Confederate Intent to Control U.S. Territory

[whitworth]

PROCLAMATION.

THE PRESIDENT OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA.


Whereas an act of the Congress of the Confederate States of Amer-ica, entitled "An act to organize the Territory of Arizona," was ap-proved by me on the 18th day of January, A. D. 1862.
And whereas it is therein declared that the provisions of the act are suspended until the President of the Confederate States shall issue his proclamation declaring the act to be in full force and oper-ation and shall proceed to appoint the officers therein provided to
be appointed in and for said territory.

Now, therefore, I, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, do issue this my proclamation declaring said act to organise the Territory of Arizona to be in full force and opera-tion and that I have proceeded to appoint the officers therein pro-vided to be appointed in and for said Territory.
Given under my hand and the seal of the Confederate States of America, at Richmond, this 14th day of February, A. D. 1862.
[SEAL.] JEFFERSON DAVIS.
By the president

R. M. T. HUNTER,
Secretary of State.

 

[Dred]

I seemsthat according to the date of this letter, Jeff Davis actually formed this territory BEFORE the US did. I was pretty sure the US did't organize an Arizona territory until 1863. Before that it was part of the New Mexico Territory. Also , it wasn't the same exact plot of land. THE CS Territory of Arizona overlapped parts ot the eventual US territory of Arizona. It actually was the southern half of The US New Mexico Territory and Arizona territory.

 

[cw1865]

Confederate Claims

From the Confederate point of view it makes a lot of sense to claim as much as possible, even if there is no real power to assert actual control.

For the war to end in the South's favor, a peace treaty would naturally have to be entered into. The question would then turn to what the South would get.

The more bargaining chips the South has, the better. For instance, South might need to relinquish WV, but in doing so might be able to bargain for NM/AZ

 

[whitworth]

"New" Confederate Territory

Any territory Jefferson Davis claimed, was previously part of the U.S. Territory of New Mexico. What Davis referred to it as, is irrelevant.

Weakened by withdrawal of U.S. troops, Confederate officers, Baylor and Sibley pushed troops into the territory in 1861, only to be driven from what is now New Mexico and Arizona by California volunteers and Colorado volunteers in 1862.

Jefferson Davis' proclamation had an effective life of only several months.

Again, Confederate forces were unprepared logistically to maintain a presence.

"From the Confederate point of view it makes a lot of sense to claim as much as possible, even if there is no real power to assert actual control."

That was one of the great and early failings of the Confederate government. Claiming more territory than it could defend or hold successfully.
The British government picked up those facts early in 1862, by questioning the Confederate envoy to Great Britain, the situation in Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and western Virginia.

Except for raids by Confederate forces, most of the territory in these areas, was generally controlled by Union forces, and never regained and controlled by the Confederates.

The Confederacy had stepped into a war, where much was lost by 1862, giving them poor negotiable ability to end the war.

In many ways, it was not the battles the Confederate fought, but the battles the Confederacy never fought because of logistic disadvantages, that I think hold great importance.