A Failure in Strategic Command: Jefferson Davis, J.E. Johnston and the Western Theater

Abstract

This paper looks at the decision of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in November of 1862 to appoint General Joseph E. Johnston to command of the armies in the Department of the West and why that decision failed. It addresses three primary reasons for this failure which were Johnston's unsuitability for the position, Davis's inability to allow a subordinate the appropriate freedom to command, and finally, the difficulties with the command structure of the Department of the West.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 06, 1998
Accession Number
ADA346356

Entities

People

  • Joseph E. Wesiak Jr

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Department Of Defense
  • Governments
  • Instructions
  • Instructors
  • Military Advisors
  • Mississippi
  • Mississippi River
  • New York
  • Rivers
  • Students
  • Tennessee
  • United States
  • United States Military Academy
  • United States Strategic Command
  • Universities
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.