Braxton Bragg: The Most Hated Man of the Confederacy (Civil War America)

In the past 20+ years I have read everything I could get my hands on regarding the Confederate Army of Tennessee. Over that time there has been only one other book (Albert Castel's Decision in the West, The Atlanta Campaign of 1864) that I have looked forward to as much as this biography of Braxton Bragg. The author, Earl Hess, does not disappoint with this critical, but fair study not only of Bragg, but of prior historian's interpretations of the man. I found it to be a fascinating book. For students of the historiography of the Army of Tennessee this is a must read.The subtitle says it all about Bragg, "The Most Hated Man of the Confederacy" and I too was once a hater. I remember going to one of Jerry Russell's Congress of Civil War Roundtable Tours in the 90s in which Dr. Grady McWhiney was a speaker. Dr. McWhiney had written what he called "Braxton Bragg & Confederate Defeat, Volume I", but he never wrote Volume II. The joke was that Bragg was too depressing a figure and McWhiney couldn't bear to waste anymore time on him. Everyone agreed that Bragg was a loser and President Jeff Davis as well for totally standing by him.In the process of writing a regimental history of an Army of Tennessee unit I read more and more in both primary and secondary sources and slowly my opinion began to change. As to Jeff Davis' support of Bragg I began to ask myself who could Davis have found who was better than Bragg? At first I thought there were many better generals, but the closer I looked at them from Davis' perspective they were almost all lacking (although I would have liked to have given Patrick Cleburne a chance).Then I kept noticing that when Bragg issued orders, his subordinates would disobey them, even at the most critical moments on the battlefield. In fact, one of his key number two generals, Leonidas Polk, seemed to never obey him. It could be argued that Polk cost the Confederates some victories. Finally, it became obvious that Bragg did at least one or two things better than any other general in the Confederacy. Moving his army from Mississippi to Kentucky was one of the most brilliant strategic moves of the War, temporarily turning the tide in the western theatre.So why was the inept, scheming Leonidas Polk beloved and Bragg hated?Hess tackles these questions in a thorough manner. He also reviews how other historians of the Army of Tennessee have answered these questions. I found this aspect of the biography to be especially fascinating. Historians and authors Thomas Robson Hay, Stanley Horn, Thomas Connelly, Grady McWhiney, Steven Woolworth, Peter Cozzens and Samuel Martin are mentioned repeatedly for their takes on Bragg. Hess doesn't hesitate to agree or disagree with their conclusions, but he backs up his position with solid research.This book was well worth the wait. Hess doesn't waste a word and uses an engaging writing style that moves the reader easily to the end. Definitely for students of the war, and to a lesser extent the general reader. Civil War buffs add this to your library.

Earl J. Hess is one of our best authors, with a clear easy to read informative style coupled with the intelligence to connect events. His books are always interesting, informative and thought provoking. He is one of my few “must have” authors.In what might be one of his best books, he looks at the militarily career of Braxton Bragg, a general often found wanting. There is enough background to introduce Bragg and help us understand him with an after the war section to complete the book. This is a book about Bragg’s Civil War; his experiences are about 250 of the 280 pages of text. We cannot talk about Bragg without looking at the relationship between him and his commanders. The book carefully looks at how this relationship failed in a balanced, fair manner. Bragg’s subordinates and superiors both fail him at critical times. However, he is not a man that can build bridges or enlist willing corporation. This is a story of multiple and mutual failures at all levels of command.Battles are given a good amount of space while taking a backseat to the command problems. The treatment of Stones River is the most original and thought provoking things, I have read. Contrasted with Lee’s great victory at Chancellorsville, the author finds a remarkable number of similarities and some remarkable differences. This section alone is worth the price of the book.The book contains reasonable maps, excellent illustrations, a full set of endnotes, index and bibliography as expected. Being a UNC publication, we are getting a quality book that is pleasant to hold.

Geez. I started reading Civil War books at about 9 years old. Every time Bragg's name came up, it was as if he was the one and only cause for the Confederacy's defeat. One would think this man was an utter incompetent, belonging right up there with the Union's Butler, or Burnside in charge of the Army of the Potomac. And then I would read the individual battles. Hmmm, Perryville: he collapsed the Union left. Stone' River, hmmm, he badly defeated the Union right. Chickamauga, hmmm, he sent the Union army flying back in defeat... There seems to be a disconnect here! Finally an unbiased book on Braxton Bragg which puts to shame all those writers who accepted without question the ridiculous one-sided views on this man Braxton Bragg.... Too bad it's 150 years or so too late! A book worth reading to right a terrible wrong in history.

I used this book as part of my King’s College London MA special subject. It is very well researched and written - highly recommended study of Braxton Bragg.