Confederate Cabinet Departments and Secretaries

Thousands of books have been written covering every aspect of the Civil War. Yet scant attention has been given to the civilian government of the Confederacy. The most recent book on the subject was published in 1944, and what little has been written since is scattered among various journals and magazines.
Drawing on scholarship old and new, this book provides a detailed overview of each of the Confederacy’s six executive departments, along with biographical sketches of each man who held a position in Jefferson Davis’s cabinet, from Secretary of State to Postmaster General.

Dennis L. Peterson is an historian and editor with numerous articles published in journals and magazines. A former history teacher, his areas of interest include Southern history, the Civil War, the Great Depression and World War II. He lives in Taylors, South Carolina.

Dennis L. Peterson
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 296
Bibliographic Info: 16 photos & illustrations, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6521-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2514-0
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Preface 1
Acknowledgments 5
Introduction: The Birth of the Confederate Nation 7
1. Jefferson Davis’s Selection of a Cabinet 11
Part I. Justice Department
2. Overview 29
3. Judah P. Benjamin 40
4. Thomas Bragg 47
5. Thomas Watts 50
6. Wade Keyes, Jr. 54
7. George Davis 56
Part II. Treasury Department
8. Overview 61
9. Christopher Memminger 73
10. George Trenholm 79
11. John Reagan 83
Part III. War Department
12. Overview 89
13. Leroy Pope Walker 130
14. Judah P. Benjamin 139
15. George Randolph 143
16. James Seddon 148
17. John C. Breckinridge 154
Part IV. Navy Department
18. Overview 165
19. Stephen Mallory 186
Part V. Post Office Department
20. Overview 197
21. John Reagan 202
Part VI. State Department
22. Overview 211
23. Robert Toombs 226
24. Robert M. T. Hunter 237
25. Judah P. Benjamin 242
Conclusion. A Final Assessment of Davis’s Cabinet 245
Appendix A. The Constitution of the Confederate States of America 251
Appendix B. Governors of the Confederate States 262
Chapter Notes 263
Bibliography 275
Index 283

“valuable…well researched and well written…offers readers much helpful information on the inner workings of the Confederate government”—Civil War News.