Alternate CSA President in Civil War

Onyx

Banned
Say Jefferson Davis rather joins the military post he wanted instead of being the President of the CSA, who would been a suitable politician to be President of the Confederacy?

Benjamin Judah, Im not sure
Howell Cobb could be another contender
Sam Houston, I really don't know...
Alexander Stephens, was he suitable enough?
 

Wolfpaw

Banned
Say Jefferson Davis rather joins the military post he wanted instead of being the President of the CSA, who would been a suitable politician to be President of the Confederacy?

Benjamin Judah, Im not sure
Howell Cobb could be another contender
Sam Houston, I really don't know...
Alexander Stephens, was he suitable enough?
Judah Benjamin: Out of the running due to being a Jew
Sam Houston: virulently anti-secessionist
Alexander Stephens: very reluctant convert to secession
 
Stephens also had major health issues.
I'd go with a fire-eater, William Yancey or someone like him. Since Davis and Stephens were chosen to appeal to the Upper South, it would be interesting to see what a fire-eater as provisional president would have done to the other slave states' willingness to secede.
 

Onyx

Banned
bump

Never heard of William Yancey, does anyone have a link for some famous Confederate politicians?
 

Wolfpaw

Banned
He was also a Confederate general, still, an interesting choice
Breckinridge was another who languished over secession. He was never a real presidential choice anyways; the Southern Dems just picked him in '60 because he was already VP and they didn't want to have Douglas as their candidate. Breckinridge knew he really couldn't hope to win, but he went along with it anyways.
 
William Yancey and Robert Rhett were put forth but considered to radical.

Stephens and Robert A. Toombs were also considered, but as mentioned Stephens was a reluctant secessionist, while Toombs had been a Whig and thus mistrusted by the Democrats.

Another front runner was Howell Cobb, but the delegates from Georgia split and couldn't come together to support any one of their candidates.

Once Virginia seceded its Senators voiced their support for Davis. This threw the decision to Davis. It may be possible for the Georgians to rally behind one of their delegates, most likely Cobb. With a president from Georgia it is highly unlikely that Stephens would be VP. Perhaps that position would go to someone from the Upper South.

Most of this information comes the first few chapters of McPherson's excellent Battle Cry of Freedom.

Benjamin
 
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It could have made a real difference for the CSA.

Davis appears to have been psychologically incapable of admitting error, on top of his ability to make enemies with amazing speed.

This may have been due to an earlier tragedy when he ignored warnings as to certain conditions where he was going with his young wife and she died. In his mind to admit any error called up the possibility of admitting his wife had died due to his own decision.
 
I believe Davis as President was a major impediment to the CSA. Howell Cobb had quite a bit of political experience and I've seen his name floated around in timelines before.
 
Toombs was a moderate and could have been chosen. Breckinridge was a Kentuckian and so couldn't have been chosen. Any President or VP would have to have been chosen from the already seceded Deep South. Hence the preference for 'moderates,' so as to appeal to the Upper South.
 
I believe Davis as President was a major impediment to the CSA. Howell Cobb had quite a bit of political experience and I've seen his name floated around in timelines before.

Quite true about Davis. He seemed to prize personal loyalty above all else. He was responsible for crippling the careers of able officers like Beauregard and Joseph E. Johnston while forever protecting incompetent suckups like Braxton Bragg and Lucius Northrop.
 
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