Union general Jefferson C. Davis shared a similar name with the Confederate president. In Louisville in 1862, he killed his superior, William "Bull" Nelson, after serious conflict between them. A shortage of experienced senior officers and the bad blood between the two men kept Davis available for command. His later responsibility for the Fourteenth Corps shows how wartime personnel pressure could outweigh conduct that would ordinarily remove an officer from service. The episode is a sharp example of institutional constraint appearing inside an order of battle.
Notable Point · 55:48-56:40
Officer shortages and Jefferson C. Davis's command
The retention of Jefferson C. Davis after he killed William Nelson exposes the Union Army's shortage of experienced senior officers.