and clothe its armies as the Union naval blockade of its 3500 mile coastline and 189 harbors and ports took effect and prevented it from selling abroad its cotton crop, despite occasional successes through blockade running and smuggling.
Leadership: Presidential, Civilian and Military
Davis proved to be a better than average war leader. He made some outstanding appointments, most notably the architect of many Southern victories, especially in Virginia, General Robert E. Lee. Some of military appointees in the West, such as Braxton Bragg, turned out poorly. Davis had great difficulty maintaining Southern unity after the tide of war turned against the Confederacy in 1863-1864. According to Ayers et al., "States rights had been the great rallying cry. The government of the Confederacy, however, had to centralize power in order to protect the states" (499). Politically, it proved impossible for the Confederacy to arm, until near the end of the war, its only source of reserve, manpower, its 3.5 million black slaves (Ayers
In contrast Lincoln grew in stature and competence during his presidency. Davis called him "a man of unyielding resolve" (51). Catton said that during the first three months of the war he "saved the Union" by making strong decisions on his own and without Congressional assent (33). He had to cope with initial challenges to his leadership within his own Cabinet and the Congress. In some of his military appointments he made serious errors, such as by selecting 'political generals like John McClernand of Illinois. He went through a series of inadequate commanders in chief of the Army of the Potomac before turning over to Grant, who had been victorious in the West, and George Meade, who bested Lee in the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1863).
This team together with Sherman's capture of Atlanta
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