Prof. Hess thank you for that generous introduction. I was thinking about it this morning, what made me to this book . Whenever you go to a civil war roundtable and mention the name Braxton Bragg, there is laughter coming up the audience because in some ways, it is almost a joke in some ways. In other ways, as pete says, a cheap joke. And also the question this morning as someone asked of holeck theragg or most divided person of the civil war . And never dawned on me to say the most hated men of the civil war, but maybe i should have said that . Let me start out with a story, and i know many of you know this story. I overheard at least two people this morning telling this story to somebody else, but they did not know i was sitting next to them. Grant memoirs, ulysses as enlisted a story. Even though grant himself admitted he did not know if it was true or not, but he said, it is kind of emblematic. The story is before the civil war, Braxton Bragg in the u. S. Army commanded a company had a post on the frontier, but he also for a time acted as quartermaster and commissary at that post. Grant says as commander of the company, he made a requisition upon the quartermaster himself for something he wanted, but as quartermaster, he declined to fill the requisition, and endorsed on the back of it, his reasons for doing so. As company commander, he responded to this, urging that his requisition call for nothing but what he was entitled to as quartermaster, he still persisted that he was right. By now, bragg referred this paperwork to the post commander for his opinion. My god, mr. Bragg, the command replied, you have quarreled with every officer in the army, and now youre quarreling with yourself. [applause] [laughter] prof. Hess it is a good story. I like it. That is probably why many people accepted as grant even though ulysses s. Grant did not. We have such a negative and onedimensional image of this guy based mostly on the wave of negative opinion coming from his critics at the time, and from historians that we readily believe it is true. But honestly, after studying bragg and riding a book about a civil war career, i cannot believe the story. We need to strip away the assumptions that a too long substituted a deep analysis of Braxton Bragg, the person of the general. My own view of bragg is that he was a very intelligent and very practical man. The notion that he would waste his time in senseless activity like this defies belief. He would never having gauge is something as foolish as writing letters to himself. Even brads most severe critics admitted even braggeds most severe critics said that he was a manager of the justice and no full or no buffoon. Yet the public image of bragg colleagues is that of a thorough failure, both as a man and as a general. Let me give you some biographical information, after that, i want to give you three or four major points about bragg that consist of public image and analyzing the details and reality and see how to those things are. He was born in 1870, upper north carolina. He came from a middleclass family. His father was a very cap successful his father was a very successful contractor who owned slaves. Eight brothers and sisters. There is an interesting story that nobody has been able to prove that his mother was imprisoned when she was pregnant with him because a black man insulted her and she killed him. , one wrote arians pretty good biography from braggs birth, argued this probably was true, and argued that it mustve shaped his personality to be very sensitive on the point of honor and very prickly when he can to dealing with people. I am not sure we need to put too much emphasis on that. Another interesting thing i found out he had a couple of brothers who were very successful, too. They both served in congress. And thomas bragg, who was a lawyer, also served as Jefferson Daviss attorney general in 1861 1862. Bragg opted for a military career, west point graduate. It instilled in him a desire and a respect for a high level of personal discipline. He saw his First Service after graduation in florida where he contracted a horrible case of malaria that bothered him for the rest of his life. Periodic bouts of the disease and impacted his ability to do well in the war. His most famous precivil war episode was the mexican war, where his regular army battery did very well at the contentious battle of one of the staff in buena vis battle of ta. This is also the famous incident were general Zachary Taylor supposedly set a little more great, captain bragg. Bragg later admitted privately that it did not happen. That the wording of that command was kind of exaggerated by newspaper reported, but it made him a National Hero after 1847. Bragg resigned from the u. S. 1856 because of Jefferson Davis, who was secretary of war at the time. Jefferson davis actually thought nearena vista, very braggs battery. They were not personal friends in the mexican war. The reason that bragg resigned from the army is because davis wasinstituted instituting a number of reforms, some of which affected the artillery branch. He was bitterly opposed to them, and he became better toward secretary davison resigned of january 1856 and held a grudge davis are many years until the latter part of the civil war. Well, bragg put his life together. Wise, that he found a wife from a wealthy plantation in mississippi. He married and used term money to purchase a sugar plantation in louisiana on the bayou. Style, he called it the he had more than 100 slaves to work with and treated them like an army. It was difficult to grow sugar inand demand it at high level of organization and smarts. There were several lean years, but bragg did very well as a sugar planter. The sugar planting business and the life he led in the louisiana as a sugar planter had a big rolling in shaping his personality and his attitude toward discipline. Another thing i found interesting, sherman was a friend of Braxton Bragg in these days. You probably know that sherman was hired as the director of the institution that later evolved into Louisiana State university. That was created