User blog:JonathanMarkoff/Secretary of War of the Confederate States

The Confederate States Secretary of War was a member of the Confederate States President's Cabinet during the American Civil War. The Secretary of War was head of the Confederate States Department of War. The position ended in May 1865 when the Confederacy crumbled.

The Secretary of War, a Confederate cabinet position, was the chief officer of the Confederate War Department. Answerable to President Jefferson Davis, the Secretary of War controlled all matters regarding the Confederate States Army and Native Americans, and had the right to appoint as many clerks as necessary. This designation allowed the Secretary of War to create what eventually became the biggest department in the Confederacy. The President had the power to appoint and fire the Secretary of War for unnecessary, dishonest and inefficient work performance. The Secretary of War was also subject to impeachment proceedings from the Confederate Congress.

In OTL, the War Department was headed by a total of five men throughout its four-year existence: Leroy Walker, Judah Benjamin, George W. Randolph, James Seddon, and John Breckinridge. In some Harry Turtledove timelines, the Confederate States were legitimated as a nation and the office lasted longer.