Confederate Personality: Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis was the first and last president of the Confederate States of America. Elected in early 1861, Davis, aged 52, became the Confederate President in Montgomery, Alabama, the first capital of the Confederate States of America in April 1861 (civilwar.org). Debating over how to respond to Lincoln’s decision to resupply Fort Sumter with provisions despite the Confederate orders to surrender the fort, Davis and his administration eventually sent a message ordering the surrender of Fort Sumter. (Gaffney 57, 59). This would lead to a Confederate bombardment that marked the beginning of the American Civil War. Davis had a crisis on his hands. The Confederacy was vastly inferior in terms of resources
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As the political leader of the Confederacy, he assigned Robert E. Lee command of the Army of Northern Virginia in June 1862. He, at first, was a very popular leader. As the war went on, things grew worse for him. Davis failed to raise sufficient money to fight the American Civil War and could not obtain sufficient recognition and help for the Confederacy from foreign governments (Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia). Davis had to also deal with internal tensions such as a dissident Vice President, a squabbling Congress, and the overwhelming inflation of the Southern …show more content…
In spite of his determination, he had many weaknesses. He had never made a clear combat policy, leaving generals like Robert E. Lee and Braxton Bragg to develop strategies that suited their purposes. He was also unwilling to replace incompetent or lying generals, shown in the cases of P.G.T. Beauregard and Braxton Bragg. Beauregard thought he should have been appointed President of the Confederacy after the first battle of Bull Run. He filed a report three months after the battle claiming he could have taken Washington following his victory at Bull Run but was ordered by Jefferson Davis not to do so. Jefferson Davis journeyed to see Bragg’s army in Tennessee as other generals in Bragg’s command were demanding Bragg be replaced. Davis did not replace Bragg and did not leave him a strategy to fight the war (www.clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com). As commander in chief of the Confederate States of America, he made a fatal decision in carrying too much weight to defending the Confederate capital of Richmond at the expense of the more western operations, such as the vital defense of the last Confederate stronghold at Vicksburg, MS (www.britannica.com). He hoped in the cause of Confederate independence even in 1865, the war’s last year. That was, until he recognized the inevitability of the capture of Richmond. Along with his cabinet and several other Confederate defenders in a day later known as Evacuation Sunday on April 2nd,
I unequivocally believe that Union General, Ulysses S. Grant, was by far the more competent commander compared to General Robert E. Lee. Although the North had more manpower, industrial factories, and revenue, it is because of Grant’s leadership that the Union overall triumphed in the Civil War. Compared to General Robert E. Lee, “Grant adopted the strategy of annihilation” (Carrol 2007, 50). This approach would do him well in the future, because unlike the timid generals before him, “Grant was determined to defeat the confederate army” (Carrol 2007, 97). Therefore, after conquering Vicksburg, Mississippi, he ordered General Sherman and his soldiers to invade Georgia (Carrol 2007, 95).
•Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, and an experienced soldier, which meant he could command the Confederate army with more experience. • Davis’s strategy was to defend their territory, and hold on to as much land as possible. They planned to do this as long as possible, and hoped that the North would get tired of fighting and surrender.
Even though the Union won the battle Lee’s reputation still arose. He was a military advisor to President Jefferson Davis until June 1862 when he took control over the wounded General Joseph E. Johnston's
The success of a nation relies heavily on its leader’s ability to fortify weaknesses and capitalize on strengths within the country. During the time known as the American Civil War, two opposing coalition arose to battle for their ideals and beliefs; The Union, led by Abraham Lincoln, was comprised of mostly northernmost states, while the Confederacy, led by Jefferson Davis, was mostly formed from southern states. Although the two leaders were born as fellow citizens of the same country, each of them exhibited significant differences from the other. Through the Civil War, both Lincoln and Davis displayed their strength and weakness in their ability to lead a nation during a time of conflict. When referring to the topic of political leadership,
Jefferson Davis altered when he became the President of the Confederate States of America because he was the one who led the rebellion to a very brutal war in American history. He also was the one who started the war because he could have ordered the confederate troops to not fire on Fort Sumter, but he lets the soldiers fire on it and is the cause of the war and leads to many American deaths. He could have saved a lot of American lives by making a treaty, but that obviously did not happen.
