How did the roles of President Davis and President Lincoln differ?

Answer 1

Yes. If you compared the two in 1861, you would expect Davis to have the edge as a wartime leader. Davis had graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point and served several years with the Army. He later returned to command a volunteer regiment in the Mexican War, where he was an authentic combat hero, and was wounded in action. Few men in the US in 1861 had ever so much as seen a regiment all assembled in one place, let alone commanded one in action. Davis had been Chairman of the Military Affairs Committee while a US Senator, and had been Secretary of War during the Pierce administration. There were few individuals who had more or better preparation for the role. In contrast, Lincoln had almost no formal education, and Lincoln's military experience was limited to about six weeks as a volunteer officer during the Black Hawk War of 1832, and after his unit disbanded he stayed on a few days as a private. He had served one two year term as a US Congressman in the House of Representatives. His adult life had been as a lawyer, though in the 1850s he was a fairly high powered one, frequently representing the Illinois Central Railroad. But Lincoln was a quick study, and borrowed books from the Library of Congress on military matters to expand his knowledge. Davis tended to micromanage, and bog down in details. Davis was additionally plagued by poor health and was in constant pain, which adversely affected his temperament. The ultimate measure of the relative merits of the two is that the side led by Lincoln prevailed.