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Braxton Bragg and Confederate Defeat, Volume I
Born in 1817 in North Carolina, Bragg ranked high in the graduating class of 1837 at West Point. He served with distinction in both the Seminole War and the Mexican War. Just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, Bragg was promoted to major general. In June 1862 Bragg was named Commander of the Army of Tennessee, the principal Confederate force in the West, and was described by Secretary of War Judah P. Benjamin as “the greatest General.”
Yet less than two years later Bragg was the South’s most discredited commander. Much of this criticism was justified, for he had done as much as any Confederate general to lose the war. Under his direction the army fought four major campaigns before retreating from Kentucky through Tennessee to Georgia. The army’s failures were Bragg’s failures, and after his defeat at Chattanooga in November 1863 Bragg was relieved of field command.
Instead of retirement to the obscurity most people believed he so richly deserved, Bragg received a remarkable he went to Richmond as President Davis’s military adviser.
McWhiney intended this work – first published in 1969 – to be the first of two volumes covering the life of the Confederacy’s most problematic general. This reprint edition is issued along with Braxton Bragg and Confederate Defeat, Volume II by Judith Lee Hallock. McWhiney’s work carries Bragg through the defeat at Murfreesboro in January 1863, and Hallock’s book continues through the staff appointment in Richmond and Bragg’s final days as a private citizen.
Yet less than two years later Bragg was the South’s most discredited commander. Much of this criticism was justified, for he had done as much as any Confederate general to lose the war. Under his direction the army fought four major campaigns before retreating from Kentucky through Tennessee to Georgia. The army’s failures were Bragg’s failures, and after his defeat at Chattanooga in November 1863 Bragg was relieved of field command.
Instead of retirement to the obscurity most people believed he so richly deserved, Bragg received a remarkable he went to Richmond as President Davis’s military adviser.
McWhiney intended this work – first published in 1969 – to be the first of two volumes covering the life of the Confederacy’s most problematic general. This reprint edition is issued along with Braxton Bragg and Confederate Defeat, Volume II by Judith Lee Hallock. McWhiney’s work carries Bragg through the defeat at Murfreesboro in January 1863, and Hallock’s book continues through the staff appointment in Richmond and Bragg’s final days as a private citizen.
440 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1969
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 19, 2011
Dr McWhiney was my advisor in college back in the early 1970's. FINALLY - I found a copy of his book.
As is true with most people, Braxton Bragg was neither all good nor all bad. YES - he was not a good field commander BUT he was a master of organization.
What impressed me was how McWhiney presented both the pros and cons of Bragg's abilities or lack of abilities by using a wealth of primary source materials.
In the hands of McWhiney we see Bragg as a complex man whose flaws contributed to the eventual defeat of the CSA.
As is true with most people, Braxton Bragg was neither all good nor all bad. YES - he was not a good field commander BUT he was a master of organization.
What impressed me was how McWhiney presented both the pros and cons of Bragg's abilities or lack of abilities by using a wealth of primary source materials.
In the hands of McWhiney we see Bragg as a complex man whose flaws contributed to the eventual defeat of the CSA.
March 28, 2016
The book that first tried to explain Bragg's career in context. It is an exceedingly fair work but one that also felt somewhat incomplete.
January 3, 2014
Volume one accounts for his early life, West Point time, Mexican War and his times as a planter and the start of the Civil War through 1862. This book tells his story quietly and evenly and has been a easy read.It's nice to find a good treatment of Bragg.
October 29, 2011
Bragg commanded the Confederate army in the Mississippi region of the South and ultimately lost the region for the Confederacy. This work is an analysis of his leadership and military strategy.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews