The Coachman’s Journey James Jones stands out as a bit of an enigma.
By Kelly Hancock
He worked in the Confederate President’s house as a coachman and body servant from 1862 through the end of the war and appears to have been the only person of color who chose to work there. He was a free man. What motivated Jones to leave his home in Raleigh, North Carolina and come to work for the Davises? And why, as a champion of black equality after the war, did he feel compelled to reconnect with Jefferson Davis, a man who believed wholeheartedly in slavery and the inferiority of black people? continued on next page
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