Who was the confederate General in charge at battle of Chickamauga?

Answer 1

General Braxton Bragg. Bragg was a West Point graduate who had served many years in the US Army, including during the Mexican War. He was a very disagreeable person, so disgusting that his modern biographer was never able to bring himself to complete the second of a planned two-volume biography. The second volume was eventually done by another author, after the first author's death.

One story told of Bragg in the "Old Army", perhaps apocryphal, had Bragg stationed at a frontier post in the west. As was common at the time, Bragg had responsibilities for commanding troops, and also as the post quartermaster. Wearing his troop commander hat, Bragg would submit requisitions for supplies. Switching to his quartermaster hat, Bragg would then deny his own requests for supplies. Then he kicked the whole mess upstairs, prompting his commander to remark: "Captain Bragg, you have quarreled with every man in the Army, and now you have managed to quarrel with yourself."

Bragg was a competent administrator and trainer of troops, but a poor battle commander. He lacked decisiveness. This cost the Confederates the victory they had probably earned in the big battle previous to Chickamauga, at Murfreesboro (Stone's River). Bragg's shortcomings gave rise to the "anti-Bragg faction" among high commanders in his army. These officers sought to undermine Bragg, hoping for his replacement, and were slow or unresponsive in obeying Bragg's orders. This cost Bragg the chance to destroy a significant portion of the scattered Union army in McLemore's Cove a few days before the Battle of Chickamauga began. Bragg's dithering also cost the Confederates many of the fruits of Chickamauga, which was a smashing Confederate victory, but which was followed within two months by the debacles of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. Following those disasters Bragg was finally removed, but, was ordered to Richmond where he served as a military advisor to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.