General-in-Chief of the Confederate States Army
| General-in-Chief of the Confederate States Army | |
|---|---|
| War Department | |
| Reports to | Secretary of War |
| Appointer |
The President with Congress advice and consent |
| Formation | January 31, 1865 |
| First holder | Gen. Robert E. Lee |
| Final holder | Gen. Robert E. Lee |
| Abolished | April 12, 1865 |
| Succession | None |
The General-in-Chief of the Confederate States Army was the senior-most officer in the Confederate States Army. The first and only holder of this position was General Robert E. Lee.
History
General Robert E. Lee was the only officer appointed to this position, which was created late in the American Civil War by the Congress of the Confederate States on 23 January 1865,[1] but it had been debated as early as 27 February 1862. President Jefferson Davis voiced his rejection (and veto) of creating this position to the Congress on 14 March of that year, believing that such a general could "command an army or armies without the will of the President."[2] Davis performed many of the responsibilities of a general-in-chief himself throughout the war, acting as both a military operations manager and commander-in-chief.[1]
General Lee (from March to May 1862) and General Braxton Bragg (from February 1864 to January 1865) also performed many of these same duties, as they were military advisers to Davis, or "charged with the conduct of military operations in the armies of the Confederacy."[1] On 6 February 1865 Adjutant and Inspector General Samuel Cooper issued General Orders #3, which announced Lee as the General-in-Chief.