"Beauregard Major Commands" Topic

Why wasn't Beauregard made the head of the ARmy of Northern Virginia after trouncing the Union at Bull Run. Did The South missuse his talent?

It was called the Army of the Potomac at that time, and, IIRC, Joe Johnson was the senior officer and ranked Beauregard, so got the command.

Ol' Joe held the command ntil he was wounded during the Seven Days Battle, and was replaced by Lee, who shortly afterward changed the command's name to The Army of Northern Virginia, etc.

Johnston was #4 on the Confederate general seniority list. Beauregard was #5. Johnston got the job.

As I recall, Jefferson Davis didn't much like Beauregard. That may have had some effect on the matter, too.

Davis' dislike of Beauregard did have an effect. As I recall, Beauregard could be a prickly lad.

Jim

As others have correctly commented, Beauregard was not put in charge of the army after Bull Run for largely political--not military reasons. His military reputation remained very high after the battle and he was transferred west and placed in a prominent position just under AS Johnston. But Beauregard's military record lost a lot of luster after Shiloh and his handling of the battle. I think this rightly cast his battlefield talent in question. But remember that he did go back east and lead a very successful (though not well-publicized) campaign to defend southern Virginia from a Federal invasion to attack Richmond from the south. If you read about his performance at Bermuda Hundred you'd be impressed by what he accomplished with relatively few resources.

All of this is to say that Beauregard's military talents are still an open question. He has a mixed record and I do think it's worth considering what he could have done if given more opportunities. Couldn't have been any worse than John B Hood as commander of the Army of Tennessee….

J.E. Johnston as the senior officer present was the Confederate commander at First Manassas. He deferred to Beauregard because Beauregard had been on the field longer and he had the larger command present. After the battle Beauregard had problems with the Davis administration over his status in the Confederate army at Centreville, which ultimately led to him being transferred west to A.S. Johnston's department. Freeman covers this. I think Beauregard's reputation survived Shiloh and Corinth. However after evacuating Corinth Beauregard took leave of the army for health reasons which really alienated Davis.

Still Beauregard did see considerable service after Bragg replaced him. He was made commander at Charleston at a time when that city was under attack. In early 1864 he was put in command in southern Virginia where he first checked Butler's advance on Richmond and later checked Grant's initial effort to capture Petersburg. He was made administrative commander in the west after Atlanta and ended the war as second in command of Johnston's Army of Tennessee in Atlanta.

Could the Confederacy have done better if they used him more? Hard to say. I don't believe he was as good as Lee, who also had the advantage of winning the trust of Davis. Beauregard was more aggressive than J.E. Johnston, so perhaps he might have been a better commander for the Army of Tennessee in early 1864. OTOH the command in that army had gotten so politicized that Johnston may have been the only officer who stood a chance. He might also have made a decent corps commander, but with his relative seniority the opportunities were limited.

IIRC, he was a bit peeved that he didn't get the command in the Valley, instead of Early.