On Feb 10, 1861 a note arrived at the home of Jefferson Davis informing him he had been elected president of the Confederate States. He was completely surprised as it was an office he had not wanted nor sought after. When he resigned his position as senator he was determined to stay out of politics or if nothing else receive a commission in the army. He was not even part of the group that created the new government, yet his reputation as a leader and defender of states’ rights made him popular, his devotion to duty would not allow him to turn it down.
Historically Speaking 