Civil War History - "What if..." DiscussionsWhat if they had attacked instead of digging in...? What if he was in charge of the army instead...? Did you ever have a "What if..." question, and you weren't sure where to post it? Here's the place to ask these speculative questions!
To follow up on my post in the "What if Hood had succeeded in the Tennessee campaign?" thread, I throw out the question...
"What if Hood had not invaded Tennessee? What other option were open to him once Sherman had taken Atlanta? If you were Hood, or perhaps Jeff Davis, what would you have done at that point? What was the best use of Hood's army? What else could he have done and what were the possibilities of success for those other option?
Were I Hood in Hood's position, I probably would have been huddling in my tent in the fetal position sucking my thumb. Right or wrong, you have to admire the tenacity of the rebels in fighting on when it certainly looked like all hope was lost.
Answered on the previous thread. But you and I would have a shoving match in that tent to see who got the best place under the cot.
ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
It is really hard to say what he could or would have done. If the thinking of Jeff Davis was to disrupt the election, then Hood did the right thing. If it was to help Lee, then he went the wrong direction.
Waiting for Sherman to make his move, Hood could have shifted north east in the direction of Va. No easy task, but would be out of touch with Sherman.
Of course, that would also leave a hugh gap in the west for Taylor and Forrest to defend with no help. It seems that the only person that Hoods march to Nashville really got the feathers ruffled was Grant.
Between Bragg and Johnston, the war was lost in the west early. It just took longer for the AOT to find that out.
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Located near Indianapolis, home of Col. Eli Lilly and the Eli Lilly Civil War Museum
The only viable strategic option for the south was to invade Tn, but not necessarily to Nashville.
With hindsight, it is obvious that the war in the west was guttering out.
Invading North to any strategic points in the West could only disrupt, not defeat Union plans there.
Strategically, the war was moving East. Lee at Petersburg, Athe remnant forces facing Sherman on the Eastern Seaboard of Ga. and Hood's AoT in Northern Ga. It does not take a Napoleon to recognize that the disperate confederate forces must be united and/or their movements be coordinated to a common goal.
The 'ideal' plan would be giving Johnston command to face Sherman with orders to 'delay' not necessarily to defeat Sherman's Army (orders much more to the liking of Johnston and more likely to be diligently obeyed than the other)
Hood to mask Nashville with Forrest's cavalry (I am assuming Hood's success at Spring Hill) Thomas, with Schofields force gone will take longer to regroup and be cautious with Forrest anywhere near.
Meanwhile, Hood, drops back south, and traverses to the East and moves toward Chattanooga, I do not know the status of the forces at Chattanooga in Dec - Jan 1864 - 65, but assume between the needs of Sherman and Thomas, they cannot be too good, in any case, Hood does not need to take the city merely by- pass it on his way to Knoxville, which ,again, does not have to be attacked or taken, merely masked and passed.
Northern intelligence, would likely to be slow and sketchy at first. It will seem that after Hoods movement back south and East is finally determined it will appear he is moving to get in Sherman's rear or ahead of him. After learning of his movements back North, Union thoughts will turn to the saftety of Chattanooga and after it is passed concern will center on Knoxville and only after it is finally learned that it also has been by passed will Hood' intention be realized. By then, it will be a foot race.
Just as Hood is approaching Knoxville, Lee will move out of the Petersburg defenses (again, I am assuming that Lincoln will have forced Grant to detach reinforcements to Chattanooga and Knoxville, by this time.)
Lee moving West, Hood moving East, meeting along one of the RR's leading South to Johnston.
Long odds; most certainly. Doomed to failure; very likely. The only viable option to what really happened; I Think So.
Say Hood walks over the garrison at Chattanooga and heads for Knoxville. He probably has enough force to do both. Now. Thomas can hardly get to Knoxville in time, especially if Hood takes up a lot of track behind him. Hood is getting fat on Yankee supplies and makes it to Virginia.
