Braxton Bragg
Born in Warren County, North Carolina on March 22, 1817, Braxton Bragg graduated from West Point in 1837, and served as an Artillery Officer until 1856.
Bragg resigned in 1856 to manage his Louisiana plantation. Due to his southern heritage and profession, Bragg volunteered for confederate service in 1861. Sent to the western front, he replaced P. G. T. Beauregard as Commander in June 1862. Until December 1863, he commanded the Western Confederate army, leading it several times to the brink of victory. For some strange reason, Bragg failed to grasp the opportunities presented to him, and was thus defeated. After service as a Major General, he became personal advisor to his close aquaintance, Jefferson Davis. After the war he took up civil engineering and got involved in the railroad indusrty
Bibliography: McWhiney, Grady W., Braxton Bragg and Confederate Defeat (1969).