Defining Moments In The Lives Of Mary Todd Lincoln And Varina Howell Davis: First Ladies Of The Civil War

Mary Todd Lincoln, the most criticized and misunderstood first lady, experienced more than her share of tragedy during her lifetime. During the Civil War, both North and South called her a traitor and seldom did the press have a kind word for her. If we examine her early life, the most impressionable years, we become enlightened and can find compassion for the woman who was the wife of the sixteenth President of the United States. Gentle, soft-spoken Varina Howell Davis was admired by all who met her. She was well-educated, just like her northern counterpart. But unlike Mary Todd Lincoln, Varina didn't leave a trail of frustrating encounters wherever she traveled. Throughout the many calamities in her life, the one thing Varina could count on was the love she shared with her husband, Confederate president Jefferson Davis.