Lesson 266: Searching for Jim
Army of Tennessee Chaplain David Chaltas
SEARCHING FOR JIM The
fever claimed his mother and father when he was only five years old. He found
himself an orphan and at the mercy of a relative who was a harsh man. Whenever
the boy didn’t do exactly what he was told, he would be whipped and
sometimes severely. He cried at night for his momma and through the day he
tried to please his keeper. He was a child filled with sadness. One day
the boy had done something to anger the man and he began whipping him right on
the streets. Several people saw it but did nothing, as they felt it
wasn’t any of their business. But there was a lady who was out with her
four children. Upon witnessing the act of cruelty she yelled out for him to
stop. The man glared at the lady and demanded to know what business it was of
hers. A passerby replied that didn’t he recognize the first lady? Mrs.
Davis ordered the young boy into her carriage and went home. Her son Joe was
about the boy’s size, so she had the child cleaned and dressed in clean
clothes. Ellen, who was the maid, took a special liking to the boy and tried
to make him feel comfortable. For the first time since his parents had died,
the young boy felt safe. That evening he ate until he felt he couldn’t
hold anything else. When
‘Mr. Jeff’ came home, his wife told him of the young boy’s
plight and when he saw the scars on the child’s back he was outraged. He
decided that he would register the boy as a free person and become his legal
guardian. Mary Boykin Chesnut, the wife of an
aide to President Davis and prominent family of South Carolina, visited the
White House. Upon hearing the story and meeting the child, Mrs. Chesnut wrote
about him in her diary. She stated the child was ‘eager to show her his
cuts and bruises.’ For
awhile, all was right with the world. The boy had free reign with his new
found family and played up and down the streets of the White House. Soon the
boys became inseparable and called themselves the Hill Cats. Those days soon
faded into the gray. One day
while playing with Joe along the iron gallery railing of the White House,
little Joe fell and was killed. The boy was devastated by the loss of his best
friend. He cried and was comforted by his adopted family and Miss Ellen. While
in a service at St. Paul’s church, the boy noted a courier give his
guardian a note. He couldn’t help but notice the sadness that invaded
his face. Mr. Davis left abruptly, which was unusual. Soon the family was
packing belongings and was heading into the deep South by train. Mr. Davis
told them that he would soon join them when things were settled in Richmond. After
meeting with his cabinet and generals in Abbeville, South Carolina, for the
last counsel of war, Mr. Davis began his journey to reunite with his family.
They met in Irwinville, Georgia. During the early dawn, the Union soldiers
came and captured Mr. Davis. He was sent to prison where he spent two years
without being afforded a trial. The boy
was terrified. He went with Mrs. Varina and the children to Macon, Georgia. A
mean spirited captain threatened to take the boy away from Mrs. Davis. She
protested, stating that he was not a slave but adopted by the family. Still
the captain scared the boy. Later the family was taken to Port Royal just
outside of Savannah, Georgia, and was placed on house arrest. Soon,
the child’s worst fears were realized. Acting upon the orders of Captain
Hudson, the soldiers came and dragged the boy away from the family. All the
children were crying, Mrs. Davis was begging them not to take him, and the poor
boy was in hysterics. Still he was taken. The cruel captain put the child on
display, stating that the boy was a slave to the Davis family. He forced the boy
take off his shirt to show his scar ridden back. The boy protested that it was
his relative who had beat him, not the Davis family, but his words fell on deaf
ears. Under pressure by citizens protesting to local politicians of such
treatment of a child, the captain was forced to cease displaying the child as a
trophy. Having
served his purpose, the question came as to what to do with the child. One
moment he was on display and the next he vanished. No one knows what happened
to the boy, as the shadows covered his trail. After
being released from prison, the Davis family searched for the child. He wrote
letters inquiring about the child’s whereabouts. “I
seek information on the health and safety of Jim Limber, a black orphan, about
ten years of age. He was taken from my family by force in the summer of 1865.
If you have any news of Jim Limber, please contact me.” Sincerely,
Jefferson
Davis
To this
very day, the fate of the young man has not been revealed or discovered. The
child’s name was Jim Limber Davis, who was a black orphan in the
Confederate White House. His adoptive parents and guardians were Jefferson and
Varina Davis. Jesus
called the children to Him. He loved to hear them laugh and feel the innocence
of their hearts. Jesus loved the little children and was always surrounded by
them. In Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Suffer
little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the
kingdom of heaven.” He gave His word in John 14:18 that, “He would
not leave you as orphans, he will come to you.” We are His children. He
wishes to gather us up as a hen does her chicks when danger lurks. He watches
over us and He suffers with us through His suffering for us. I feel that young Jim, no matter his fate on earth, now
rests at the feet of the Master and someday his story will be known to us. Jesus
also warned those who would mistreat children that they would be judged. The
book of Isaiah 5:20 states: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that
put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and
sweet for bitter.” We must humble ourselves, no matter our lot and
become as little children in order to fully understand the measure of love He
has for us. ALL of us have at one time been a child of innocence. Christ
calls for us to endure and remain innocent, not because of our works but
because of HIS love and His sacrifice. Someday, He will call someday as surely
as He called Jim home. Then, all the heartaches, pain and suffering will
disappear, as we bathe in the Light, we will know all mysteries and discover
the answers. Searching for Jim, I remain the old general
Sources
Jim Limber Davis; Robbins, Peggy; Southern Partisan Magazine; 2nd Quarter; Volume IX; 1989.
Jim Limber Davis: A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House; Pittman, Rickey; illustrated by Heirstein, Judith; Pelican Publishing Company; 1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, Louisiana; 2007