1867 Confederate States Presidential Election (Brothers No More)

The Confederate States Presidential Election of 1867, the 2nd C.S. presidential election, was held on November 5, 1867. General Robert E. Lee ran unopposed and became the 2nd President of the Confederate States.

Background
This was the first presidential election held after the conclusion of the Southern War of Independence. General Robert E. Lee, the man widely credited with leading the victorious war effort, was immensely popular throughout the Confederacy. He was initially unsure if he wanted to run and serve a six year term as president, but several of his friends managed to convince him to seek the job. Outgoing President Jefferson Davis endorsed Lee as soon as the candidacy was announced.

The Campaign
No one had a chance of beating the extremely beloved general, and not many tried. The only other campaign that gained any attention was a Unionist running out of Tennessee, with the platform of bringing the Confederacy back into the U.S. He endured threats of violence all throughout his venture and moved to the U.S. in 1868.

Lee himself did no campaigning; he knew that Southerners would vote for him just because they saw his name on the ballot.

Results and Aftermath
Lee won unanimously in the Electoral College and almost unanimously in the popular vote. He took over the position from Davis with much fanfare, and promised only to maintain the status quo. That was enough for the people.

President Lee would go on to declare and win the Mexican-Confederate War. He was the only full-term president who never got to nominate a Supreme Court justice, since they had all been nominated by Davis the term before. Lee left office in 1874 being just as popular as he was before entering it, if not more. Five years later, his policies inadvertently helped lead to the formation of the Southern Party. Even they did not agree with his policies, Southern Party politicians refused to drag Lee's name through the mud. Lee died in 1880 and is seen to this day as one of the Confederacy's great presidents and heroes.