In January 1862, Earl Van Dorn was sent west to command the Army of the West. Two months later, Beauregard would be sent to be Sidney Johnston's second-in-command after several squabbles with Davis and the government.
But what if Davis had lost patience with Beauregard a month or two earlier? How well would Beauregard do as commander of the Trans-Mississippi theater? Where would Van Dorn be sent instead?