court room. Above the right exit of the room was a banner with the word "Monterrey" and above the left exit was a banner with the words "Buena Vista." During the War with Mexico, Jefferson Davis was a hero at Monterrey and was wounded at Buena Vista.

Church bells tolled, cannons roared and people said farewell as the train pulled out of Montgomery's station at 12:30PM. The train stopped briefly at West Point, Georgia, under a beautiful floral arch, to pick up Georgia's Governor WIlliam J. Northen and his staff.

At least 20,000 greeted the train in Atlanta, Georgia as it pulled into Atlanta's Union Station at 4:30PM on May 29th. A hearse, carrying the casket, was drawn by six dappled gray horses. The Old Gate City Guard were among those honored to guard the body of Davis as he lay in state at the capitol building.

The train left Atlanta, Georgia at 7:00PM and traveled through Lula, Georgia, Greenville, South Carolina and stopped at Raleigh, North Carolina. Davis' casket was taken to the North Carolina state capitol.

A brief stop was made in Danville, Virginia where a crowd of people gathered around the train and sang, "Nearer My God to Thee."

The Jefferson Davis funeral train finally reached Richmond, Virginia on Wednesday, May 31, 1893, at 3:00 AM. It was Memorial Day. Mrs. Davis met the train and her husbands casket was taken to the Virginia state capitol to lie in state.

It was reported that at 3:00PM on May 31, 1893, the Davis casket was placed on caisson, that was drawn by six white horses, and taken to Hollywood Cemetery for burial. A newspaper account of the event reported....." at least 75,000 people were along the streets and at the cemetery and not since the War Between the States had so many Confederate soldiers been seen in Richmond."

The honor guard fired a 21-gun salute, the bugler played taps and Jefferson Davis, the South's beloved leader, was finally laid to rest.

Jefferson Davis was born on June 3, 1808. He served as United States Secretary of War, Superintendent of West Point Military Academy and United States Senator from Mississippi.

Lest We Forget all our soldiers on Memorial Day!

["Never be haughty to the humble; never be humble to the haughty" -- Jefferson Davis]

For more on Jefferson Davis see:
Jefferson Davis Biography
The Papers of Jefferson Davis
Beauvoir: Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library