Wilsons Creek/Oak Hill missed opportunity for the CS?

[Borderruffian]

On August 10, 1861 when the question of Missouri and possibly Kentucky remaining in the Union was in the balance.

The war being a scant 4 months old.

The Union loss at Bull Run on July 21st and a CS Army threatening Washington in the east.

Both Armies (CS & US) being trained and mustered in and largely untested in combat.

Was the failure to actively pursue and prosecute the Union retreat from the defeat at Wilsons Creek/Oak Hill (depending on the color of your sack coat or lack there of for you militia guys) a lost opportunity on the part of Confederates to strike a blow that would have brought Missouri into the CS?

IMO had McCulloch not been reluctant to pursue and destroy the retreating Federal Force as Price was wont to do the way to CS control of Missouri might well have been open.

[Ozark Iron John]

You and I are singin' the same song Borderruffian.

*OIJ silently settles his horse and quickly checks his cap-n-balls to ensure his .44 cal. Remingtons are Charged.*


"One Of Forrest's Men"
by Don Troiani

[Ozark Iron John]

"Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier"

[whitworth]

The Confederacy never had a way or the means of maintaining a large army in Missouri. It was similar to what happened to the Confederacy in Kentucky, Tennessee and western Virginia.
The United States controlled the navigable streams and could bring troops and supplies to the point of attack, with their steamboats, better than the Confederates.

The United States was Riverboat Nation. That was why the Confederacy had great difficulty in Missouri, Kentucky and western Tennessee. Virginia and the Confederacy never could control western Virginia. All these areas, saw few large battles, as the Confederates at best, could conduct raids and wage guerrilla warfare.

[ole]

IMO had McCulloch not been reluctant to pursue and destroy the retreating Federal Force as Price was wont to do the way to CS control of Missouri might well have been open.

At the time, commanders on both sides had no idea that the war would be as long or as hard fought as it was. Almost like posturing and drawing lines and challenging. But I don't see where the CS could ever have hoped to be more than a major annoyance in the Trans-Mississippi.

Richmond was much to concerned with it's own hide to invest resources on the other side of the river--indeed, there were precious few resources to invest. I'll note that the Federals invested no more in the area than they absolutely had to. If it wasn't for the Mississippi and a concern for the Unionists, I doubt there would have been many Federal troops west of St. Louis and other points on the "Father of Waters."

But then, I'm just jabbering.

ole

[ole]

*OIJ silently settles his horse and quickly checks his cap-n-balls to ensure his .44 cal. Remingtons are Charged.*

Meanwhile, his horse groans and rolls its eyes as its knees begin to buckle. Cleverly, it exhales and tightens its abdominal muscles, hoping that the girth strap will will loosen enough to tip its load ingnonimously onto the ground. To be continued.

[johan_steele]

Ole; behave... Although; you're describing perfectly a horse w/ a nasty disposition that liked to chew on my knee and eventually figured out how to upended my heine into the cactus OIJ will see it as a personal attack.

[cw1865]

Originally Posted by Borderruffian

Was the failure to actively pursue and prosecute the Union retreat from the defeat at Wilsons Creek/Oak Hill (depending on the color of your sack coat or lack there of for you militia guys) a lost opportunity on the part of Confederates to strike a blow that would have brought Missouri into the CS?

I tend to agree because the Confederates trump card at the time is Gov. Jackson. The march should be on for the capital symbolically putting the legitimately elected governor back in power.

[ole]

Ole; behave... Although; you're describing perfectly a horse w/ a nasty disposition that liked to chew on my knee and eventually figured out how to upended my heine into the cactus OIJ will see it as a personal attack.

I'm so ashamed! But I didn't do it; nobody saw me do it; you can't prove a thing.

[johan_steele]

Originally Posted by ole

I'm so ashamed! But I didn't do it; nobody saw me do it; you can't prove a thing.

yeah, yeahand she showed you an id that proved she was over 21. You baaaad boy you.