Reviews for Davis and Lee at War

The average rating for Davis and Lee at War based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-04-04 00:00:00 Shawn Jones Assemble a group of would-be Civil War "experts" around a water cooler or game table and you hear how bad a president ol' Jeff Davis was, always interfering in operations and supporting his friends no matter how bad they were. Jeff doesn't come off too badly in this book. He had his faults and author Woodworth covers them, but still he formulated as good a strategy as he could given his opponents' superiority, and found an excellent subordinate in Robert E. Lee, although Lee could get a little too aggressive at times. Generals J.E. Johnston and P.G.T. Beauregard suffer here, and we learn just how and why they fell from grace. Bragg's shortcomings in high office aren't covered. Davis himself suffered from a variety of illnesses and conducted much of his business from his sick bed. Unlike in the western theater of war, Davis and Lee formed splendid partnership which often found success.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-04-29 00:00:00 Taborsis Bland This is vintage Woodworth, right down to his penchant for finding nothing right with those he dislikes, in this case Johnston (deservedly in most regards), Beauregard (unfairly), and Longstreet (because he hated Saint Bragg of the Woodworth order of historians). In spite of this and the book's overwrought concentration upon detailed correspondence and meetings, a nuanced portrait of Davis and Lee emerges. This might have been the strangest command duo in American history. They thought differently on how to fight the war yet they had warm relations and a cast-iron mutual respect. This is where the book shines. Indeed, it is the best picture we have of Davis as commander in chief, since he is shown at his best and worst. Now it is up to another, more even-minded historian, to expand on that point. This one though is too bogged down in details and Woodworth's historical vendettas to suffice.