But he'd have planted his HQ on the powder ship...
But seriously, the tactical decisions that boggled Butler's military mind would have been addressed by Burnside's. He had handled independent commands competently in the past; save for stone walls and bridges, had done well. He certainly would not have up and gone home without a determined effort at tackling the fort. And he had a history of cooperation with the navy. Porter wouldn't have had to worry about him and coddle him and ultimately save his tooshy like he had to do with Butler. Old Burny would have acquitted himself well, in my humble estimation. That's not to say he would have reduced the fort, which was really a tough egg to crack. But at least the Union would have realized just how much force would be required.
Would have deprived Grant and the army of one thing though, and they would have had to have waited for some other Butler- inspired disaster to rid themselves of this most worrisome general.
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'It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag'
-Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC.
Last edited by ewc; 08-12-2005 at 03:15 PM.
Reason: cleaning up
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