Following South Carolina's secession, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas adopted similar ordinances. The seceding states sent representatives to a convention in Montgomery, Alabama, where they adopted a provisional constitution, gave themselves a name, and chose a president of their own. Jefferson Davis of Mississippi was named president of the Confederacy, and the delegates ratified their separate constitution. Thus, the Confederate States of America (known as the Confederacy) was born.

States That Seceded from the Union

Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy

Jefferson Davis was born on June 3, 1808, in Kentucky. He was educated at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, and at the U.S. Military Academy. He served on the frontier following graduation until his health forced him to leave the army in 1835. From then on, Davis was a planter in Mississippi until he was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1845. When the Mexican War broke out a year later, he resigned his seat to serve, fighting at Monterrey and Buena Vista.

Following the war, Davis served as a U.S. senator from Mississippi, as secretary of war for President Franklin Pierce, and again as U.S. senator from 1857 to 1861. As you might guess, his legislative voice was heard arguing in support of states' rights, and he used his influence during the Pierce administration to pass the Kansas–Nebraska Act, favoring a proslavery sentiment. Ironically, Davis didn't favor secession. As a senator, he tried to keep the Southern states in the Union, although when his own state of Mississippi seceded, he gave up his Senate seat.

Preparing for War

After selecting cabinet members that represented other Southern states, Davis turned his attention to the necessary preparations for the impending conflict with the North (Union). Confederates had already seized eleven federal forts and arsenals in the South, and they had caused trouble at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. Shortly after he took office, President Lincoln sent reinforcements to Fort Sumter. Within weeks, eleven Southern states had broken away, leaving a handful of Border States south of the Mason-Dixon line — Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri — that stayed with the Union (although some citizens joined the Confederate cause).

On May 24, 1861, the Confederates moved their capital from Montgomery, Alabama, to Richmond, Virginia. When created, the Confederacy had a population of almost 9 million, including nearly 4 million slaves. But that paled by comparison to the Union population of approximately 22 million. Land values were higher in the North, as was economic strength, making the South extremely dependent on Europe for many material items. A basic lack of resources forced the Confederacy to levy taxes and deal with rising inflation. Southern railroads proved to be inadequate, and the South also lacked manufacturing equipment to make large field guns and even basic military equipment.

After his election as president of the Confederate States of America, Davis failed to raise the much-needed war chest to pay for Confederate fighting. He was equally unable to interest foreign governments in helping the Confederate cause.

The Confederate government was in a state of constant turmoil, it seemed, with judges from the various state courts interfering in military matters. However, Davis did appoint General Robert E. Lee as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, and Davis remained true to his task until the bitter end. He staunchly believed the South could achieve independence, until he realized that defeat was imminent. He fled the Confederate capital of Richmond, and on May 10, 1865, federal troops captured him in Georgia. For two years he was imprisoned at Fortress Monroe in Virginia. He was indicted for treason, but released one year later on bond. The federal government dropped its case against Davis in 1868. He lived many years engaged in a string of unsuccessful business ventures, though he did write The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government, published in 1881. Davis died in 1889 and is buried in Richmond.