What former Confederate generals made clear their reasons why the South lost their war for independence?

Answer 1

So often the generals of a nation that lost a war have used hindsight to critic the policies of their own governments to explain, in part, as to why a war was lost.In the case of Confederate generals Longstreet, Beauregard and Johnston, their complaints were made to Jefferson Davis during the US Civil War. The three above-mentioned generals were among the most outspoken, certainly there may have been others.

As for General Johnston, he had ongoing problems with Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Foremost was the decision by Davis to replace Johnston with the offensive minded John Hood Bell.

Johnston believed that his strategy against Union General Sherman, which were mostly defensive ones, would have prolonged the war and therefore given the South a better chance to tire the North of the war.

In the case of General Beauregard, he was constantly in favor of massing large Rebel concentrations of troops to strike offensively at Union targets. Davis was not as aggressive enough claimed the Cajun general.

General James Longstreet had worked with General Lee on many campaigns. Most notably at the Battle of Gettysburg. Longstreet's post-war criticisms were aimed at Lee. Aside from Longstreet's objections to the July 3, 1863 Rebel charge, he also expressed displeasure with Lee's decision not to send troops from the Army of Northern Virginia to aid Southern armies in the Western Theater.