Is it true?

January 15, 2011 by  
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The “Democratic Watchman” newspaper from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, July 30, 1886 has an interesting tidbit which, if true, unveils what it likely a little known and fascinating twist in American history: “Jefferson Davis, as an officer in the Black Hawk war, administered the oath of allegiance to Abraham Lincoln, entering the service as a lieutenant.” (see below)

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Filed under: Noteworthy Issues, Post Civil War, Unusual, Fun & Bizarre
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Comments

2 Responses to “Is it true?”

  1. eric fettmann on January 17th, 2011 2:55 pm

    Highly unlikely. Lincoln served in Reynolds’ Militia, which was an Illinois unit, while Davis was from Mississippi. Also, Lincoln only served from April-June 1832 (and saw no combat), while Davis was on leave for most of the war and didn’t rejoin active service until Sept. 1832.

  2. Tim Hughes on January 17th, 2011 2:59 pm

    Eric – Thanks for the research! Another fascinating quirk in history bites the dust.

    Tim

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