in the late 1850s in alexandria, louisiana. Bragg was on the board of directors and delighted that sherman was hired. Previousrman from his from the time he was in the army. I get the impression that bragg thought his friendship was deeper with sherman then sherman thought, because shermans letter is a little cold. But there is a collection of half a dozen letters in the 1850s that pratt wrote to sherman, revealing his personal views of life. A is writing to sherman as close, personal friend. He says, the south needs discipline. He was upset over the young turks that did not take the possibility for working hard and wasted their familys fortune in idle living. I argue that this attitude of severe discipline will rule braggs life and affect the way he deals with his subordinate generals in the civil war. Also, another thing about bragg he was a deep supporter of southern causes in 1850s. Hebrags he brags to sherman on how much he made that year. Bragg thought it was absolutely important to protect slavery. Thought that slavery would he thought the slavery was the only way to protect southern land. When abolitionists was almost killed by a an infamous incident, bragg wrote a letter y, that sumter got what he deserved, that is what all dogs like him should get. It is pretty chilling to read the letter, but that was his attitude. Strongan extremely supporter of slavery in many, many ways. Not surprisingly, he approved the secession of louisiana. Played a role captioning the u. S. Arsenal and baton rouge, a key role in that. He also accepted Jefferson Daviss offer of a commission as general in 1851. For the first time, he begins to get an inkling that may be did this does not hate me like i assumed he did ever since 1856. And he begins to slowly warm himself toward the confederate president. The confederate president never hated bradd, but always respected him. He wound up commanding an important post at pensacola florida in late 1862, where he organized and well drilled army of the pensacola, then he was shifted shipped up to tennessee where he organized the confederate of the mississippi, the field army that would become the famous army of tennessee, fought at shiloh, which was the biggest battle of his life so far. He had very interesting letters describing his personal experience at shiloh at the missouri history resume museum written to his wife, elise. Those who know military history no one happens. He takes his army on a massive invasion of kentucky. In many ways, he did very well. Marching rapidly with very little difficult support. Adding mobility to civil war field armies that had never been done before. Many Union Commanders were very impressed a braggs invasion of kentucky, but he had to give up kentucky for many reasons. Theefore, after evacuating state, was branded as a failure by the news media. Jefferson davis continues to support him, however. The next battle is stones river, december 31, 1862 and january 2, 1863. Rgue that stone river stones river was braggs best day of the civil war. He doesnt the drop on the union army on december 31, attacked them when they were not expecting it, drove the right wing of the army three miles, and put out of action 10,000 Union Soldiers. On union supply lines and wagon trains by sending brigades of cavalry to raid them. Magnificent day of fighting. Tactical victory and excellence for the army of tennessee. It did not result in strategic victory because the Union General refused to retreat and stubbornly held on and bragg byered a misguided attack one division of confederate troops and jerry second. 2. Troops on january defeat after tactical victory seems to be a lot of braggs life as a civil war commander. After stones river, everything went downhill for him. His generals rebuild. They openly said his generals rebelled. They openly said he should be replaced. Resigning, he instead dug in his heels. He called on jefferson president Jefferson Davis he called on president Jefferson Davis as support davis for support and jefferson said stay. Another confederate commander was sent by davis to look into the situation and what should be done, and johnston said, it would be a mistake to release bragg. He infected so much damage comparative comparatively with few resources, it would be desirable to sacrifice him. So, bragg knew by this time that the president was his supporter, and he knew that Joseph Johnson was his supporter. Many people believe that davis supported bragg because they were personal friends, as stephen which worth pointed out and is very evident. They do not have a personal friendship at this time. Jefferson davis, more than once, clearly said in a letter why i support bragg . I admire his administrative talents. Even though he may not be the best general on the battlefield, i dont know who else is better. Until somebody better comes along, he should stay where he is. That is the truth of the matter in terms of the davis bragg relationship. As i said it went downhill from there. Bragg stock worsened. His ability to personally deal with the tractors in his command were sent also. Bragg was losing it. , braggs personality, he held himself to high standards. He was a perfectionist. Anal, andy he was that is probably true. People with that personality type tend to burn out quickly, and he was burning out as a field commander in 1863. It was not helped by the fact that he had a rating feud with one of his commanders. They detested each other. One of the points i bring out in my book is that you have to understand the effect on braggs attitude of his commanders attitude toward him. What commander can be successful if he knows his subordinates dont like him or wont obey his orders . Well, you can see examples of this in the following campaigns. And in the companion of july, 1863, when a union army sent out to murphys bloom, bragg put together some good plans for foiled. Hich was the battle in september of 1863, there are two incidents were bragg put together plans to attack isolated parts of the invading union army and its subordinate commanders who did not have faith in those plans and