wars are not won irrelevant

wars are not won irrelevant

Southern governors and states’ rights supporters opposed him and some even threatened to secede from the Confederacy because they did not support his views. This is why the author sets forth the idea that strong support of states’ rights was the actual betrayal and downfall of the Confederacy.

The author delves into the constant battle between President Davis and the Confederate Congress over appointments of military officers, cabinet members and officials and over his efforts to introduce new ideas, such as a Supreme Court, which they vehemently opposed, as he attempted to establish a more centralized government in the South. Fighting among politicians and military leaders is discussed and their backstabbing is explored. Groups of officers formed either in support of or opposed to President Davis and his policies, which is strictly human nature, but aided in the Union’s victory. There was little solidarity among the Southern political leaders of the day.

The South desperately considered conscripting slaves toward the end of the war, not to fight, but to support those who were fighting. The Confederates had no reserves and the states hesitated to send their state militias to help fight, as they felt they were needed to defend their home states where the war was happening right in their own back yards. As a result, if soldiers assigned to the state militia did serve, they had to remain in their home state which caused shortages and problems for the Army when they moved.