Confederate Struggle For Command

by Mendoza, Alexander

• ISBN13: 9781603440523
• ISBN10: 1603440526
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-09-30
• Publisher: Texas A & M Univ Pr

Summary

Was Lt. Gen. James Longstreet a lackluster, indecisive leader or a victim of political circumstances? Though traditionally saddled with much of the blame for the Confederate loss at Gettysburg, Longstreet was actually a capable, resourceful, and brave commander, argues historian Alexander Mendoza. Confederate Struggle for Command offers a comprehensive analysis of Longstreetrs"s leadership during his seven-month assignment in the Tennessee theater of operations. Mendoza concludes that the obstacles to effective command faced by Longstreet had at least as much to do with longstanding grievances and politically motivated prejudices as they did with any personal or military shortcomings of Longstreetrs"s. Longstreetrs"s First Corps parted company with Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia in September 1863. Subsequently, the First Corps contributed decisively to the Confederate victory at Chickamauga. But when Longstreet then joined a group of disaffected generals in denouncing Braxton Bragg, the commanding general of the Army of Tennessee, the resulting imbroglio hampered the effectiveness of the entire First Corps. Confederate Struggle for Commandadds an important layer of nuanced understanding to the career and legacy of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, and will be an enjoyable and informative source for Civil War buffs, military historians, and interested general readers.

Author Biography

Alexander Mendoz is assistant professor of history at the University of Texas at Tyler.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Preface	p. xvii
"Our Best Opportunity for Great Results Is in Tennessee": Longstreet and the First Corps's Road to the West	p. 1
"One of the Most Gallant Struggles": Operation Westward Ho and the Chickamauga Campaign	p. 27
"The Shafts of Malice That Have Been Hurled against Him": Longstreet and the Command Crisis in the Army of Tennessee	p. 53
"It Is Hard to Keep up One's Spirits with an Empty Stomach and Wet Clothing": The First Corps at Chattanooga	p. 75
"No Men Who Are Determined to Succeed Can Fail": Knoxville, November 1863	p. 104
"I Long for Some Relief from This Constant Toil and Anxiety": Leadership and Conflict in the First Corps, 1863-64	p. 141
"Bitter Cold, Everything Frozen": The First Corps in East Tennessee, 1863-64	p. 171
Conclusion	p. 201
Appendix	p. 211
Notes	p. 215
Bibliography	p. 251
Index	p. 273
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