Bragg shot by his own Officers

I remember reading that after Chickamauga, some of Braxton Bragg's officers were annoyed because the AoT hadn't pursued effectively, meaning that Rosecrans had been able to make it back to Chattanooga. At on point and officer (I think it was Forrest) pulled a pistol and had to be talked down from shooting Bragg.

What if Bragg had been shot and killed.
 
Jefferson Davis would no doubt be furious. Whoever shot Bragg will be tried and executed post haste by Davis. This will in turn, make many officers angry at Davis.
As for the AoT, I suspect there will be a massive shakeup in the command structure.
 
It will depend on how well they can make it look like enemy as opposed to 'friendly' fire. If Davis believes he dies in a battle or was hit by a sniper, he'll be upset, but he's not going to be furious at anyone in the Confederacy because it was those damn Godless Yankees who slaughtered the man.
 
General Jefferson C Davis shot General William Nelson to death.

Jefferson Davis was not punished, and was not even discharged from the army, and his career did not stall.

So perhaps the shooter could get away with it under the right circumstances.
 
Best Confederate outcome. The killers to justify their actions, putting Longstreet or Hardee in command and take decisive action that works out well, like taking Chattanooga before the Federal forces can properly organize. Worst, they attempt the above and walk into a trap.
 
No one saw how it happened. Must have been one of those damnyankee sharpshooters sir.

Starting to wonder about Thomas Jackson now.
 
Best Confederate outcome. The killers to justify their actions, putting Longstreet or Hardee in command and take decisive action that works out well, like taking Chattanooga before the Federal forces can properly organize. Worst, they attempt the above and walk into a trap.

Isn't that basically borderline military coup? EDIT: OR at least very sketchy. If it involves the military interfering in civilian command decisions, they can perhaps do...other things.
 
David Powell reached the conclusion in his Chickamauga trilogy that the Forrest Incident was likely apocryphal. The story emerged decades after it was supposed to have happened, and relies on an erroneous continuity of events. Not to mention it makes little sense for Bragg, a noted stickler for military discipline, to not have dealt with this incident. I have no doubt Forrest was infuriated and said so in his meeting with Bragg, but the pistol business seems more like embellishment.
 
Top