CONFLICT AND CONTROVERSY IN THE CONFEDERATE HIGH COMMAND: Davis, Johnston, Hood and the Atlanta Campaign of 1864

1-249610

Examines the dysfunctional relationships that plagued the Confederate high command, contributing to the defeat of the Army of Tennessee and the loss of Atlanta, a vital logistical rail hub. Offers a compelling and briskly paced exploration of command politics, human nature, and the pressures of war, illuminating how these forces shaped the outcome of one of the Civil War's most consequential campaigns. Highlights critical flaws in Jefferson Davis's leadership and the deep mutual distrust between the Confederate president and Joseph E. Johnston, commander of the Army of Tennessee, which led them to work at cross purposes. As the campaign slowly unfolded and William T. Sherman's advancing armies claimed vast swaths of territory, tensions escalated among Davis, Johnston, corps commander John Bell Hood, and Georgia Governor Joseph Brown, further compounding the Confederacy's strategic woes. Contains 5 images and 11 maps.