Civil War History - The South & Western TheatersCheck this forum for all South and Western Theater Questions. Included are the Western, Pacific, Trans-Mississippi, & Lower Seaboard and Gulf Approach Theaters.
It always comes down to politics it seems! I asked because I was just re-reading Shelby Foote's narrative and in discussing Perryville and Bragg's invasion of Kentucky, Foote notes how Hardee sends a warning to Bragg about divising his force and suggesting a concentration. It just seemed to me that Hardee probably should have been in charge of that party. Bragg and Buell make an interesting pair in this campaign. Also interesting is how both sides put a postive spin on the events after the fact!
There are many indications that non-West Pointers were superceded by West Point graduates in the Confederate army command structure, in many instances. Then you add politics, and some of the qualified West Pointers get overlooked.
I don't think Jefferson Davis ever learned from his mistakes.
Look at his appointment of Hood. A brave man, a cripple and a West Pointer. There were other possible selections. Perhaps even then, Davis realized that the war was probably lost and desperate times meant desperate actions.
Hood, by his actions, shortened the war. He left Georgia undefended after Atlanta, and he destroyed his army in Tennessee. I don't think a Hood, could have survived the Confederate command structure in 1862 or 1863, and stayed in command after Atlanta's fall.
By this time the Union armies would not suffer deadly defeats, would inflict great casualties on the Confederates, and keep chewing up Confederate territory with their troop numbers and logistics superiority.
By 1863, Confederacy leaders knew well, that peace without victory, meant the destruction of the wealth of the South, its slavery.
Hardee is probably one of the most overrated general. His failures at Peachtreecreek and Atlanta are to big to consider him a good general. His fear of responsibility was to big to give him any greater command then a corps. His undermining of Bragg in AoT made more hurt to Confederate cause then Union war efforts.
At the beginning of the war he hasn't failed at anything and it seems that you would give more responsibility to the man who wrote the book on tactics.
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
Hardee wasn't in the inner circle with Davis like Bragg was. I'll have to check but I think he was briefly the Commander of the Dept. of Northern Arkansas. I know he did a credible job forming a couple of brigades in Arkansas in 61.
He would have been a far better choice than Van Dorn to command the Trans-Miss. But then again Van Dorn was a Davis cronie as was Bragg who turned down command of the Trans-Miss.
Davis tended to appoint Generals he liked, knew or had some pre-war connection with rather than on ability in some cases.
Its very difficult to judge the ability to command at the outset of the Civil War; experience in the Mexican War isn't going to really give you that much with respect to command of an army. To a certain extent, if you're going to appoint subordinates, sometimes the only thing that you have to go on is the fact that you can get along with that person. Also, doesn't really explain the appointment of Johnston.
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