Struggle for command: General James Longstreet and the First Corps in the West, 1863--1864

This dissertation examines Confederate Lieutenant General James Longstreet's transfer from the Army of Northern Virginia to the Army of Tennessee during the fall of 1863. Contributing to the victory at the Battle of Chickamauga on September 19–20, Longstreet later joined a group of dissatisfied generals in the western army, and criticized the commanding officer, General Braxton Bragg. The actions of Bragg's lieutenants compelled President Jefferson Davis to mediate the problems in the Tennessee army. Consequently, Davis upheld Bragg and transferred or relieved some of the army's disgruntled generals. Even though the president maintained Longstreet under Bragg's command, the animosity between the two generals paralyzed their future collaboration. In addition to Longstreet's difficulties with Bragg, the First Corps became embroiled in internal feuding over the command of a division, reducing its military effectiveness and causing it to lose a key engagement during the siege at Chattanooga. The difficulties added to the animosity between Bragg and Longstreet and resulted in the transfer of the First Corps in November of 1863. The detachment of Longstreet's corps to East Tennessee resulted in a Confederate siege of the Union army at Knoxville. Although the siege ultimately failed, the First Corps remained in East Tennessee until April 1864.; During the winter of 1863–1864, while Longstreet attempted to restore discipline in his senior ranks, the common soldier of the First Corps struggled to overcome the shortages of food, shelter, and clothing while campaigning in a hostile region. Even though the rank and file longed to return to the Army of Northern Virginia, they maintained morale and discipline during their stay in East Tennessee. Their seven-month sojourn left them tattered, but united. Yet, the First Corps' transfer to the West faced several obstacles which hindered Longstreet's ability to command effectively. This dissertation uses official war records, private correspondence, postwar reminiscences, and secondary works to provide a comprehensive examination of the long-standing feuds and political cliques which hampered Longstreet during his western command, as well as how the commanding general and his troops overcame these deterrents during their seven-month campaign in the western theater.