CSA General-in-Chief 1862

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

In March 1862 Jeff Davis vetoed a bill to create a General-in-Chief position for the Confederate Army. Such a position wouldn't be created until 1865, much too late to be any good. Had the bill not been vetoed in 1862 who would have gotten the post?

Davis made Lee his military advisor not long after this, but I don't see Lee getting the post at this time as he hadn't yet accomplished anything good in the war. Probably the time to move Lee into that position was after Gettysburg when Lee tendered his resignation and was having health issues that impaired his field performance.

Joe Johnston and Beauregard were already on bad terms with Davis, IIRC. Albert Sidney Johnston was probably indispensable in the West. Longstreet was not yet distinguished, although he did have quartermaster experience that might have been useful in the position (thinking logistically).

Maybe Braxton Bragg? AS Johnston made him chief of staff there for a short time, Davis put him in an advisory role in 1864, and he had written about grand strategy to the Secretary of War around this time. I don't know if Bragg would have been good in that role, but probably no worse than he was in Army command. More senior generals might have thrown a fit about it though.

 

[Greyfalcon]

I think it would have been Albert Sidney Johnston. Gen. Braxton Bragg would be a close second. Bragg had tremendous organizational skills despite his grave shortcomings as a tactician.

 

[Carronade]

To some extent it depends on exactly what they expected a g-in-c to do for them. If they wanted their top combat commander directing military operations, that might override the acknowledged value of A. S. Johnston's service in the west.

If they saw it more as administrative or providing policy direction, how about Samuel Cooper? He was the senior Confederate general, had extensive experience in the US Army, a good relationship with Davis, and had even briefly filled in as acting Secretary of War. On the other hand he had not had a lot of field experience, so again it comes down to priorities.

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

If they saw it more as administrative or providing policy direction, how about Samuel Cooper?

I forget in which book I read it, but the author said (paraphrasing) Cooper was intentionally left to rot in a marginalized role as Adjutant General after Davis realized his limited abilities.

 

[James N.]

In March 1862 Jeff Davis vetoed a bill to create a General-in-Chief position for the Confederate Army. Such a position wouldn't be created until 1865, much too late to be any good. Had the bill not been vetoed in 1862 who would have gotten the post?...

Maybe Braxton Bragg? AS Johnston made him chief of staff there for a short time, Davis put him in an advisory role in 1864, and he had written about grand strategy to the Secretary of War around this time. I don't know if Bragg would have been good in that role, but probably no worse than he was in Army command. More senior generals might have thrown a fit about it though.

In March, 1862 Bragg was sitting at Pensacola, Fla. watching the Union force at Ft. Pickens under Slemmer and had achieved nothing in the way of victory or success and had previously never commanded anything larger than the garrison of a frontier fort (temporarily) or battery of artillery. A. S. Johnston brought him and his command to Corinth prior to Shiloh where he was just as inexperienced as everyone else there except Beauregard in handling large masses of men. (This lack of experience had a great deal to do with the slow and inefficient way the army was deployed prior to the battle.) Johnston was Davis' favorite despite his loss of Kentucky and at one point he was reported to have said concerning criticism of his Western commander If Albert Sidney Johnston is not a general, then we have no general.