You ever read about a Civil War battle, see the name Bragg, and just let out a sigh? Same. I’ve probably done it a hundred times now. The dude lives rent free in my head, unibrow and all. But back to the real conversation. Thinking of Chickamauga? Sigh. Perryville? Sigh. The man seemed to pop up everywhere you didn’t want him.
But here’s the thing I keep coming back to: how did Braxton Bragg keep ending up in command when everybody hated him and he was objectively awful at the job?
I was reading about this recently and it makes more sense now that I take it into context. Mind you, this wasn’t just hindsight. People at the time thought he sucked. Honestly just about everyone thought this (minus one very important person who we will come back to). His officers hated him. His men hated him. Even his own horse probably hated him. I don’t know anything about his horse but you get the point.
And yet… there he was. Over and over again. In charge.
The Resume of a Disaster
Bragg had a decent early military record you could argue. Mexican-American War vet. Artillery guy. Got some praise for discipline and logistics. But once the Civil War kicked off and he was given real command responsibility? It all went downhill fast. Some leaders work better with smaller unit sizes. You might think of someone like Burnside who did well in Carolina, but did not do so well in Fredericksburg or Petersburg. But I still can’t defend Bragg.
Bragg argued constantly with subordinates, made half-baked strategic decisions, and couldn’t hold onto a win to save his life. Even when he won.
Perryville? Tactical success, but he gave up the field. This drives me insane. Davis defended the tactical retreat too! Sorry, Bragg called it a tactical withdraw… Chickamauga? Legit Confederate victory but he let the Union keep Chattanooga because he didn’t follow through. We always talk about how much McClellan did the same thing, but the difference is Bragg was WINNING.
The “Jeff Davis” Problem
This is the heart of the issue: Jefferson Davis liked him. They were old friends from the pre-war army. Davis backed him no matter how many officers begged for Bragg’s removal.
It’s like when your boss keeps promoting their college roommate. Meanwhile, the rest of the team is screaming into the void. Davis thought Bragg was “dependable” but dependable at what? Losing momentum?
Morale? What is that?
There are letters, reports, and diary entries that straight-up say: “We hate this guy.” William J. Hardee, Leonidas Polk, and others tried to oust him. At one point, half his corps commanders were actively working to get him fired.
And the best part? Bragg would accuse them of being the problem. It was always someone else’s fault. Was Bragg an idiot, a narcissist or just naïve? If you read the book Company Aytch by Sam Watkins, you will understand Bragg from the average soldier’s perspective. Their feelings about Bragg were negative. Very negative. It is funny because as a solider in the US Army one of the biggest and most well-known bases is Fort Bragg. I think the unibrow convinced someone he needs a base named after him.
Imagine being a soldier and realizing Bragg is in charge of your unit? Shameless plug for my reel that I made.
Why Did He Stay?
The answer isn’t satisfying, but it’s real it seems like Confederate leadership was built more on loyalty and politics than performance. Davis was loyal to his friends, even when it hurt the war effort. Bragg was familiar. Bragg was a friend. That counted for more than effectiveness.
Better generals were out there. The press openly called for Bragg to go. But Davis refused until it was far too late.
Final Thought
The Civil War has no shortage of “what were they thinking?” moments. But Bragg’s continued command might just be the worst of them. He just wasn’t the guy for the job. And yet, there he was. Battle after battle.
Sometimes I wonder how different the Western Theater might’ve looked if literally anyone else had been in charge. But if nothing else, Bragg gives us a perfect example of what not to do in leadership. Maybe West Point can teach what Bragg did so we can learn the opposite.
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