Every two years, descendants of Jefferson Davis— the only president of the Confederacy— gather at Rosemont Plantation near Woodville, Miss., to celebrate a person they consider an American hero.
"He's one of the most misunderstood figures in this country's history," Davis' great-great grandson Bert Hayes-Davis said.
Hayes-Davis recounts a long list of his great-great grandfather's accomplishments: West Point graduate, war hero, U.S. congressman, senator and Cabinet member.
"He was an American patriot," he said.
As a U.S. senator, Davis was a key proponent of The Smithsonian Institute's creation.
As secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce, he helped design the National Capitol and the Statue of Freedom atop its dome.
"No one knows that," Hayes-Davis said. "Those are the things we want people to realize."
To most people, Davis' life boils down to one day: Nov. 6, 1861 — the day he was elected president of the Confederate States of America.
"That's what bothers me the most," Hayes-Davis said. "We lost the first 51 years of his life."
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