He fought in the American - American war
Jefferson Davis was elected to the US House of Representatives and took his place in Congress in December 1845. He left Congress, in order to fight in the Mexican-American War, which broke out in 1846. Under his previous father-in-law, General Zachary Taylor, he was a colonel.
At the Battle of Monterrey in September 1846, Jefferson Davis led his troops to success in an attack on Fort Teneria. He fought valiantly at the Battle of Buena Vista in February 1847, was wounded in the foot, and received widespread praise for his actions. My daughter, sir, was a better judge of men than I was, General Zachary Taylor remarked after being so impressed with his work.
He entered the Senate and quickly rose to the position of chairman of the Military Affairs Committee after returning to Mississippi severely injured. Davis unsuccessfully sought the office of governor of Mississippi in 1851. In 1853, President Franklin Pierce appointed him secretary of war. Davis oversaw three surveys for railroads to the Pacific, upgraded coastal defenses, and increased the size of the army. He was a strong supporter of the Gadsden Purchase as well.
