Did Jefferson Davis have any injury?

Answer 1

Three that were serious. Novella was involved in two of the injuries.

The first injury:

After Jefferson Davis graduated from West Point he entered the army.

During his service in the wilds of Wisconsin, Lieutenant Jefferson was almost blinded by the white snow. He lost 95% of the vision in one eye.

The second injury:

In 1831, after about three years of service, he was assigned to Fort Crawford and was given the task of seeing to it that a saw-mill was constructed in the forest. There he met many Indians. He was interested in learning their culture and customs. He took every opportunity to visit Indian villages and talk to them. The Indians respected Jefferson Davis and began to call him, "White Chief". He met a black haired, brown-eyed half-breed named Novella. Novella was born to an Indian squaw and a French trapper. Novella was a brown-eyed, light skinned beauty. She had social skills and enjoyed dancing. She was always welcome at social events by the white men in the town and at the fort. Jefferson took Novella to an Indian wedding and the celebration that followed. One Indian did not like Jefferson being with Novella. He took out his knife and as he approached Jefferson, Colonel Taylor yelled watch out. Jefferson turned just as the knife blade entered his left forearm. Jefferson pulled his pistol and shot the Indian. Both lived. Jefferson had to have his arm clamped together. After his arm mended, he went looking for Novella, he could not find her and the other Indians in her tribe would not tell him where she was. It was about this time that Colonel Taylor's wife and daughter came to the fort to live. Jefferson liked and fell in love with the colonels daughter, Sarah Knox Taylor. He eventually married Sarah. Three months after their marriage, Jefferson and Sarah caught the fever. Jefferson recovered, Sarah did not.

The third injury:

In October 1835 (after Sarah's death) Jefferson was traveling to one of his cabins in the woods. It was a long trip. As he was passing the Indian reservation he fell asleep on his horse. Jefferson Davis fell from his horse and hit his head. He was confused and decided to spend the night in the woods far from home. In the morning Jefferson heard a loud crack. Then the trunk of a dead tree fell on his leg. Breaking it. The tree was large and he could not move it. He laid there all day pinned under that tree. No one was around and he thought he might die. That night, someone tripped on his body and fell on top of him. It was the half-breed Novella. She was running away from the reservation. (She hated living on the reservation and considered the men cowards for not fighting for their land.) Novella was able to free him, find his horse, and take him to his cabin. She cared for him until he was better. Six weeks later parson James Vernon Dobson married Jefferson and Novella.