Braxton Bragg: Personality Analysis

2212 Words5 Pages

Early Life Braxton Bragg was born on March 22, 1817 in Warrenton, NC. His father was a contractor, and his mother spent time in jail for killing a freed slave (Braxton Bragg, 2014). As a young man Bragg yearned to be accepted by the higher elements of antebellum society. However, constant rejection led him to develop an abrasive personality that became one of his trademarks (Hickman, 2014). I imagine this had to do with being judged by the actions of his mother. In 1833, when Bragg was just 16, his politician brother helped him earn an appointment at the United States Military Academy at West Point (Braxton Bragg, 2014). He was a gifted student, graduating in 1837 at the top of his class- ranked fifth in a class of fifty. Upon graduation …show more content…

According to James McPherson in Ordeal by Fire, Johnston was at this point in no mind to wait on General Grant to attack him (2009 p.247). After being joined by General Beauregard, who was sent from Virginia by Davis, Johnston marched his troops from Corinth to a site near federal lines and was ready to launch an attack. Bragg led a corps of troops during the attacks, and was later rewarded with a promotion to General. During the fighting, Johnston was killed and command was devolved to General Beauregard. However, after a defeat of the Rebel troops, a promotion and command was given to Bragg. McPherson explained that “Shiloh was the ghastliest bloodbath in the history of the Western Hemisphere thus far, though later Civil War battles would put it in seventh place in this respect” (2009, p.250). More than 1,700 men were killed and 8,000 wounded on each …show more content…

According to McPherson “the fighting was some of the most vicious but confused of the war. Much of the battlefield was covered with heavy woods and dense undergrowth” (2009). The Confederate advance at the Union Army would take place by storming two bridges, the Alexander and Reed simultaneously. It was quickly determined that the Union’s Lighting Brigade, commanded by Colonel John C. Wilder, would hold strong against any advancement on the Alexander Bridge. Walker’s Reserve Corps would use Lambert’s Ford to cross the West Chickamauga Creek. Bragg’s men under General Bushrod Johnson were more successful at Reed’s

Show More
Related

  • Summary and Analysis for Shiloh by Shelby Foote

    1391 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel, “Shiloh” by Shelby Foote is a fictional recreation of the bloody battle. The story begins with the soldiers of the Confederate Army heading towards Pittsburg Landing. The men are marching in terrible conditions. It is pouring down rain and they are dragging their tired legs through the mud. The troops come to a halt so the commanders can talk to General Johnston. General Johnston says the only way they might have a chance is if they plan a surprise attack. As the sergeants hand the men their guns, they are told to check the powder in case it got wet in the rain. A group of soldiers test their guns out on a deer running close by. At the same time the shots were fired, the sun came out and the soldiers started to scream and cheer. These noises combined were more than enough to alert the Union soldiers of the Confederates advance. Palmer remembers what his life was like before going to war. He attended the Louisiana State Military Academy when the Confederacy seceded from the Union. One of his professors predicted the south did not have a chance of winning the war. That night Palmer dreams of holding Sherman at gunpoint making him admit that he was wrong. Prior to the battle, the commanders create a battle plan. Palmer is assigned a part in this process. When the plan fails, Palmer learns that planning a battle is more difficult than it seems because the commanders on the ground face challenges that do not exist on paper.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Ambrose Bierce's Experience At The Battle Of Shiloh

    307 Words  | 1 Pages

    From what we know about war is that it is bloody and violent, but many history books lean away from that image they tell us how many deaths there are how long the war lasted and why the war happened, which is important but doesn’t tell the whole story. I feel that American’s memory recall the Civil War as the war that ended slavery. Ambrose Bierce Recalls his Experience at the Battle of Shiloh, 1881 explains the horrific experience of the Civil War soldiers and paints a gruesome image of what went on in the Battle of Shiloh. Bierce showed us that the battle was terrifying “The air was full of noises” “There were deep, shaking explosions and smart shocks; the whisper of stray bullets and the hurtle of conical shells; the rush of round shot.”

    Read More

  • Comparing the Military Leaders of the Civil War

    1558 Words  | 4 Pages

    McDowell’s opponent at Manassas was General Beauregard, commanding the 22,000 troops facing McDowell, while at the same time General Joseph Johnston commanded the Army of the Shenandoah with some 10,000 troops. When Beauregard determined that the Union forces were on the way toward Manassas, he asked for help, at which time the Confederate Government sent Johnston east via the “Manassas Gap Railroad,” to act as reinforcements for Beauregard. Their arrival at Manassas at a critical time turned the tide in favor of the South,...

