Jefferson Davis's Generals

by Gabor S. Boritt

Book Overview

Confederate General P.G.T.Beauregard once wrote that "no people ever warred for independence with more relative advantages than the Confederates." If there was any doubt as to what Beauregard sought to imply, he later to chose to spell it out: the failure of the Confederacy lay with the Confederate president Jefferson Davis. In Jefferson Davis' Generals, a team of the nation's most distinguished Civil War historians present fascinating examinations...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195120620
• ISBN13: 9780195120622
• Release Date: July 1999
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

It all comes down to relationships

This book is a series of essays about Jefferson Davis' relationships with his generals. Each essay looks at a specific general. The southern officer corps literally came from the US Army, when US officers resigned their commissions and offered their services to their states. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and this book details those of Jefferson and his leading commanders. Most of the leaders of the Confederacy were Southern Gentlemen with a sense of honor and were sensitve to preceived insults which seems to hamper the abilty of anyone to discuss differing points of view. Jefferson found himself trying to defend the entire Confederacy against a stronger foe. The political reality was that he could not abandon the frontiers which supplied troops and supplies and political will to continue the fight. He found it impossible to dismiss generals who irritated him. I found the book enjoyable and comprehensive. I would recommend it to people interested in why the South lost A comparable look at personal relationships, which includes the Union can be found in Partners In Command

Jeff Davis and his commanding generals.

Why did the South lose the war? Well, Jefferson Davis interfered with the role his commanding generals played in their respective theaters. Davis enjoyed a good relationship with Robert E. Lee but less desireable relationships with Johnson and Bragg. The Western commanders and the Army of Tennessee were a less dangerous foe to the Union forces. In this book of essays from different authors, Davis's relationship with such generals as Johnson, Bragg, Hood, Lee, and others are portrayed. His interference in their commands made the difference in the West. Lee was more of a diplomat and managed to cope and modify Davis's demands for the Army of Northern Virginia. Also portrayed is a unique essay on how the wives of these Generals also had an effect on the war. Jeff Davis was a poor commander, and most of his Generals (with the exception of Lee) failures. Lincoln was the better Commander in Chief and that is one of the reasons he won the war.A good read about the command function of the leader of a nation.This book stirs your interest in why the South lost and the North won.