Better Confederate presidents than Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Davis had this as his virtue - he concentrated on the cockpit of the war, the one state the Confederacy absolutely could not lose (Virginia) and - given what he had - played out his hand as slowly as he could, both there and elsewhere.

Virginia was the most important Confederate state, but Longstreet's transfer west shows that Davis had put too many troops in Virginia. Lee was still capable of defending against the Army of the Potomac, while Longstreet and his troops were key to the Confederate victory at Chickamauga. Davis did not play his hand out slowly, he started the war by attacking Ft Sumter instead of delaying to buy time. Davis also approved of multiple invasions of Union territory instead of staying on the defense. While there were successful Confederate cavalry raids, their armies invasions of Union territory always failed, costing the Confederacy the greater casualties of the offense, boosting Union morale, and harming Confederate morale.
 
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I often wondered what might have happened if Lee had taken Longstreet's advise about the Gettysburg campaign - yes, go on the strategic offensive but once in Union territory get between the Army of the Potomac and Washington DC. At that point go on the tactical defensive and repeat Fredericksburg, inflicting huge losses on the Federals...
 
I often wondered what might have happened if Lee had taken Longstreet's advise about the Gettysburg campaign - yes, go on the strategic offensive but once in Union territory get between the Army of the Potomac and Washington DC. At that point go on the tactical defensive and repeat Fredericksburg, inflicting huge losses on the Federals...

The closest thing to a repeat of Burnside's blunder at Fredericksburg was Pickett's Charge. Meade had made the farthest Union advance at Fredericksburg, it seems unlikely he would repeat Burnside's mistake.
 
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