    Read More

  • 1st Battle of Bull run

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first major battle of the Civil War was fought in Virginia, near the Manassas, Virginia railway junction, after which the battle is called (or First Bull Run, named after the flowing stream on the battlefield, if of the Union persuasion). The armies in this first battle were not very large by later Civil War standards. The Federal forces under Brigadier General Irvin McDowell were organized into four divisions (five, if one includes Runyan's division), of about 30,000 men. These divisions were commanded by Tyler, Hunter, Heintzelman, (Runyan), and Miles. The Confederate command structure was somewhat more unwieldy, including two "armies", with no division structure and thirteen independent brigades under Bonham, Ewell, Jones, Longstreet, Cocke, Early, Holmes, Kershaw, Evans, Jackson, Bartow, Bee, Smith, and a cavalry brigade under Stuart. The Confederate Army of the Potomac was under the command of Brigadier General Pierre G. T. Beauregard, and the Army of the Shenandoah was commanded by Brigadier General Joseph E. Johnston. These two forces would equal McDowell's strength.

    Read More

  • The Confederate's Defeat in the Battle of Gettysburg

    1922 Words  | 4 Pages

    The famous Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1 to July 3 of 1863 in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle proved to show the most casualties of the entire war and resulted in a crushing defeat of the Confederates. The Battle of Gettysburg is generally considered to be the turning point of the American Civil War. This paper will demonstrate the various reasons as to why the Confederates, led by General Robert E. Lee, were unsuccessful in the Battle of Gettysburg during their invasion of the north. General Lee’s over-confidence, the confederate army’s disorganization and failed coordination, and the shift of intelligence all contributed to the crushing defeat of the confederates at Gettysburg. Following his “flawless” battle at Chancellorsville, General Lee was instilled with absolute confidence in his men and failed to see any deficiencies in his army’s offensive capabilities. Lee was not only over-confident, but also knew less than his opponent during the most crucial stages of the battle. The final contributing factor as to why the confederates were defeated was Alexander’s failure to provide effective artillery bombardment and his failure to advise General Pickett not to make the charge after the ineffective bombardment.

    Read More

  • The Battle of Fredricksburg

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    It all started in the year 1862. General George McCellen currently controls the army of the Potomac. When it was determined that McCellen was a bad general, in December of 1862 he was replaced with General Ambrose Burnside. Within a week, Burnside decided on a campaign to the Southern capitol, Richmond. He told his plans to Lincoln and Lincoln approved, but told Burnside the only way for a win was to move quickly. Burnside split his group into three grand divisions, each with two corps. Burnside’s division arrives first at Fredericksburg; when he arrived there weren’t many Confederates. After Burnside’s arrival there was a swarm of Confederates who arrived. The problem was, that while the Confederates moved into position, General Burnside had to wait for pontoon builders so they could cross the Rappahannock River. (See Map1) He had requested pontoons from Harper’s Ferry but they hadn’t arrived yet and came two weeks later. This gave the Confederates time to get an advantageous position over the Union. While Burnside waited he looked at the town from on top of a ridge.

    Read More

  • The Battle of Second Manassas

    2342 Words  | 5 Pages

    During the War Between the States there were two large-scale, decisive battles fought near the town of Manassas, Virginia. This will be a guided look at the second of those two occurring at the end of August in 1862. There were several great leaders from both sides of the war involved in the 2nd of Manassas, however I am going to focus on the attitudes, maneuvers, and decisions of the four primary generals; General Robert E. Lee, Major General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, Major General John Pope, and Major General George B. McClellan, as it was these men who, ultimately, shaped the actions and outcome of the battle. Following the Seven Days Battle, Maj. Gen. McClellan’s armies were camped on the banks of the James River, 20 miles from Richmond1 (Debelius 1998) and Gen Lee had just taken control of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 12 (Hennessy 2005). Maj. Gen. “Stonewall” Jackson was a subordinate commander in the Army of Northern Virginia and Maj. Gen. Pope was inbound to “assist” Maj. Gen. McClellan in securing the area of Northern Virginia for the Union high command. This study will focus on the mind-sets, maneuvers, and decisions these men made throughout the course of the battle that led to the defeat of the Union forces under Maj. Gen. Pope’s leadership.

