In 1861, Jefferson Davis was chosen to lead the newly formed Confederate States
In 1861, as the United States fractured, the newly formed Confederate States chose Jefferson Davis as their provisional president, setting the stage for the bloodiest conflict in American history.
On February 9, 1861, delegates from seceding Southern states met in Montgomery, Alabama, to elect Jefferson Davis as the Provisional President of the Confederate States of America. Davis, a former U.S. Senator and Secretary of War, was a reluctant candidate who initially hoped for a military command rather than a political role.
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