Confederate political errors Flashcards
Topic sentence
Some historians such as David Potter argue that Confederate political errors were more important than the issue of states’ rights when explaining the defeat of the Confederacy.
Evidence- Jeff Davis
The Confederacy was ran under the leadership of Jefferson Davis, a sensitive, intransigent, and incompetent man. He found it difficult to maintain positive relationships with, this is evidenced through the fact that he went through 5 Secretaries of War during the 4-year conflict, whereas the Union, under Lincolns leadership, only went through 1 Secretary of War. This suggests that the Confederacy was at a disadvantage to the Union because of their political management. Davis’s inability to create strong bonds with his colleagues meant that the Confederate political leaders were less united than the Union, making it harder for them to make united decisions.
Evidence 2 - Robert E Lee
Additionally, Davis’s inability to form relationships meant that he found it difficult to listen to other people’s opinions, even when these decisions may have been crucial to a Confederate Victory. For example, Davis was jealous of General Robert E Lee, and did not give him overall military command until it was too late. Lee was a strong military leader, he achieved several Confederate victories, such as a victory at the Seven Day Battle June 25th – July 1st 1862, however, Lees main criticism was that he failed to consider the Western theatre of the war, resulting in a Confederate defeat. It is argued that this criticism can be attributed to Davis not giving him overall command as Frank Owsely believed that Davis squandered Lee’s talents by pinning him down to the defense of Richmond and Petersburg.
Counter analysis
However, despite this, Robert E Lee praised Davis’s political leadership, saying that he believed there was no one who could have done a better job. Indeed, Davis’s appointment of General E Lee suggests that he had military sense.
Evaluate
To evaluate, political errors were a significant reason for the defeat of the Confederacy during the American Civil War as historian David Potter argues “if the Confederacy and Union swapped presidents perhaps the Confederacy would have won” highlighting how Davis’s uncooperative personality, compared to Lincolns co-operative personality, lost the Confederacy the war. However, historians point out that Davis could never win as he was always at a disadvantage to the Union, suggesting that other factors were more important when explaining the defeat of the Confederacy.
