Volume 8 of The Papers of Jefferson Davis brings the Confederate
president to the second year of the War Between the States and
shows that during 1862 Davis was almost completely overwhelmed by
military matters. Indeed, early that year, in an address to the
Confederate Congress, he admitted that in trying to defend every
part of its far-flung territory, the ""Government had attempted
more than it had power successfully to achieve."" During 1862,
Judah P. Benjamin was replaced as secretary of war by George W.
Randolph, who was then succeeded by James A. Seddon. As the year
advanced, Davis' relationships with certain key generals continued
to sour. Chief among them were P.G.T. Beauregard, who was finally
removed from his last significant command, and Joseph E. Johnston,
whose fall from grace precipitated Robert E. Lee's rise to
influence as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. Lee proved
to be as adept in communicating and coordinating plans with the
president as Johnston had been inept. At the inconclusive Battle of
Shiloh, Davis lost Albert Sidney Johnston, a trusted friend and the
general he had most admired. Like Shiloh, many other campaigns of
1862 ended in stalemate and withdrawal, including Henry H. Sibley's
New Mexico campaign, Braxton Bragg's Kentucky campaign, Earl Van
Dorn's battle at Elkhorn Tavern, and the Confederacy's greatest
gamble, Lee's Invasion of Maryland. Correspondence with Davis'
brother, Joseph E. Davis, reveals the ever-worsening situation in
Mississippi. The Federal occupation of New Orleans, the fall of new
Madrid and Island No. 10, and Grants repeated attempts to capture
Vicksburg heightened anxiety about the area and persuaded the
president to tour the western theater in December. Because the
Union's springtime invasion of Richmond prompted Davis to send his
wife and children away, Volume 8 contains an unusually rich
collection of letters exchanged during their separation. This
correspondence offers a rare glimpse into the minds and hearts of
Davis and his wife. Altogether, more than 2,000 documents, many
never before published, are included in Volume 8; 133 are printed
in full. Culled from fifty-nine repositories, twenty-one private
collections, and numerous printed sources, they reveal that despite
the many setbacks he suffered in 1862, Davis maintained a deep
devotion to duty and an unbending will to win.
General
Imprint: |
Louisiana State University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
The Papers of Jefferson Davis |
Release date: |
1995 |
First published: |
1995 |
Authors: |
Jefferson Davis
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 155 x 52mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
720 |
Edition: |
Rev ed. |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8071-1938-9 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
|
LSN: |
0-8071-1938-5 |
Barcode: |
9780807119389 |
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