When Jefferson Davis announced the secession of his home state of Mississippi from the Union, he didn’t expect that he would soon be elected president of the Confederate States of America. As a veteran of the United States-Mexican War, he had planned on taking a military role in the newly formed country. Instead, Davis faced the greatest challenge of his life: unifying states that were keenly interested in preserving states’ rights and fighting a war against an established and better-supplied country — the United States.

Jefferson Davis and the Confederacy tells the story of a man who was devoted to his country to the bitter end. Explore Davis’s years as an army officer, a congressman, and as secretary of war. Meet the Confederate States’ only president and Varina Anne, the “Daughter of the Confederacy.” Discover the hardships Davis faced in keeping the Confederacy together, from a food shortage to a spy in the Confederate White House.