Jefferson Davis

choi

Ryan Cole, Going Down With the Ship; Jefferson Davis faced fractious governors, a hostile press and obstruction from his own vice president. Wall Street Journal, Oct 11, 2014
online.wsj.com/articles/book-review-embattled-rebel-by-james-m-mcpherson-1412972552
(book review on James M McPherson, Embattled Rebel; Jefferson Davis as commander in chief. Penguin, 2014)

Quote:

“Davis [in 1828, graduated from US Military Academy at West Point], who fought in the Mexican War and served as secretary of war for Franklin Pierce [1804-1869; US president 1853-1857], intervened in the affairs of his officers.

“The animus with [South’s general Joseph] Johnston culminated in 1864 when Davis replaced him with the aggressive John Bell Hood on the eve of the Battle of Atlanta, where Southern forces were routed, leading to the loss of the city, the last remaining symbol of Confederate industrial might. Blame for the defeat, which helped ensure Lincoln’s re-election, landed on Davis’s desk. But Mr McPherson argues that this decision, his most controversial, was justified.

“In addition to baby-sitting his generals, Davis desperately searched for the matériel and manpower necessary to match the larger and better supplied Union armies. This required moving troops away from the defense of their states, which in turn angered anxious governors. Arkansas’s Henry Massey Rector even threatened to secede from the Confederacy. All the while, the Southern economy crumbled, Congress seethed and a vitriolic press piled on. Even Vice President Alexander Stephens got in on the act, opposing Davis at almost every turn.

My comment:
(a) While interesting, there is no need to read the rest of the review.
(b) The legislative branch of the South was also called Congress.

Confederate States of America
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_of_America
(section 3.1.3 Legislative: Confederate Congress)