Customer Reviews

Jefferson Davis and His Generals: The Failure of Confederate Command in the West (Modern War Studies)

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Seemingly endless Civil War books are written rehashing every minute move of Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. There are far fewer that cover the situation of the Confederacy's western armies and generals, despite, or perhaps because of the fact that it was in the west that the Confederacy lost the war. With Jefferson Davis and His Generals: The Failure of Confederate Command in the West, Steven E. Woodworth steps up to fill this gap with a first rate book that every serious student of the Civil War should read. He presents a clear and reasoned argument that the failure of the Confederacy in the west was not due to the quality or quantity of its armies or even of its supplies, but a direct result of a monumental failure in its high command.
Woodworth writes of Jefferson Davis as a man who seemed to be eminently and uniquely qualified to become commander in chief of the Confederacy. He was a West Point graduate, a Mexican War hero, had served as a particularly effective secretary of war under President Franklin Pierce, and had been a United States senator. He understood politics, and he clearly understood war. His resolve for his cause, like his loyalty to his friends, was unshakable. Contained within these impressive qualifications and traits, however, were flaws and blind spots that would severely hinder Davis' management of the war in the west, where he had no Lee to take charge. Foremost of these faults was a lack of judgement when appointing friends as generals, and unreasonable loyalty to them thereafter. Compounding these problems was a fierce pride in his own military judgement that left him unable to acknowledge and correct mistakes. Finally, his pride led him into bitter personal feuds with key generals that hindered his ability to utilize them to the fullest.
Woodworth follows Davis' moves in the west, from his initial organization of the Western theater, through the high stakes game played and eventually lost to gain Kentucky for the Confederacy, to the crisis at Shiloh, where with the death of General Albert Sidney Johnston, the Western Confederacy lost its best hope for competent command. The catastrophe of the loss of Vicksburg, the disastrous infighting among the generals under Bragg in the Army of Tennessee, the loss of Tennessee, the Atlanta Campaign, and Hood's final failed campaign are all covered. In each instance, Woodworth notes the command decisions that Davis made, or failed to make, in the crisis. At the end of each chapter, he summarizes and critiques Davis' performance, highlighting areas where Davis was at least partly responsible for the problems, as well as pointing out where he performed as well as could have been expected.
Woodworth clearly has a strongly opinionated point of view. He is nearly unique among the Civil War historians that I have read in his spirited defense of General Braxton Bragg as a competent commander, and lays all of the blame for the failure of Bragg's campaigns on incompetent and insubordinate generals under his command, chiefly Davis' personal friend General Leonidas Polk. He also repeatedly accused General Joseph Johnston of lacking a will to win, and of never believing that the Confederacy could win the war. While many will disagree with these positions, his boldness in stating them is characteristic of the bold approach that is evident throughout his book.
Jefferson Davis and His Generals is a bold, original work, that addresses a theme that is too often neglected in Civil War studies. It is consistently engaging, insightful, and controversial. It is clearly written, well researched, and a pleasure to read. I consider it to be among the very best books that I have read on the Civil War, and would recommend it highly, especially to those with a specific interest in the war in the west.

Theo Logos

This book is a must read to understand the generals, campaigns, strategy, and the thinking of Jefferson Davis in the Western Theater. The book is well-written, informative, and features good analysis of the differing generals, Davis' actions, and some very good mini-biographies of the major players. Although the book does not go into major detail about specific battles, Woodworth does give a good overview of the major campaigns and battles of the West. The book also has some interesting theories on why Davis failed in the West. Although I disagreed with some of Woodworth's conclusions, especially regarding Braxton Bragg's capabilities as a commander, I found his arguments well-reasoned, although I thought he went out of his way to bash James Longstreeet. The major sticking point I had with the book was Woodworth's analysis on Bragg and his theory that J.E. Johnston thought the CSA's cause was doomed so he didn't really try to win. I thought that was utter nonsense, but that was really my only quarrel with the book. Well-written, informative, just an excellent book.

I re-read Woodworth's excellent treatise on Jefferson Davis and his involvement in the Western Theater. The chapters are succinct and focus more on strategy than in specific battle details. My favorite parts are the reviews at the end of each chapter. I have always believed that Lee's strategy to invade the North rather than deploying his forces in the West was a major blunder. If there is one salient point that screams from this book it is that Jeff Davis' personal relationships with his generals (Polk??) definitely was a detriment to his decision making. This book should be required reading for high school and undergraduate students. Indeed any leader could profit from the analysis and history rendered here.

After reading 'Davis & Lee at War' I ordered this book from my local book shop and I loved it, more so than the first book. The author explains the relationships between Davis and his Generals who were trusted with the Confederacy's command in the West. That so much damage could be done to the Southern cause by these men in petty infighting is amazing. Beside analysising the Command/Leadership relationships it provides an overview of the battles and fighting in that theatre of operations. I highly recommend this book, it's a great read.

This book amazed me! I don't generally enjoy history, but the author of this book provided a well thought-out narrarative and analysis of Jefferson Davis and his relationships with his generals before and during the Civil War.
After I began reading this book, I ran right out and bought The Civil War Day by Day (E.B. Long) to see what other events were occurring around the same time.
Because I enjoyed this book so much, I also read another book by this author, Davis and Lee at War.

Looking for an easy-to-read, yet information-packed change of pace? Try this book!

Insightful and thought provoking analysis of what Davis did and did not do to save the West. I feel this is a very important book and one that a serious student of the war should read. Additionally, I feel that this book should be read after Connelly and Horn to preserve a balanced picture. Woodworth presents a more favorable view of Bragg than I have seen from other authors. Some of this is fair and some maybe the author's perceptions of Bragg. It takes getting used to and the more you know about Bragg and his failings the better off you are. He scores many good points and made me modify my view of Bragg and the problems he had with Polk and Hardee.