    Read More

  • Ulysses S. Grant

    1117 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Grant was appointed colonel, and soon afterward brigadier general, of the Illinois Volunteers, and in September 1861 he seized Paducah, Kentucky. After an indecisive raid on Belmont, Missouri, he gained fame when in February 1862, in conjunction with the navy; he succeeded in reducing Forts Henry and Donelson, Tennessee, forcing General Simon B. Buckner to accept unconditional surrender. The Confederates surprised Grant at Shiloh, but he held his ground and then moved on to Corinth. In 1863 he established his reputation as a strategist in the brilliant campaign against Vicksburg, Mississippi, which took place on July 4. After being appointed commander in the West, he defeated Braxton Bragg at Chattanooga. Grant's victories made him so prominent that he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and in February 1864 was given command of all Union armies.

    Read More

  • Burnside's Failure In The Battle Of Antietam

    1434 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Confederate soldier on the wall at the Heights recollected seeing, “…Single bodies…scattered at increased distances until the main mass of the dead lay thickly strewn over the ground.” The Confederates deliberate defensive positions on the hill were just too intense for the Potomac forces to penetrate. Despite the failing state of his plan, Burnside continued to send division after division up the hill until nightfall. No one made it past that well defended wall. Burnside’s inability to assess the battle and alter his plan contributed to the slaughter of thousands of Federal soldiers.

    Read More

  • Fredericksburg Battle Analysis Essay

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    After the Union Army successfully took Falmouth, General Lee anticipated their next course of action would be to take Fredericksburg. General Lee had the troops moved from Culpepper and Winchester and reassembled on the high ground surrounding Fredericksburg (Yandoh, 2001). Knowledge of the area put General Lee’s forces at an advantage, as they took the high ground along Marye’s Heights. A defensive posture provided the best fields of fire and cover and concealment, which proved to be a severe disadvantage for Union forces. Weather was a factor for both sides because snowfall restricted travel and pre-dawn fog in the early morning obscured vision (Franklin, 1998). Neither side had an advantage do to the poor

    Read More

  • The Battle of Shiloh

    1756 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Battle of Shiloh was an extraordinary event in the civil war timeline and would be a great deal as to when the war was fought at its hardest. The sources I have researched and collected will help me better understand this battle and many other facts I have yet to discover. The Battle of Shiloh is not the most well known battle during the Civil war, but it gives us an idea on how gruesome the fighting was during this time. I view this battle as a turning point for the Union and the continuing losses for the Confederate army as they try to gain back territory. Officers of each side had separate plans, where the Union needed to take the Memphis and Charleston Railroads, and the Confederates just wanted to stop the Union troops from advancing further south(CWPT).

    Read More

  • Essay On The Sand Creek Massacre

    1433 Words  | 3 Pages

    Chivington, a retired pastor from Ohio, harbored an intense resentment for the natives. An aspiring politician, Chivington served as volunteer in the Union Army during the Civil War, most notably in the Battle of Glorieta Pass when he and a Union detachment assaulted a Confederate supply train(nps.gov). He quickly climbed the chain of command, eventually being promoted to Colonel of the 1st Colorado Cavalry (Brown 75). Here his true colors began to show, as one Confederate chaplain reported he threatened to kill prisoners of war under his command (nps.gov). Granted with his new authority, however, Chivington committed one of the worst atrocities that took place in the United States’ conflict with the

    Read More

  • A Comparison Of Herman Melville And Shiloh

    1982 Words  | 4 Pages

    Shiloh demonstrated that the Union had the resources and manpower to prevail and was ready to risk their lives to do so. The battle was the most surreal example of how many men it was possible to slaughter in battle. Overall, it was shocking, morbid, and horrendous how much death there was, especially to the people then.

    Read More

  • The Battle of Paducah

    3054 Words  | 7 Pages

    On March 1, 1864 three Kentucky regiments received orders from General Forrest asking them to join his force around Columbus, Mississippi. The Third, Seventh, and Eighth Regiments immediately went up the Tombigbee River and joined Forrest's forces. These Kentucky regiments had been badly damaged in the many hard fought battles they had already experienced. Word that they were going back to their home state of Kentucky came as a great comfort. Upon arriving, some of the men found that they would have to walk because of the lack of mounts; not a complaint could be heard. One may ask why Forrest would want such a worn and tattered regiment. To put it simply, he wanted to advance into West Kentucky and who knew th...

    Read More

  • Battle Of Wilderness

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    While waiting for the arrival of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's First Corps, which had been posted 25 miles (40 km) to the west to guard the crucial railroad junction of Gordonsville, Lee pushed forward his Second Corps, commanded by Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell, and the Third Corps under the command of Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill, in an effort to engage Grant before he moved south. The Confederates were able to do this, and on May 5, both Ewell, on Lee's left flank, and Hill on the right, clashed with Union soldiers.

    Read More

More about Braxton Bragg: Personality Analysis

Open Document