The Confederate States secretary of war was a member of
President Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...
's
cabinet during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. The Secretary of War was head of the
Confederate States Department of War. The position ended in May 1865 when the Confederacy collapsed during
John C. Breckinridge's tenure of the office.
Answerable to the president, the secretary of war controlled all matters regarding the army and
Indian tribes, and had the right to appoint as many clerks as it found necessary. This designation allowed the secretary of war to create what eventually became the biggest department in the Confederacy. Related to the war effort, the secretary of war managed important aspects of the war effort like medical distribution, engineering devices (pontoon bridges),
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
, and fort cessions. During the war, the Confederate secretary of war’s report on the war effort became important information for the
Confederate Congress and President Davis. The president had the power to appoint and fire the secretary of war for unnecessary, dishonest, and inefficient work performance. The secretary of war was also subject to impeachment proceedings from the Confederate Congress.
Secretaries of war
Confederate President Jefferson Davis was the twenty-third secretary of war of the United States, serving under U.S. President
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who believed that the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitio ...
from March 7, 1853, until March 4, 1857. However, he never served in this capacity in the Confederate States.
Davis appointed
LeRoy Pope Walker as the first Confederate secretary of war in February 1861. Walker’s first major role involved the situation at
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a historical Coastal defense and fortification#Sea forts, sea fort located near Charleston, South Carolina. Constructed on an artificial island at the entrance of Charleston Harbor in 1829, the fort was built in response to the W ...
. Communicating often with
P. G. T. Beauregard, he advocated for no direct clash with the
Union. He also focused on the
Border States, and was instrumental in ordering the muster, organization, and supply of the upper states when they seceded. His stint as secretary of war was marked by inefficiency and clashes with Davis. His lack of experience in the military field hampered his ability to manage the war effort, and he received the blame for the early supply and organizational issues of the Confederacy. In the wake of the "failure" of the
Confederate Army
The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...
to pursue fleeing troops after the
, the Davis administration received much criticism, and Walker began to be criticized more. Walker resigned in September 1861 after a dispute with Davis and mounting Congressional criticism.
Davis named
Judah P. Benjamin acting secretary of war the same month, and he was confirmed in November 1861. Benjamin’s addition responded to the organizational shortcomings that the War Department office was criticized for most. However, Benjamin clashed repeatedly with Confederate generals, and the downturn and increasing casualties of the war opened Benjamin up to extensive criticism.
Antisemitism
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
angled against him, a prominent and known still-practicing Jew, became a strong part of this criticism, and intensified as the war effort further diminished in the eyes of the Confederate public. Davis responded to the criticism of his trusted adviser by naming him acting
secretary of state in March 1862.
Next, Davis tapped Brigadier General
George W. Randolph to succeed Benjamin. Randolph placed more emphasis on organization in the
Western theater of the war, and his meticulous organization and strong work ethic increased the efficiency of the War Department. However, health problems and conflict with Davis resulted in the early resignation of Randolph in November 1862. By 1862, Davis had to replace three secretaries of war.
Davis appointed
James Seddon to the position of secretary of war next, and Seddon would be the Confederate official to hold the position for the longest. Seddon’s reportedly "malleable" nature as secretary of war meshed perfectly with the micromanaging nature of Davis’s interactions with the war effort. Seddon clashed repeatedly with Confederate governors, but Seddon's concurrence with Davis on the demotion of General
Joseph E. Johnston caused the strongest backlash from Congress. Seddon resigned in January 1865.
With the war effort disintegrating, Davis appointed
John C. Breckinridge in February 1865, three months before the surrender of the Confederate Army. Breckenridge’s strong leadership led to improvements in supply and strategy,
[History. "John C. Breckinridge Assumes Command." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2013.] but the dire situation made most of his contributions minimal. His most important contribution was his opposition to pursuing a “
guerrilla war” to prolong the Confederacy. With the surrender of the Confederacy, Breckinridge fled the country, abdicating his post, and was the last Confederate secretary of war.
List
See also
*
United States Secretary of War
The secretary of war was a member of the President of the United States, U.S. president's United States Cabinet, Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's Presidency of George Washington, administration. A similar position, called either "Sec ...
References
External links
Confederate States War Department
{{DEFAULTSORT:War, Secretary of
1861 establishments in the Confederate States of America
Confederate States War Department
Lists of government ministers
John C. Breckinridge