Just as Confederate naval action is commonly overshadowed by the dramatic land battles of the Civil War, the navy's originator, Stephen Mallory, is often passed over in favor of those who played a more publicized role in the government of the Confederacy. Mallory had served as one of Florida's U.S. senators for ten years when the state's secession forced him to resign his position. In the new Confederate government he became the naval secretary and found himself challenged to create a valid military force where none had existed.