January 7, 1861: Secession Convention opens in Jackson
January 9, 1861: Delegates vote to secede from Union
Ordinance of Secession
After voting 84-15 to leave the Union, Mississippi became the second state to secede.
Link to the catalogJanuary 15, 1861: Ordinance of secession signed
Attala County delegate John Wood and Rankin County delegate John Jones Thornton refused to sign the ordinance of secession. Thornton was commander of the Rankin Guards at the time of secession and went on to command the Sixth Mississippi Regiment for the Confederacy until he was wounded at the Battle of Shiloh.
January 20, 1861: State troops occupy unfinished United States fort on Ship Island
Map of Gulf Coast showing Ship Island, 1861
January 21, 1861: Mississippi’s delegation withdraws from United States Congress
Mississippi congressional delegation in 1861
Senator Jefferson Davis was the last to leave.
Link to the catalogJanuary 23, 1861: Army of Mississippi organized
Confederate Uniform Jacket
Image: Typical Confederate uniform jacket such as one a Mississippi soldier would have worn.
February 9, 1861: Confederate States of America formed in Montgomery, Alabama
Mississippi joined the Confederate States, and the Army of Mississippi became part of the Confederate Army. Jefferson Davis was chosen as provisional president of the Confederacy.
April 12, 1861: Civil War begins
Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina.
November 6, 1861: Jefferson Davis elected president of Confederates States of America
Jefferson Davis
December 3, 1861: Union forces occupy Ship Island and Fort Massachusetts
Ship Island became the central staging area for Union forces in campaigns against New Orleans and Mobile.