Who Was The President Of The Confederacy

Jefferson Davis (1808–1889) was the president of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. He is today remembered as a primary symbol of the South’s struggle to preserve its autonomy, regional identity, and way of life.

Before the Civil War, Davis had served as a senator in the United States Congress, nationally and internationally respected as a military leader, and had been appointed to a Cabinet position in the Franklin Pierce administration. Taking office in early 1861 with the Confederate constitution in place and with real hope of achieving independence for the fledgling nation, Davis worked hard to rally political support and to create well-organized armies, but he proved a much less successful wartime leader.

The Confederate forces gradually weakened from 1861 onward as its limited military capabilities and supply shortages—over which Davis had limited control—were overwhelmed by the sheer number of soldiers and resources the Union was able to field.

The Confederacy lay in ruins by the end of the war and Davis was captured and held for two years. After his release, he lived the remaining years of his life in retirement and he died in 1889.

Davis is remembered as an ambitious and respected leader, but one whose record ultimately fell short of his hopes. He is remembered as a hero in sections of the American South where his symbol remains strong. Others regard him as an example of how a leader can struggle to build a new nation while failing to recognize the injustices at its core. His complicated legacy remains the subject of intense and varied debate.