The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States, fully the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America, was a unicameral

congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

of deputies and delegates called together from the Southern States which became the

governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ...

of the

Provisional Government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

of the

Confederate States The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States from 1861 to 1865. It comprised eleven U.S. states th ...

from February 4, 1861, to February 17, 1862. It sat in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

, until May 21, 1861, when it adjourned to meet in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, on July 20, 1861. In both cities, it met in the existing state capitols which it shared with the respective secessionist state legislatures. It added new members as other states

seceded Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal is the c ...

from the Union and directed the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...

on November 6, 1861, at which a permanent government was elected. Provisional_Confederate_government_flag

First Session

The First Session of the Provisional Congress was held at Montgomery from February 4, 1861, to March 16, 1861. Members were present from

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. It drafted a provisional constitution and set up a government. For

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

, it selected

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

of Mississippi and

Alexander H. Stephens Alexander Hamilton Stephens (February 11, 1812 – March 4, 1883) was an American politician who served as the first and only Vice President of the Confederate States of America, vice president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865, and l ...

of Georgia.

Constitutional Convention

The Confederate States Constitutional Convention was held at Montgomery from February 28, 1861, to March 11, 1861.

Second Session

The Second Session of the Provisional Congress was held at Montgomery from April 29, 1861, to May 21, 1861. Members were present from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

Third Session

The Third Session of the Provisional Congress was held at Richmond from July 20, 1861, to August 31, 1861. Members were present from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

Fourth Session

The Fourth Session of the Provisional Congress was held at Richmond on September 3, 1861. Members were present from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

Fifth Session

The Fifth Session of the Provisional Congress was held at Richmond from November 18, 1861, to February 17, 1862. Members were present from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee,

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, and

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. One non-voting member was present from the

Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the Arizona Territory, was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the ...

Leadership

* President:

Howell Cobb Howell Cobb (September 7, 1815 – October 9, 1868) was an American and later Confederate political figure. A southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and the speaker of the House from 1849 to ...

Members

Deputies

Deputies from the first seven states to secede formed the first two sessions of the Congress.

* Richard W. Walker * Robert H. Smith * Colin J. McRae * John Gill Shorter (''resigned'' November 1861) ** Cornelius Robinson (''took his seat on'' April 29, 1861 – ''Elected to fill vacancy; resigned'' January 24, 1862) * W. P. Chilton * Stephen F. Hale * David P. Lewis (''resigned'' April 29, 1861) ** Nic. Davis, Jr. (''took his seat on'' April 29, 1861 – ''Elected to fill vacancy'') * Thomas Fearn (''resigned'' April 29, 1861) ** H. C. Jones (''took his seat on'' April 29, 1861 – ''Elected to fill vacancy'') * J. L. M. Curry

* J. Patton Anderson (''resigned'' April 8, 1861) ** George Taliaferro Ward (''took his seat on '' May 2, 1861 – ''Elected to fill vacancy; resigned ''February 5, 1862) ** John Pease Sanderson (''took his seat on '' February 5, 1862 – ''Appointed to fill vacancy'') * James B. Owens * Jackson Morton (''took his seat on ''February 6, 1861)

Robert Toombs Robert Augustus Toombs (July 2, 1810 – December 15, 1885) was an American politician from Georgia, who was an important figure in the formation of the Confederacy. From a privileged background as a wealthy planter and slaveholder, Toomb ...

* F. S. Bartow (''killed'' July 21, 1861 ''at the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Confederate States ...

'') ** Thomas Marsh Forman (''took his seat on'' August 7, 1861 – ''Appointed to fill vacancy'') * M. J. Crawford * E. A. Nisbet (''resigned'' December 10, 1861) ** Nathan Henry Bass, Sr. (''took his seat on'' January 14, 1862 – ''Appointed to fill vacancy'') * B. H. Hill * A. R. Wright * T. R. R. Cobb * A. H. Kenan * A. H. Stephens

* John Perkins, Jr. * Alexander de Clouet * Charles M. Conrad * Duncan F. Kenner * Edward Sparrow * Henry Marshall

* A. M. Clayton (''resigned'' May 11, 1861) ** Alexander Blackburn Bradford (''took his seat on'' December 5, 1861 – ''Elected to fill vacancy'') * James T. Harrison * William S. Barry * J. A. P. Campbell * Wiley P. Harris * Walker Brooke * William S. Wilson (''resigned'' April 29, 1861) ** J. A. Orr (''took his seat on'' April 29, 1861 – ''Elected to fill vacancy'')

* Robert Barnwell Rhett * Robert W. Barnwell * Christopher Gustavus Memminger * James Chesnut, Jr. * William Porcher Miles * Laurence M. Keitt * Thomas J. Withers (''resigned'' May 21, 1861 ''after second session'') **

James Lawrence Orr James Lawrence Orr (May 12, 1822May 5, 1873) was an American diplomat and politician who served as the 22nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1857 to 1859. He also served as the 73rd governor of South Carolina from 1865 ...

