American Civil War Commanders (4) - Confederate Leaders in The West

The Confederacy lost its war in the West, and in no other theater did the conduct of individual commanding generals make so much difference to the outcome of operations. Firstly, the Union Army fielded its best generals in the West early in the war, and such figures as Ulysses S.Grant, William T.Sherman, and Philip Sheridan made their names there. Secondly, the group of Confederate generals who opposed them were of very varied talents. While there were some excellent general officers among them, too many attained levels of high command for which they were ill suited; the Confederate President Jefferson Davis remained a loyal friend, appointing them to their posts and retaining them long after he should have given way to public opposition. In many cases the generals concerned also regarded their own abilities more highly than they warranted. Thirdly, many of the senior Confederate generals in the West quarreled with one another, and their consequent failure to co-operate often had damaging results. Jefferson Davis disliked Pierre Beauregard, Sterling Price, and Joseph Johnston, and the feeling was mutual. John Bell Hood plotted to replace Joseph Johnston, while William Hardee had no use for Hood and made every effort to get out from under his command. Leonidas Polk, Hardee, Daniel Hill and others plotted to replace their commander, Braxton Bragg, and at a fiery meeting Nathan Bedford Forrest flatly told that unappealing character that he would not obey his orders. Richard Taylor disliked Kirby Smith, and schemed to avoid having to continue serving under him.
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