Confederate military operations in the Western Theater of the US Civil War had to deal with personalities and respect among a number of Southern generals. The complications that this brought about basically boiled down to the relationship between general Bragg, Johnston and Jefferson Davis.Due to the illness of Bragg's wife, he left the command of the Army of Tennessee to care for her. The appearance of General Joseph Johnston at the army's headquarters was based mostly on Jefferson Davis' desire to have Johnston permanently take charge of that army.
Johnston also had an illness that hampered his ability to command. Nevertheless, Johnston had refused to take control of Bragg's army due to Johnston's respect for Bragg's accomplishments in the Mexican American War. He also did not believe that Bragg was incapable of leading an army. That was Johnston's personal belief.
Johnston was also aware that Bragg reciprocated this respect. Johnston was aware that it was Bragg who lobbied the hardest to Davis to appoint Johnston as commander of all Confederate armies in the West.
Shiloh, Tennessee. Johnston was killed - Sidney Johnston, that is, no relation to Joseph E. Johnston.
That was Shiloh in Western Tennessee. Remember, the Confederate commanding General (killed in the battle) was Sidney Johnston, not the better-known Joseph E. Johnston - no relation - who later commanded the Army of Tennessee.
General Johnston
Death of the highly-respected Confederate General Sidney Johnston, and the beginning of the end of Confederate hopes of dominating Western Tennessee and the Mississippi.
Confederate President Jefferson Davis believed that General Johnston was not adequate to turn back the advance of Union troops in Georgia in 1864. He therefore replaced him with General John Bell Hood to lead the Army of Tennessee.
Confederate General Joseph Eggleston Johnston.
Confederate Jefferson Davis was surprised with the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Shiloh. Jefferson had been in contact with the now late Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston as they planned their concentration of troops on Union forces in Tennessee. Davis sent one of his aids, Colonel William Johnston to investigate what had happened in the aftermath of Shiloh and ask what plans the Confederate generals in the Western Theater had planned. Davis was seeking a way to recover lost Confederate territory. He sent Colonel Johnston, who happened to be the nephew of the fallen Confederate General Albert S. Johnston.
It signalled the end of Confederate hopes of controlling Western Tennessee and the Mississippi. It also saw the death of the Confederate General Sidney Johnston, some say the best General in the South.
Joseph E. Johnston was a General in the Confederate States Army .
Confederate President Davis had never been a supported of Major General Joseph Johnston. They had quarreled with each other for most of the war. Davis also was supported in his dislike of Johnston by generals William Hardee and John Bell Hood. To a lessor extent, General Braxton Bragg was also in favor of Johnston's removal as head of the Army of Tennessee in 1864.
After the first meeting of Union General Sherman and Confederate General Johnston to negotiate Johnston's surrender, Johnston asked that in their next meeting, the Confederate Secretary of War. John C. Breckinridge be present. Sherman objected to having a political appointee of the Confederacy to join the next meeting. Johnston countered by reminding Sherman that Breckinridge was also a major general in the Confederate army. Based on that, Sherman agreed to allow Breckinridge to attend the next surrender meeting.
Sidney Johnston