Does Burnside see the danger and start taking up track himself? (Burnside was still at Knoxville?) But Schofield and the garrisons at Murphreesboro and Chattanooga are hot on Hood's tail, so Hood has a significant force both before and behind him. Trapped? Or able to turn and fight on ground of his choosing?
Interesting. Thanx.
ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
I had two assumptions concerning Nashville and my proposed Chattanooga-Knoxville maneuver.
1) that Schofield loses his command at Spring Hill, Thus, Thomas will be without approx 29000 men from his projected force of approx 48000 (a 60% reduction in his planned for army). As I project it, with Forrest rampaging in the area and Hood's Army lost to view, Thomas would be more than his normal cautious self and little help for Chattanooga could be expected any time soon from him.
2) That Union leaders cannot get an accurate lock on Hood's movements or intentions. In real life Lincoln's and Grant's nerves were jumpy over the situation at Nashville, when things were not nearly so bad as a Confederate Army approaching Chattanooga, with little or no ready reinforcements available, would have been. So I would assume Lincoln could not take any chances this late in the war and would send reinforcements from the AoP, even over the protests of Grant.
IMO the commanders of Nashville, Chattanooga And Knoxville, would in the absensce of reliable intelligence, would tend to stick close to home near their formidable defensive lines. Hood's intent is to bypass those defensive positions on his way to Va., not take them. I think Thomas would be too away and too slow to help, I do not know who would be commanding at Chattanooga, but I do not see him as better than Thomas and of course, I would expect Burnside to be Burnside i.e. somewhere, somehow, he will slip up and make a major mistake and get defeated or outmaneuvered and left in the dust.
My only real caveat (and it is a Big One) is whether Hood and his Army could march all that way living off scattered Union forces. Southern Armies had a habit of marching further, faster on less supplies than Union Armies and I do not think my scenarios would be too out of routine for the AoT to overcome.
Not bad thinking here, but the rail line was broken below Knoxville. If Hood had gone below Knoxville, he would have had to cross the French Broad River at some point. Not very inviting that time of year. He was also on Unionest ground. The citizens there were not very happy with what Longstreet had done the year before. The rail line from Knoxville was well broken as a result of actions the year before and was not an option.
Assume that Hood stayed west of Atlanta and waited for Sherman to make his move. He then could have slipped north of Sherman and into Virgina almost unseen.
Forrest would have been a major diversion to Thomas and Granger in Tennessee and Alabama along with Wheeler. This could have been all that was needed to let him get to the east. Something to think about.
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Located near Indianapolis, home of Col. Eli Lilly and the Eli Lilly Civil War Museum
I agree that, Objectively, if reinforcing Lee with the AoT, was the agreed answer (by the southern leadership) to turn the war around in late 1864, Then, arguably, 'twere better it were done sooner,than later'.
However, IMO the southern leadership (Davis' especially) was not looking for such a drastic solution. For it meant giving up the West, even if temporarily, to save the East and maybe the war. but Davis was remarkably inflexible in some of his mind sets, and guarding all points of the Confederacy all the time, was one of them.
Before Sherman began his march across Ga. I do not think Davis would have accepted the necessity of abandoning the West and all that it would imply to the public both North and South.
In fact, did Davis ever contemplate reinforcing the East with the AoT until the final disaster? As far as I know, neither Davis, Lee or Hood were 'really' strategically engaged in the their planning for the last few mo's of the war.
If properly approached, Davis was capable of taking great risks, but it is likely that only the intervention of Lee and Hood, both arguing the same plan, with the actualy evidence of Sherman marching to the Sea, bhing and sixty-mile wall of fire, would have convinced Davis that a radical approach to the continuance of the war was required.
Ooops, guys. We're getting into an area where large-scale organization, cooperation and coordination are required -- in short, totally foreign and without precedent. This is a "what if;" not "Mission Impossible."
ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
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What if Hood had not invaded Tennessee? 
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