I agree..honorable man...terrible leader.Jefferson Davis was a terrible leader, but a very honorable and decent man.
Very honorable, and decent unless he didn't like you, then you were not gonna like him!
If I remember the quote correctly, Sam Houston once said of Davis, "Ambitious as Lucifer, cold as a snake", me personally I think Sam Houston would fit that bill better than Davis, but Davis came off that way for a lot of folks. I think it may have to do with his health that Davis gave a bad impression to many, they probably just caught him on a bad day. Over and over again...
As a great leader? I'd say Davis had his moments. In the Mexican War, specifically at the Battle of Buena Vista Davis was good. As Secretary of War, Davis did well. During the Richmond Riots his actions of standing in front of the mob throwing the money from his pockets to the starving rioters of Richmond and how he handled it was brilliant leadership. But his micro-managing the war was an Achille's heel to the Confederacy, along with his fierce loyalty to his friends in command, (Braxton Bragg the biggest example), when it was obvious they needed to be replaced was bad leadership, but good honor.
I voted yes, with Davis there was never a simple explanation, he was a complicated man, often a contradiction, but I'd yes, on a good day lol.
Look, if anyone knew better than to break up, and bring war the Union over slavery, it was Jeff Davis. Not only was he conniving, dictatorial, and micro-management in the extreme on the Southern people, he couldn't even honorably surrender to proper authorities when time came!
Then after all that, he tried to spend the rest of his life spinning the history of what happened before, and during the war, in such a way that slavery was not the true cause of things.
He purposely went against the US Constitution, brought war onto the United States by leading a rebellion against it, and lied about the why of it afterwards.
Not honorable.
Kevin Dally
I've always been curious why Davis didn't stay and surrender honorably and got into the whole running away thing. Any thoughts on why he did run away and just kept running till caught? A very ignoble end compared to his generals and enlisted men.
I understand that the Federal government made it known they would not treat with Confederate Officials, reason why it was the military leaders of the Confederate Forces were left to do that. Also I believe Davis and crew had idea's of getting to the Trans-Miss area to keep prosecuting the war, but I don't know how long THAT idea was going to last. In the end more than several "leaders" in the Confederacy were arrested, but latter released. Which is more "honorable"...stay, surrender, and hope for mercy from your captors, or cut and run, and STILL end up at the mercy of your captors?I've always been curious why Davis didn't stay and surrender honorably and got into the whole running away thing. Any thoughts on why he did run away and just kept running till caught? A very ignoble end compared to his generals and enlisted men.
I'd imagine the fear that he'd be arrested (which he was), tried for treason, and very possibly be hanged in the end had something to do with it. It wouldn't have been unreasonable at the time to assume that would be a likely fate for him.
And yet other Leaders in the Confederacy stayed, took their chances, were arrested, and latter released.I'd imagine the fear that he'd be arrested (which he was), tried for treason, and very possibly be hanged in the end had something to do with it. It wouldn't have been unreasonable at the time to assume that would be a likely fate for him.
Davis and the other secessionist leaders greatly ignored the fact that prior the Civil War black men could and did fight well in the American Revolutionary War, the St. George's Legion in the French Revolutionary War and most importantly in the Haitian War of Independence.Can Jefferson Davis be Considered a Great Leader and Honorable Man?
Good assessment. Davis was clearly a principled, honorable man who did great service to the US, and tried to do the same for the CS, even if the results were not always the best.