He would have much rather not been included in the war. However, Jefferson Davis asked Lee if he would be a general for the Confederates. Wanting to remain true to his home state, Virginia, Robert E. Lee accepted the position. Though he did not want to take part in the war against his neighbors, he did what he felt needed to be done.
In many ways, Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln compared and contrasted amongst many ideals, the most decisive being the issue of slavery. Lincoln would compare with Davis over the defense of slavery and the inferiority of African-Americans . Regardless, the two presidents would differ amongst slave rights (liberty) and expansion of the institution. Throughout a dismal time of America succession and the civil war began the idea of slavery would shift politics into two dominant factions.
In the Confederate states, he was revered as an example of the perfect Southern gentleman, while Union abolitionists hated him for being such a prolific slave owner and racist. This controversy only spread around the official beginning of the Civil War, when in 1861, Forrest decided to enlist in the Confederate army, along with his youngest brother and young son. He originally enlisted as a private, but under the orders of the governor of Tennessee, he sent out a recruiting notice as a lieutenant colonel. He sent this advertisement through a local newspaper, and encouraged “none but those who desire to be actively engaged”, and who desired “a heap of fun and to kill some Yankees”, to join his command (Nathan Bedford Forrest, American Battlefield Trust). Despite having no previous military experience, he was quickly recognized as what some would even characterize as a “born military genius”, and was promoted multiple times, working his way up the ranks.
As president, he intervened in Southern military strategy and held less control in the South than Lincoln did in the North. Also, as the Union Army captured more parts of the Confederacy, the power he did have started to decrease significantly.
Jefferson Davis will always an amazing president for the confederacy. In the result of Civil War slavery was ended. Jefferson Davis may have lost the war but he taught us the importance of standing up for what we believe in as he kept us fighting and telling us to never give up during all of the battles of the Civil
If not for this information, the Union would have defeated the Confederate Army and would have marched on to Richmond, Virginia. The Beginning of the Battle In mid-July 1861, Union General (Gen.) McDowell pushed is army westward from Washington D.C. to confront the Confederate force. “The Union and Confederate armies clashed near
In August 1847, Davis was elected as a U.S. senator from Mississippi (35). This power allowed him to begin fighting for the issues he cared about, including states’ rights and slavery. His most lasting impact, though, would come in his tireless efforts to build a great capitol for his great
Throughout history, there have been a plethora of debatable individuals that have been studied profusely by historians. Each and every one has their own arguments for and against their beliefs, actions, and personal life. Possibly one of the most controversial figures of American history, Jefferson Davis had a tremendous impact on the United States of America and the short lived Confederate States of America before, during, and after the Civil War. Along with the majority of prominent dignitaries of the past, Jefferson Davis came from a relatively normal and conventional background.
After battles, it was difficult for the Army of Northern Virginia to replace its men. In what had been known as Lee’s finest battle, his army was outnumbered by the Army of Potomac, but still managed to defeat them at the battle of Chancellorsville. Though Lee’s army won, they still suffered a major setback when one of Lee’s Generals died. Winning did not matter for the Confederates because they were still losing numbers, which at this time, they couldn’t afford to do. Ulysses S. Grant and The Union was aware of this weakness and they used it to their advantage.
He was afraid to risk failure so he never would risk doing anything. On the other hand, the Confederates leaders had General Robert E. Lee, who commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. He was considered a big risk taker. McClellan was not too worried about Lee or his army thinking that Lee was weak and too cautious but Lee was anything but that. General Lee gathered as many men as was available and attacked General McClellan on June 26, 1862 repeatedly for seven days.