In late February 1864, promotions and statements of support for the military seemed to be the focus of both the North and the South, as the wintering of armies came to an end. On Wednesday February 24, General Braxton Bragg became the Confederate chief of staff in charge of all Southern forces.
Bragg retained Jefferson Davis’ support, despite his defeat at Missionary Ridge and his constant conflict with his fellow officers. That same day the U.S. Senate revived the rank of lieutenant general; the Congress clearly had Ulysses Grant, the hero of Vicksburg, in mind for this significant rank.
And, on Friday, February the 26th Abraham Lincoln in a memorandum confirmed his confidence in controversial General Benjamin Butler, urging the War Department sustain Butler in his military endeavors.