In A Crisis in Confederate Command; Jeffery S. Prushankin scrutinizes the antagonistic relationship between Confederate general Edmund Kirby Smith and his key subordinate; Richard Taylor. Prushankin offers a perspective on the events in the Trans-Mississippi through the eyes of these two high-strung men and analyzes how their clash in personalities and in notions of duty and glory shaped the course of the Civil War.Smith and Taylor; Prushankin explains; disagreed over how to thwart Federal incursions across Louisiana and Arkansas. Smith; a West Point graduate and disciple of Joseph E. Johnston; owed a debt to politicians in Arkansas and Missouri for helping him secure his appointment and so opted for a defensive policy that favored those states. Taylor; a Louisiana political general who had served his apprenticeship under Stonewall Jackson; argued for an offensive strike against the enemy. The friction between the two reached a climax at the Red River campaign in 1864 when Taylor blatantly disobeyed orders from Smith and attacked Federal troops. Prushankin shows that what began as a dispute over strategy degenerated into a battle of egos and a succession of caustic personal attacks that eventually led to Smith's relieving Taylor from command.Despite their discord; Prushankin argues; Smith and Taylor produced one of the Confederacy's greatest military accomplishments in the Red River campaign victory against a Yankee juggernaut. With his insightful portraits of Smith and Taylor; use of previously untapped primary sources; and new interpretations of correspondence from key figures; Prushankin imparts fresh understanding of the psychology of leadership in the Civil War as a whole.
#2868605 in Books Louisiana State Univ Pr 1999-06-01 1999-06-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.18 x .70 x 5.48l; .84 #File Name: 0807123943328 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Scott StephensA must for civil war buffs and arm chair historians.2 of 4 people found the following review helpful. More cabinet than DavisBy Dave SchwinghammerA.J. Hanna's FLIGHT TO OBLIVION centers mostly on Confederate cabinet's attempt to escape after Lee's surrender. Written in 1938; Hanna's work seems to sympathize with the South.Surprisingly; Davis and his cohorts didn't seem to be in much of a hurry. They took the archives of the government and the treasury; which consisted of something like $500;000 in gold and silver; with them along with a contingent of several dozen soldiers and sailors. Davis is captured early on; and Hanna concentrates mostly on John C. Breckinridge and Judah Benjamin's successful escapes. Breckinridge's slog through the mosquito-infested Florida swamps is especially captivating. Two of the more fascinating Breckinridge cohorts are swashbucklers blockade runner John T. Wood and Tench F. Tilghman who were undaunted by roadblocks that would have defeated lesser men.There's also a chapter entitled "Oblivion" which tells what happened to the various cabinet members after they were pardoned or escaped to another country. I wanted to know more about Jefferson Davis's imprisonment; but I guess that wasn't the focus of Hanna's book.Hanna portrays Davis as a kind of micro manager who had trouble keeping cabinet members. There were seventeen in the four years of the Confederacy. I was also unaware that Alexander Stephens and Davis were at loggerheads throughout most of the war.Hannah definitely has an exalted opinion of Southern leadership. He has Lord Palmerston; British prime minister; say; "'to impartial minds it will always occur that the absence of that most material element of all human undertakings; success; will alone prevent' these Southern leaders from taking their places in after time by the side of recognized patriots." Hannah also targets the NEW YORK TIMES; whose writers called for the execution of the cabinet members; as inflammatory.Those who are disappointed that there isn't more about Jefferson Davis's plight might want to check out Davis's THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT. Hannah says of said work; "The evident purpose of the author is to justify his actions. It is unfortunately more controversial than descriptive."
