Both A Martinet and a Failure: The Effect of the Battle of Stones River on Braxton Bragg
General Braxton Bragg was a leader of the Confederate side in the Civil War. He fought in many battles, including the Battle of Stones River. However, his career came to an end because he caused his associates to become frustrated with his quarrelsome attitude and cowardly decisions. This begs the question: To what extent did the battle of Stones River affect Braxton Bragg 's military career? While Bragg 's character played a large role in the termination of his military career, the Battle of Stones River was a tipping point in his downfall because it resulted in people writing letters to Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, who pressured …show more content…
His character made many people angry even outside of the Civil War. In his memoirs, Grant writes a story about Bragg holding two offices, one of which was higher ranking than the other, and he reported himself to the commanding officer, who responded: “Mr. Bragg, you have quarreled with every officer in the army, and now you are quarreling with yourself” (Grant). The commanding officer’s statement that he had already fought with everyone in the army reveals that, getting into arguments and disagreeing with people is part of his inherent nature. His fights were usually caused by his nature to “distrust his subordinate commanders” (Greenwalt). Since Bragg didn’t believe in his officers, many of them didn’t believe in him. They all became to hate him, especially those who he court-martialed. Many people became annoyed with Bragg due to the frequency of his quarrels. Overall, Bragg lacked the fundamental qualities of a good and successful general. Rather than being supportive but firm, he was a bully to everyone around him. Therefore, when generals wrote to Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, it was not solely based upon Bragg’s actions during his battles, but also his temper which they found
General Braxton Bragg was a leader of the Confederate side in the Civil War. He fought in many battles, including the Battle of Stones River. However, his career came to an end because he caused his associates to become frustrated with his quarrelsome attitude and cowardly decisions. This begs the question: To what extent did the battle of Stones River affect Braxton Bragg 's military career? While Bragg 's character played a large role in the termination of his military career, the Battle of Stones River was a tipping point in his downfall because it resulted in people writing letters to Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, who pressured …show more content…
His character made many people angry even outside of the Civil War. In his memoirs, Grant writes a story about Bragg holding two offices, one of which was higher ranking than the other, and he reported himself to the commanding officer, who responded: “Mr. Bragg, you have quarreled with every officer in the army, and now you are quarreling with yourself” (Grant). The commanding officer’s statement that he had already fought with everyone in the army reveals that, getting into arguments and disagreeing with people is part of his inherent nature. His fights were usually caused by his nature to “distrust his subordinate commanders” (Greenwalt). Since Bragg didn’t believe in his officers, many of them didn’t believe in him. They all became to hate him, especially those who he court-martialed. Many people became annoyed with Bragg due to the frequency of his quarrels. Overall, Bragg lacked the fundamental qualities of a good and successful general. Rather than being supportive but firm, he was a bully to everyone around him. Therefore, when generals wrote to Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, it was not solely based upon Bragg’s actions during his battles, but also his temper which they found