His treatment of Jefferson Davis is very fair. His points are valid and well supported, showing where Davis did well and where he did poorly. The reasons for the decisions are supported and logical, given Davis' personality. This is the best part of the book and balances the blame the "Eastern Block" that is found in other books.

I am less happy with his treatment of Longstreet, feeling that he has accepted the "Lost Cause Myth" and not explored the situation. Rather than dismiss Longstreet, I would have liked to see an explanation of his relationship with Davis and Lee's influence in this area.

This is a well written, easy to read informative book. Not without faults but a valuable addition to my ACW library.

Whatever your opinion of the author, Jefferson Davis, or any of his generals, Mr. Davis had the tough and unenviable task of running a new Confederate government and keeping numerous egos, political and military, happy in the process.

While the Confederacy certainly had great generals, there were certainly those who were hard to get along with. Steven Woodworth describes the president's relationships with those generals, especially the ones who served in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.

Among the various generals described include: Albert Johnston, Joseph Johnston, William Hardee, Patrick Cleburne, John Hood, Pierre Beauregard, AP Stewart, Mansfield Lovell, Sterling Price, Kirby Smith, Braxton Bragg, and others. While Davis enjoyed better relationships with some generals than others, he faced the unenviable task of trying to find a place to fit these egos somewhere in the Western Theater.

As I read the book, I really could feel nothing but pity for Jefferson Davis as he faced difficult political and military issues that affected what general would be given what position. Fortunately for Davis, the situation was much easier in Virginia due to the relatively less stressful relationships between officers in the Army of Northern Virginia. Much of this may be due to the great example of Robert E. Lee.

Unfortunately for the Confederacy, there were too many egos that got in the way of the relatively strong working relationships required between generals for success. While Davis certainly had his shortcomings, I wonder if anyone else in the Confederacy would have done a better job.

While some readers will have issues with Woodworth's analysis of certain generals, no doubt the reader will find the book interesting to read. Indeed, if the Confederates had been able to work together better in the Western Theater, one can imagine how the war may have ended - either the South could have won or the war may have lasted a lot longer.

Read and enjoy. Recommended.

For a Confederate examination, Steven Woodworth's book is essential reading in understanding the complex relationships between President Davis and his western theater leaders. Peppered throughout the book are insightful examinations of such generals as Beauregard, Polk, Van Dorn, Albert Sydney Johnston, Joe Johnston, Bragg, and Hood. Woodworth delves into Davis' leadership weaknesses by showing that his health problems and his lack of humility and people-skills (he would have six different War Secretaries) increased his inability to cooperate with others. His unyielding loyalty to promote incompetent friends to high positions routinely injected failure and casualties in campaigns, but Davis refused to bow to the facts and remove them. Woodworth wraps up his analysis with a fair theory that interconnecting these problems was Davis' hesitancy and indecision. The president often submitted suggestions and not orders in correspondence and he falsely believed backbiting and arrogant generals would just cooperate towards the common cause. His inability to provide unifying command authority, especially over the Mississippi River region further fractured what little strategy existed. Woodworth's analysis is a rare addition in the often-neglected study of western command. It is insightful, extremely well-wrttien, and engrossing.

While not one of the most well known or popular books on the Civil War; Woodworth's work shatters the myth that the South could have won the war if only their generals had more supplies and manpower. In equisite detail, starting from Jefferson Davis assuming the Confederate Presidency in Montogomery to the aftermath of the, collapse of the Army of Tennessee post Atlanta; Woodworth provides insight into the complicated relationships between Davis and the various generals he places the hope of protecting the western boundary of the Confederacy.

While Woodworth provides much greater insight into the thinking of well known Southern generals such as Albert Sidney Johnston, Braxton Bragg, William J. Hardee, and John Bell Hood; he introduces us to a cast of general officers some who were worthy leaders but most who were hack politicians. Civil War history as taught in today's schools never mention the likes of Leonidas Polk, Simon Bolivar Buckner, Earl Van Dorn, John Pemberton, and Benjamin Franklin Cheatham. Nor is one taught the fact that many of the South's generals were more interested in personal political advancement than actually fighting. Their pathetic self interest underminded the likes of Braxton Bragg and John Bell Hood.

If one thinks that General P.T.G. Beauregard was a brave, dashing and brilliant military leader, then be prepared to have the myth shattered. Want to know who was one of the most effective Southern generals, well be prepared to learn about Patrick R. Cleburne; who if he had been promoted to an appropriate position of leadership, his superb military leadership may have recast history.

Lastly, Woodworth reveals to the reader the indepth involvement of President Jefferson Davis as Commander in Chief in the military campaign of the Confederate West.

This is a worthy addition to one's library on the Civil War, it should be on the shelf right next to the works of Bruce Catton and Shelby Foote.

I didn't read this book; however, I did buy it for my dad for Christmas. My dad is a Civil War expert who can read, (and talk about,) the war for hours and hours (and hours!) He's also a tough and critical reader--not a lightweight at all. One has to be careful about buying him books, because he will call out what is crap. Fortunately, he was very pleased with this book. In fact, he raved about how good it was and how he enjoyed a different topic from the normal Civil War books. He said it was very readable, and not weighed down by minute details, but still thorough and interesting. I take that as a good sign of high quality writing because you can't fool my dad!

My interest in the Civil War is pretty basic. I visit battlefields and learn about them, but I don't study in depth. However, I make it a point to look for fresh Civil War books for my dad. If you are looking for a good read for a Civil War intellectual, I'd say this is a good choice.