Best CS war secretary

[atlantis]

CS war secretary Leroy Walker has been given short thrift by historians and by the press during his time in office. Yet on his watch a large army was raised and equipped for service, The confederacy won several battlefield victories and when he left office the confederacy controlled most of its territory.
Walker was the best CS war secretary and his strengths were he knew wasn't a military expert and that the president was commander in chief.
And disagreement with this assessment, like to see what others think.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Walker was the first of five persons (the others being, Benjamin, Randolph, Seddon and Breckinridge) who held the office of Confederate Secretary of War – serving in this cabinet position from Feb. 21 to Sept. 16, 1861.

Walker, a lawyer by profession and an ardent secessionist, had no military training.

From readings about him, although an energetic individual, Walker showed significant performance deficiencies in this role as a Cabinet Secretary. It seems he lacked diplomacy in his dealings with State governors and politicians, and often got into disputes with them. He also displayed a lack of awareness of the big picture, by making unrealistic predictions, like those about the shortness of the war and the premature capitulation of Washington D.C.. While he was apparently attributed with mobilizing large numbers of troops for service during his brief tenure, he is blamed for failing to adequately supply them with weapons and equipment in this same period.

Performance shortfall considerations aside, perhaps his unsuitability for any administrative leadership roles can be evidenced by his brief periods of service, as well as the manner of his departures, in these positions. In his cabinet job, it was apparently the stresses of the role that broke down his health, as well as disagreement with Davis over troop deployments in Kentucky, that largely led to him resigning from this role. His subsequent appointment by Davis the next day as a B-G, was followed with assignments in charge of garrisons at Mobile then Montgomery that did not last long either, before he abruptly resigned on March 31, 1862.

He probably found his true calling, when he was appointed as a military court judge (with the rank of Colonel) on April 6, 1864, until the end of the war.

Thought his most notable act while serving as Confederate Secretary of War, was issuing the order to Beauregard on April 11 to bombard Fort Sumter.

 

[atlantis]

Walker was the first of five persons (the others being, Benjamin, Randolph, Seddon and Breckinridge) who held the office of Confederate Secretary of War – serving in this cabinet position from Feb. 21 to Sept. 16, 1861.

Walker, a lawyer by profession and an ardent secessionist, had no military training.

From readings about him, although an energetic individual, Walker showed significant performance deficiencies in this role as a Cabinet Secretary. It seems he lacked diplomacy in his dealings with State governors and politicians, and often got into disputes with them. He also displayed a lack of awareness of the big picture, by making unrealistic predictions, like those about the shortness of the war and the premature capitulation of Washington D.C.. While he was apparently attributed with mobilizing large numbers of troops for service during his brief tenure, he is blamed for failing to adequately supply them with weapons and equipment in this same period.

Performance shortfall considerations aside, perhaps his unsuitability for any administrative leadership roles can be evidenced by his brief periods of service, as well as the manner of his departures, in these positions. In his cabinet job, it was apparently the stresses of the role that broke down his health, as well as disagreement with Davis over troop deployments in Kentucky, that largely led to him resigning from this role. His subsequent appointment by Davis the next day as a B-G, was followed with assignments in charge of garrisons at Mobile then Montgomery that did not last long either, before he abruptly resigned on March 31, 1862.

He probably found his true calling, when he was appointed as a military court judge (with the rank of Colonel) on April 6, 1864, until the end of the war.

Thought his most notable act while serving as Confederate Secretary of War, was issuing the order to Beauregard on April 11 to bombard Fort Sumter.

You make good points, in defense of walker on the arms issue it was going to be an uphill struggle that early in the war. As for the politicians particularly the governors dealing with them would task the patience of Job.

 

[major bill]

He did not have an easy task as CS War Secretary. It is hard to gauge if anyone else could have performed much better.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

You make good points, in defense of walker on the arms issue it was going to be an uphill struggle that early in the war. As for the politicians particularly the governors dealing with them would task the patience of Job.

One can imagine the pressures/strains of this role dealing with disparate state governors imbued with the states' rights doctrine, trying to mobilize a coherent fighting force in a relatively short time, and organizing insufficient supplies (that became scarcer through time) over a vast area. Additionally, incumbents had to interact with the rigidity of Davis.

The various Confederate Secretaries of War, as well as their lengths of tenure (rounded) were:-

LeRoy Walker 7 months

Judah Benjamin 6 months

George Randolph 8 months

James Seddon 26.5 months

John Breckinridge 3 months

Thought these short tenure periods, as well as the manner of departures, also illustrated the difficulties inherent in the position. All of these Secretaries, except Breckinridge (who fled), resigned from their role. Walker, Randolph and Seddon all resigned due to ill-health. Benjamin had a bright legal mind and was trusted by Davis, but he had no military experience and also had to face racial prejudice in this role. Randolph made some improvements to the military during the short time he served in this role. Seddon was the longest serving Secretary and probably lasted the longest mainly because of his diplomatic skills dealing with Davis and other troublesome commanders. Breckinridge, who was appointed near the end of the war, administered the department efficiently but was forced to flee overseas shortly after the Confederate government was dissolved on May 5.

Thought Breckinridge, due to his combined military and political experience, natural leadership abilities and dedication, could have made an effective Secretary of War, if he was appointed earlier in the conflict.