Customer Reviews

Jefferson Davis, Confederate President

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Do not be confused by the title for this book is not a biography of Jefferson Davis. It is a biography of the Confederate government with Davis at the helm. There is some new information to be found in this book but not much and unfortunately most of the new information will be found in the form of a psychological profile of Davis. Of course the reader will find a few tidbits of interest such as the price the government would pay in certain parts of Georgia for sweet potatoes. Sadly, that is about the most interesting bit of new information one will find and one will have to persevere to get to that information for the writing is dry as dust.

In fact, most of the information in this book comes from William Davis and William Cooper who have written excellent studies on both Davis and his era. To the authors' credit they don't try to hide this fact as again and again they openly repeat what Davis and Cooper have written. The sad but true conclusion I have come to is that one would be far better off to buy books written by William Davis and William Cooper. I have read both authors and their writing is much more clear and to the point than anything that will be found in this book. The only parts of this book I really found interesting dealt with the operation of the Confederate congress. On this book's strength on that subject alone I have to give this book three stars although two were a distinct possibility. Quite frankly, I get the feeling that the authors' ego may have gotten the best of them as they wrote this book. If they will stop trying to impress the boys at Harvard and Vanderbilt these two gentlemen could do much to further the study of the Confederacy. When not quoting W. Davis or W. Cooper their research is first rate but they have got to loosen up and have fun with their work. Then maybe their readers will be able to enjoy their subject as much as the authors have.

This book focuses on the Confederate Presidency of Jefferson Davis and is not meant to be a full biography. However it is fascinating and is very informative regarding the incredible challenges faced by Jefferson Davis. The task of serving as the first President of the Confederacy was a challenge of great magnitude since it involved setting up governmental infrastructure in the Southern states as well as conducting a war with the Union states. The most interesting aspect of the book was that the dynamics that caused the southern states to break from the union were the same dynamics that created barriers in creation of a new Confederacy. Suspicion of a central government, concern over state's rights, and rising tension between slave owners and non-owners all undermined the ability to coordinate and compress a government that could withstand the blows of the more powerful Northern Union. Everything seemed to eventually work against the stability of the Confederate government including a legislative branch that could undermine the strength of the Confederate government due to ideology around state's rights. It is a very interesting read. Davis was an incredible person to withstand such amazing set-backs and hardships and I grew to appreciate what an almost impossible task he faced. The governors of Georgia and North Carolina were such hard-line state's rights advocates that they continually presented barriers to establishing a solid government or to conduct the war. The book was realistic in telling of the growing dissatisfaction among the citizens of the South in regard to the Confederate government and to the course of the war. The book is long and detailed, but gives a balanced view. The authors use a model of Presidential leadership based on whether the President was focused on solving problems or not and whether the President naturally enjoyed the struggles. They identify Davis as both active and negative in that he worked tirelessly to solve problem after problem but that he became joyless and exhausted by the struggle, became more pessimistic, and had difficulty renewing his emotions and spirit. This seemed like a fair analysis given the incredible hurdles history threw at this man. I recommend the book and found it insightful.