Dashed left edge = started before February 1861 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond February 1861
Events in February 1861 1
1861Formation of the Confederate States of AmericaSeceded Southern states form a rival governmentDelegates from seven seceded Southern states met at Montgomery, Alabama, and adopted a provisional constitution establishing the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis was elected provisional president days later. The new government's formation precipitated the outbreak of the American Civil War.