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How do you explain the 40,000 casoualties he inflicted on Sherman's forces?
Don,
Sherman's total loss was less than 40,000 (just over 37,000 as gunny has stated). This includes all the fighting against Hood as well as the fighting against Johnston. August was quiet, and most Union fighting was on the defensive in July, so it is pretty reasonable to suspect 60% of the 37,000 could be attributed to Johnston if you want -- but that would only be a bit over 20,000 Union casualties. (Killed/wounded/missing)
In Virginia, Lee bled the Union of a far larger number in the same period of time. Just adding up Union casualties at the Wilderness, Todd's Tavern, and Spotsylvania C. H. would far outstrip the casualties Johnston inflicted on Sherman. For just Meade's Army of the Potomac, Union casualties at the Wilderness were 29,410; for Spotsylvania, 10,381. For the entire period May 5 to November 1, Meade's report says he lost 88,387. (Killed/wounded/missing)
The Atlanta Campaign is an interesting one to study, and both Sherman and Johnston revealed themselves as good soldiers here. But Union casualties in Virginia were far greater, so much so that Johnston would have had to virtually wipe out Sherman to the last man to equal the raw numbers.
29k ?? I have heared about such number for the first time. Generally I have read about 17-18k casaulties. From which source comes this number?
General Meade's report, dated Nov. 1, 1864. However, it is broken down into periods that do not relate exactly to the dates of individual battles.
If you have a copy of the Official Records available, it is in:
O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME XXXVI/1 [S# 67]
MAY 4-JUNE 12, 1864--Campaign from the Rapidan to the James River, Va.
No. 3.--Report of Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, U.S. Army, commanding Army of the Potomac.
The actual period given for the Wilderness is May 5-12. The actual period given for Spotsylvania is May 12-21. Broken out that way, various skirmishes, engagements and fights (such as Sheridan's expedition from Todd's Tavern down to Yellow Tavern and the James River) would be included, going beyond what most of us think of as the two-day Battle of the Wilderness or the Battle of Spotsylvania.
It is unclear to me if those figures include the Ninth Corps of General Burnside, which was not assigned to Meade until June 24. This is effectively the first 2-and-a-half weeks of what some AoP veterans referred to as "The Forty Days" of Grant's Overland Campaign, where Grant took some 60,000 casualties.
(In addition to the foregoing) "To which add the prisoners and deserters in the Army of the Cumberland September 1st to 20th, 3,065 making a total aggregate of 12,983."
My misreading (and yours) would bring the total to 40,146.
(In addition to the foregoing) "To which add the prisoners and deserters in the Army of the Cumberland September 1st to 20th, 3,065 making a total aggregate of 12,983."
My misreading (and yours) would bring the total to 40,146.
That is a fairly difficult report to read because the wording is misleading and the subordinate reports don't match up exactly.
However, the 3,065 deserters and prisoners he is referring to here are Confederates scooped up by Thomas and the Army of the Cumberland in September. The reason is that the other two armies had submitted reports that covered the entire period of the campaign, while the equivalent AoC reports available when the table of captures was compiled ended August 31. Sherman's report is saying you should add this final 3,065 to make them all include the same dates, bringing him to the 12,983 prisoners and deserters he claims to have acquired from the Confederates.
Total Union loss for the campaign is: 4988 killed, 24827 wounded, and 4708 missing, according to Sherman -- plus another 2587 total in the AoC for the period September 1-15, for the same reason the POW count needs to be adjusted. This is how he gets to 37,081 casualties, which is what he reports as his total casualties for the entire campaign.
The AoC actions from September 1-15 would have included Jonesborough and Lovejoy Station.
If Johnston had not been wounded at Seven Pines, I believe the battle for Richmond would have became a seige or the city would have been abandoned. Either way, it would have been devastating for the Confederacy.
An interesting speculation concerning Johnstons' remaining in command after Seven Pines is how close a race would it have been between Johnston retreating from Richmond or McClellan having a nervous break down, from his constant battles with Lincoln's demand for decisive action.
Ter, your dire conclusion does, as Opn pointed out, assume that McClellan would have advanced and laid siege on Richmond. On the other hand, that was his intention, and I think Lincoln would have, for a while at least, been satisfied with a siege.
Next question, how effective would a siege have been? It took Grant months to break Petersburg with a much-depleted body of defenders. The defenders in 1862 would have been much better equipped and supplied. If an aggressive general had so much trouble three years later against a worn-out army, would an overly-cautious general have done much better against fresh troops?
OK. I forgot, JEJ would have been the defender in '62. And under Davis' thumb. I dunno. Any thoughts?
Ole
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