Symposium Spotlight 2026: Kris White, “Braxton Bragg vs. Everybody”

Welcome to our spotlight series, highlighting speakers and topics for our upcoming symposium. Over the coming weeks, we will continue previewing of our speaker’s for the 2026 Emerging Civil War Symposium. Today, we feature ECW co-founder Kris White:

Few Civil War commanders were as polarizing—or as criticized by their own subordinates—as Braxton Bragg. While Bragg’s battlefield decisions have long been debated, the story of his troubled relationships with the Army of Tennessee’s senior leadership is every bit as fascinating as the campaigns themselves.

Join Kristopher D. White for an engaging look at the personalities, rivalries, grudges, and political maneuvering that defined the Confederate high command in the Western Theater. Why did so many of Bragg’s generals oppose him? How did disputes among leaders affect military operations and morale? And what can these conflicts tell us about the successes and failures of the Confederacy’s principal western army?

Filled with colorful characters, sharp correspondence, and no shortage of drama, this presentation explores one of the most dysfunctional command relationships of the Civil War and the lasting impact it had on the Army of Tennessee’s wartime fortunes.

For more information on the 2026 Emerging Civil War Symposium, click here.