(''took his seat on'' February 17, 1862 – ''Appointed to fill vacancy'') * William W. Boyce

* John Gregg (''took his seat on'' February 15, 1861) * Thomas N. Waul (''took his seat on'' February 19, 1861) * W. S. Oldham (''took his seat on'' March 2, 1861) * J. H. Reagan (''took his seat on'' March 2, 1861) * John Hemphill (''took his seat on'' March 2, 1861; ''died'' January 4, 1862) * W. B. Ochiltree (''took his seat on'' March 2, 1861) * L. T. Wigfall (''took his seat on'' March 2, 1861)

Delegates

Representatives from states that seceded after the

Battle of Fort Sumter The Battle of Fort Sumter (also the Attack on Fort Sumter or the Fall of Fort Sumter) (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina, by the South Carolina militia. It ended with the surrender of the ...

were referred to as delegates, in contrast to the deputies from the original seven states, even though they all had the same obligations.

* Augustus Hill Garland *

Robert Ward Johnson Robert Ward Johnson (July 22, 1814 – July 26, 1879) was an American planter and lawyer who served as the senior Confederate States senator for Arkansas, a seat that he was elected to in 1861. He previously served as a delegate from Arkansas ...

* Albert Rust * Hugh French Thomason * William Wirt Watkins

* Henry Cornelius Burnett * Theodore Legrand Burnett *

John Milton Elliott John Milton Elliott (May 16, 1820 – March 26, 1879) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge from Prestonsburg, Kentucky. He was assassinated by a fellow judge. Elliott represented Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives from ...

* George Washington Ewing *

Samuel Howard Ford Samuel Howard Ford (February 19, 1819 – July 5, 1905) was a Confederate politician. He was born in London, England and later emigrated to the United States, settling in Kentucky. He represented that state in the Provisional Confederate Congress ...

* George Baird Hodge * Thomas Johnson * Thomas Bell Monroe * John J. Thomas * Daniel Price White

* Caspar Wistar Bell * John Bullock Clark, Sr. * Aaron H. Conrow * William Mordecai Cooke Sr. * Thomas W. Freeman * Thomas Alexander Harris * Robert Ludwell Yates Peyton *

George Graham Vest George Graham Vest (December 6, 1830August 9, 1904) was an American politician. Born in Frankfort, Kentucky, he was known for his skills in oration and debate. Vest, a lawyer as well as a politician, served as a Missouri Congressman, a Confede ...

* Delegate-elect Hyer never took his seat

* William Waightstill Avery * Francis Burton Craige * Allen Turner Davidson * George Davis * Thomas David Smith McDowell *

John Motley Morehead John Motley Morehead (July 4, 1796 – August 27, 1866) was an American lawyer and politician who became the 29th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina (1841 to 1845). He became known as "the Father of Modern North Carolina." Early and ...

* Richard Clauselle Puryear * Thomas Hart Ruffin * William N. H. Smith * Abraham Watkins Venable

* John DeWitt Clinton Atkins * Robert Looney Caruthers * David Maney Currin * William Henry DeWitt *

John Ford House John Ford House (January 9, 1827 – June 28, 1904) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 6th congressional district. Biography House was born on January 9, 1827, near Franklin, ...

* Thomas McKissick Jones * James Houston Thomas

* Thomas Salem Bocock * Alexander Boteler * John White Brockenbrough * Gideon D. Camden (''resigned'' June 1861) * R. M. T. Hunter * Robert Johnston * William Hamilton MacFarland * James M. Mason * Walter Preston * William Ballard Preston * Roger Atkinson Pryor *

William Cabell Rives William Cabell Rives (May 4, 1793April 25, 1868) was an American lawyer, planter, politician and diplomat from Virginia. Initially a Jackson Democrat as well as member of the First Families of Virginia, Rives served in the Virginia House of Deleg ...

* Charles Wells Russell * Robert Eden Scott * James Alexander Seddon * Waller Redd Staples *

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president of the United States, vice president in 1841. He was elected ...

(''died'' January 18, 1862)

* Granville Henderson Oury

Notes

References

* * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Confederate States, Provisional Congress Of The 1861 establishments in the Confederate States of America 1862 disestablishments in the Confederate States of America

Defunct national legislatures Legislative branch of the Confederate States of America government

First Session

Constitutional Convention

Second Session

Third Session

Fourth Session

Fifth Session

Leadership

Members

Deputies

Delegates

Notes

References

Further reading

External links