refused to obey orders. His army won a significant victory in tennessee. But afterward, came the question, what should we do to follow up . The defeated union army retreated to chattanooga and doug and there securely and dug in there securely. Invade kentucky and bragg said, yes, theoretically that is right, but the army is exhausted and dont and doesnt have land transportation. Mountains live on the when you go to the appalachian because are no farms. Problems,nothing but but his subordinates on nothing but progress. The result was bragg won the inolt against his generals october 1863 and mounted a major effort to get him ousted, and he survived that. He had very few vocal supporters. He was exhausted physically. Healthwise, he was almost a rack. The result was he lost control of a strategic position and badly lost about Channing Tatum nouvelle and badly lost the battle of chattanooga. In december of 1862, he is out. Davis appointed him to what many people considered a higher position in the Confederate Army military advisor to the president in richmond. And as military advisor, bragg served davis 100 faithfully. So much so that he basically stabbed Joseph Johnson in the back and help to get Joseph Johnson released as commander as his own army, the army of tennessee, in the middle of the Atlantic Campaign anything 64. 1864. Paign in near the end he did in the civil war, davis and bragg in their letters to each other signed dear, friend. Well, i have someone thinks to say about bragg after the civil war, too. I dont plan on going too long because i would like to have your questions and viewpoints. Issuesook at a couple of relating to braggs public issues during the civil war and whether or not they are true or not. Double us insight into braggs problems. For one, brand developed the image in the confederacy of a mankiller. In general whose obsession with discipline led to the execution of his own men, sometime for trivial reasons, and sometimes without due process without military law. Is this true . All of this stemmed from an incident when the confederate evacuated, the commander issued an order for nobody to fire a shot. We want this to be a quiet retreat. Well, during the middle of the retreat, a man arrested a soldier from alabama battery and brought him to bragg, who was resting under a tree, told him, i witness this guy shooting at a pig because he was hungry. The man said he was sorry and he did not understand. I did not know about the order, however, bragg went to make an example of him rag wanted to wanted example brag to make an example out of him so told the soldier to take them out into the field into him. He says he was stunned when he heard bragg give that order. And he went to bragg and interceded, and to say this would be the uprooting of christianity. And it did not take much argument for cook to change braggs mind. Bragg understood his perspective and a merely sent orders to the guard cannot do it, and make sure that this offender is given into the military justice system. The irony is, bragg did not shoot anybody without due process of law. But that did not matter because wild rumors rep of the confederacy that he had done it. The stories change. Pig,say the soldier shot a but the bullet hit a black boy, but none of it was true. None of it was true. Admittedly, bragg was wrong to tell the guard to shoot this guy. He had no business doing that. But it is important to understand that when it was brought to his attention, he was ready to be yet this image of bragg is a man killer spread rapidly. Widespread that by september of 1862 the Confederate Senate tried to mount an official inquiry as to whether bragg was killing soldiers without due process. Yet enemies in the senate. He also had supporters. When the committee on military Affairs Recommended congress fromthat resolution investigating bragg, the ordered a special committee to investigate bragg. After heated debate the senate devoted they voted to do so. Davis killed the effort by shoving the Committee Resolution and never acting on it. There was a point there at which the senate, can you imagine the Senate Getting involved in investigating Something Like this . Rumors through the confederacy, mary chestnut, that famous woman who was a diarist then living in richmond, who was shocked by these rumors, one of their acquaintances and mandy mr. Green, was equally stunned. A confederate soldier for a chicken . You can imagine the damage to a persons reputation. Sometime civilians could even joke about the incident. There was a woman from kentucky named lizzie who was a refugee in chattanooga. She wanted to go back to kentucky and hoped they wanted to talk to bragg and get permission to go with them when they invaded kentucky. She said bragg was very kind and considerate and a nice guy. One of her friends joked with lizzie later on and said, werent you afraid that when he got you into the parlor he would say that you would take a chicken and then execute military law on you . And bragg the joke are coexisting sidebyside in the public image. There is another incident that contributed to his image as a man killer in december 1862 just before stones river. A soldier deserted to attend to family problems. He did return to duty. That happened a lot in the civil war. His courtmartial sentenced him refused tod bragg resend the sentence. He wanted it to go through to serve as an example despite impassioned appeals from many kentucky generals and officers to reverse the decision. Understandably when lewis was executed it created a great deal of bitterness and resentment toward bragg. His attitude towards discipline is so strong in unbending. You may think this is coldhearted but i would remind you that generals do not sentence men to death. Courtmartials hand down that sentence. It is up to the general to review the case and decide whether to approve or reject. If you compare the number of men whose executions rag approved, with a number approved by other , it is about the same. He does not kill his own men at a higher rate than others. There is some suggesting that robert e. Lee kil