Confederate States Secretary of War

Confederate President Jefferson Davis was twenty-third Secretary of War of the United States, serving under U.S. President Franklin Pierce from March 7, 1853, until March 4, 1857. However, he never served in this capacity in the Confederate States.

Davis appointed Leroy Pope Walker as the first Confederate Secretary of War in February 1861. Walker’s first major role involved the situation at Fort Sumter. Communicating often with P. G. T. Beauregard, he advocated for no direct clash with the Union. He also focused on the Border States, and was instrumental in ordering the muster, organization and supply of the upper states when they seceded. His stint as Secretary of War was marked by inefficiency and clashes with Jefferson Davis. His lack of experience in the military field hampered his ability to manage the war effort, and he received the blame for the early supply and organizational issues of the Confederacy. In the wake of the "failure" of the Confederate army to pursue fleeing troops after the First Battle of Bull Run, the Davis administration received much criticism, and Walker began to be criticized more. Walker resigned in September 1861 after a dispute with President Jefferson Davis and mounting Congressional criticism.[7]

Davis named Judah P. Benjamin acting Secretary of War the same September, and he was confirmed in November 1861. Benjamin’s addition responded to the organizational shortcomings that the War Department office was criticized for most. However, Benjamin clashed repeatedly with Confederate generals, and the downturn and increasing casualties of the war opened Benjamin up to extensive criticism. Antisemitism[8] angled against him, a prominent and known still-practicing Jew, became a strong part of this criticism, and intensified as the war effort further diminished in the eyes of the Confederate public. Davis responded to the criticism of his trusted adviser by naming him Acting Secretary of State in March 1862.

Next, Davis tapped Brigadier General George W. Randolph to succeed Benjamin, now Confederate Secretary of State. Randolph placed more emphasis on organization in the Western theater of the war, and his meticulous organization and strong work ethic[9] increased the efficiency of the War Department. However, health problems and conflict with Davis resulted in the early resignation of Randolph in November 1862. By 1862 Jefferson Davis had to replace three Secretaries of War.

Davis appointed James Seddon to the position of Secretary of War next, and Seddon would be the Confederate official to hold the position for the longest. Seddon’s reportedly "malleable" nature[10] as Secretary of War meshed perfectly with the micromanaging nature of Jefferson Davis’ interactions with the war effort. Seddon clashed repeatedly with Confederate governors, but Seddon's concurrence with Davis on the demotion of General Joseph E. Johnston caused the strongest backlash from Congress. Seddon resigned in January 1865.[11]

With the war effort disintegrating, Davis appointed John C. Breckinridge in February 1865, three months before the surrender of the Confederate Army. Breckenridge’s strong leadership led to improvements in supply and strategy,[12] but the dire situation that the Confederate army made most of his contributions minimal. His most important contribution was his opposition to pursuing a “guerrilla war” to prolong the Confederacy. With the surrender of the Confederacy, Breckinridge fled the country, abdicating his post, and was the last Confederate Secretary of War.

List

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term of office				Political party
			Took office	Left office	Reason	Time in office
1		LeRoy Pope Walker (1817–1884)	February 25, 1861	September 16, 1861	Health	203 days	Democrat
2		Judah P. Benjamin (1811–1884)	September 17, 1861	March 24, 1862	Promotion to Confederate States Secretary of State	188 days	Democrat
3		George W. Randolph (1818–1867)	March 24, 1862	November 15, 1862	Health, Tuberculosis	236 days	Democrat
4		James Seddon (1815–1880)	November 21, 1862	February 5, 1865	Resigned into retirement	2 years, 76 days	Democrat
5		Major-General John C. Breckinridge (1821–1875)	February 6, 1865	May 10, 1865		93 days	Democrat

• United States Secretary of War

• Confederate States War Department