1879 Confederate States Presidential Election (Brothers No More)

The Confederate States Presidential Election of 1879, the 4th C.S. presidential election, was held on November 4, 1879. This was the first election in Confederate history that was contested by a political party. It is thus considered to be the end of the initial golden period of the Confederacy, bringing in a new era of party politics and heated campaigns. Alexander H. Stephens of the newly formed Southern Party defeated nonpartisan General James Longstreet by a slim margin to become the 4th President of the Confederate States.

Background
This election was preceded by the controversial tenure of President Stonewall Jackson. Jackson had upset a large portion of the Confederate populace by dealing with the United States and even making an official state visit for the American bicentennial in 1876. This amplified the already existing feelings of resentment towards the policies of Jackson and former President Lee (although Lee avoided much of the criticism, still being seen as a hero of the South by people on all sides). Stephens and the like minded politicians that formed the Southern Party, along with Confederate citizens in the Deep South, believed that the general-presidents were unnecessarily strengthening the federal government and the military. They believed in their image of the Confederacy as a decentralized agrarian nation. They also strongly supported slavery.

In the face of criticism, President Jackson still hoped to continue the tradition of electing nonpartisan military men as president. He and Lee believed that parties had no place in Southern politics and wanted to end the institution before it began. The two men quickly settled on the man they wanted to follow them as president: General James Longstreet. Longstreet never had a particular like for politics, but accepted the endorsement anyway. He envisioned a peaceful six year stint as president that would enhance his fame and guarantee comfy living for his family. He did not expect to be part of the most heated campaign in Confederate history up to that point.

Augustus Hill Garland of Arkansas had become a prominent politician by that point and would add some legitimacy to the ticket. He accepted the offer to be Longstreet's running mate.

Southern Nomination
The Southern Party did not hold a formal nominating convention since they were still not very organized by 1879. Instead, several party founders, including Robert M.T. Hunter, Vice President Albert G. Brown, and Stephens, met to determine the candidate. After a few hours of deliberation, they almost unanimously decided to have Stephens run. Senator Stephens was quickly becoming infirm with old age, and almost turned down the nomination. The other leaders knew that they had to have Stephens, largely seen as the face of the party, run in their first election. They convinced him to accept the candidacy.

The party wanted to have a military man as Stephens' running mate to counteract Longstreet's war popularity. They reached out to several generals, and all turned down except one: P.G.T. Beauregard, who was currently serving as the Governor of Louisiana. Beauregard had initially wanted to be the candidate for the Lee-Jackson ticket, but was discouraged when he contacted Lee and learned that he had little chance of earning their endorsement. Beauregard agreed with many of the Southern Party's policies, but he was still reluctant to go against basically all of his former military colleagues. His lust for higher office eventually won out, and he accepted the nomination. He hoped to serve as vice president and then run for president in 1885 on the Southern Party ticket.

The Campaign
The campaign was civil at first, but devolved into a mud slinging fest as the months went on. Pent up anger at the policies of the generals and President Davis years before burst out at full speed. Stephens ran a populist campaign in the Deep South, promising that he would return the Confederacy to the people. Everywhere he went, his words had a big effect on listeners. Stephens was very pro-slavery, pro-farmer, and pro-states' rights, and so was his audience.

James Longstreet was a unique candidate, to say the least. He had a well-earned reputation as an unrefined man who grew up on the rough Georgia frontier. He did not have the manners of the typical Southern gentleman. He also did not have much of an interest in politics, meaning that he did not have much passion for his campaign. On the other hand, Longstreet was a devoted family man and had a genuine demeanor. His campaigning was done wholly by his supporters, who traveled around and tried to convince people to vote to continue the prosperous policies of Lee and Jackson.

In September, Stephens became ill and was unable to make any more speeches for the rest of the campaign. His unchecked supporters began viciously attacking Longstreet's "brutish" ways and lack of experience. At several points, Stephens had to put out official statements asking his supporters to not attack Longstreet's family or personal life.

Results and Aftermath
In a very close election, Stephens managed to sweep the Deep South and also capture Texas. He won by firm margins in all the states he won except Texas, which he won by 3%. Florida and Arkansas almost went his way as well, but ended up voting for Longstreet by a few percentage points. Without Garland on the ticket, Longstreet probably would have lost Arkansas.

Stephens did not receive much support in the border states. Virginia voted for Longstreet by over 10 percentage points. If Stephens had lost any of the states he won, he would have lost the election.

Stephens had recovered from his illness by the time of his inauguration, but he still remained weakened for the rest of his term. He and the Southern-controlled Congress began passing laws to remake the Confederacy in his image. The size of the standing military was drastically reduced, and the draft was outlawed. President Stephens did not have any official interactions with the U.S., which suited both him and the U.S. President Samuel Tilden. The Southern Party victory in the 1879 elections led to the creation of the Confederate Party, made up of politicians and former officers who had supported Davis, Lee, and Jackson. Lee was greatly disappointed at the formation of two warring political parties in the Confederacy. He would die a few months after Stephens' inauguration. James Longstreet was deeply distressed by all the attacks on his personal integrity and personal life and resigned to stay out of politics for the rest of his life. He did join the Confederate Party in 1883.

President Stephens' physical condition began to rapidly deteriorate in 1883, and he died on October 14 of that year. Vice President Beauregard served the rest of his term and attained some success. He had reached his goal of becoming president, but was unable to run for a full term as he had wanted due to the Confederate Constitution's clause that presidents were not "re-eligible" for the office.