Jefferson Davis and the Failure of Confederate Military Strategy, 1861-1865
Abstract
Jefferson Davis initially favored a strategy of defense suggestive of General 'George Washington during the American Revolution. However, by dispersing his forces in an attempt to defend the whole Confederacy he negated this strategic model. General Lee assumed an offensive strategy in the Virginia theater and was successful in winning battles but ultimately could not sustain his casualties and never had enough men to destroy a Union army in the field, which was his intent. Davis applied no national strategic design to military operations except to garrison troops about the Confederacy in the various departments he organized. Wavering between a true application of his Washingtonian strategy and an aggressive strategy such as General Lee's was the worst thing Davis could have done. Indecision offered the worst of any strategic design to include casualties that could not be replaced, loss of territory and logistics, and an enemy that was not destroyed on the field of battle but allowed to reset and reconstitute and continue the fight.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 14, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA600527
Entities
People
- David E. West Jr
Organizations
- Marine Corps University