Thomas Succeeds Buell

Joshism

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What if George Thomas, instead of Rosecrans, replaced Buell in fall 1862?

Bragg is still at Murfreesboro and Washington still wants action. Who is the corps/wing commander in place of Thomas? What is Thomas's likely plan of attack, which is presumably much different than Rosecrans'? What is the result and what happens in 1863?

Meanwhile, where does Rosecrans end up?
 
Well, here's the thing George H. Thomas was a shy individual he didn't seem too enthuastic of taking someone's else duties and Thomas would have just left it to Buell or Rosecrans even if he was offered the opportunity.
 
Well, here's the thing George H. Thomas was a shy individual he didn't seem too enthuastic of taking someone's else duties and Thomas would have just left it to Buell or Rosecrans even if he was offered the opportunity.

He ended up army commander in 1864 despite this.

There's also the Burnside approach: instead of offering the position simply order them to take it.
 
What if George Thomas, instead of Rosecrans, replaced Buell in fall 1862?

Bragg is still at Murfreesboro and Washington still wants action. Who is the corps/wing commander in place of Thomas? What is Thomas's likely plan of attack, which is presumably much different than Rosecrans'? What is the result and what happens in 1863?

Meanwhile, where does Rosecrans end up?
Well, here's the thing George H. Thomas was a shy individual he didn't seem too enthuastic of taking someone's else duties and Thomas would have just left it to Buell or Rosecrans even if he was offered the opportunity.
Oddly enough, Thomas had already done much that very thing, but it was Grant who he had replaced! Following Shiloh, Henry Halleck "punished" Grant for being surprised there by "kicking him upstairs" into the do-nothing position of his (Halleck's) second-in-command during his campaign against Corinth and replacing him at the head of the Army of the Tennessee with Thomas. (If that situation had lasted think what a "what if" scenario it could've been!) Thomas indeed did command Grant's army until Halleck was summoned to Washington as general-in-chief. Stupidly, Thomas himself then became second-in-command to Buell, a truly wasteful appointment because it left a third of Buell's army at Perryville in the hands of one Charles Gilbert, who shortly before that had been a mere captain in the Regular Army! Due to the notorious "sound anomaly" occurring during the battle, Both Buell and Thomas sat it out along with Crittenden's third, leaving McCook and Gilbert to muddle through as best they could. Gilbert was considered an abject failure and Perryville was his only battle.
 
He ended up army commander in 1864 despite this.

There's also the Burnside approach: instead of offering the position simply order them to take it.
Oddly enough, Thomas had already done much that very thing, but it was Grant who he had replaced! Following Shiloh, Henry Halleck "punished" Grant for being surprised there by "kicking him upstairs" into the do-nothing position of his (Halleck's) second-in-command during his campaign against Corinth and replacing him at the head of the Army of the Tennessee with Thomas. (If that situation had lasted think what a "what if" scenario it could've been!) Thomas indeed did command Grant's army until Halleck was summoned to Washington as general-in-chief. Stupidly, Thomas himself then became second-in-command to Buell, a truly wasteful appointment because it left a third of Buell's army at Perryville in the hands of one Charles Gilbert, who shortly before that had been a mere captain in the Regular Army! Due to the notorious "sound anomaly" occurring during the battle, Both Buell and Thomas sat it out along with Crittenden's third, leaving McCook and Gilbert to muddle through as best they could. Gilbert was considered an abject failure and Perryville was his only battle.
Well Halleck he just had Grant and Thomas lay out in rather inferior positions while he claimed all the glory at least until 1864.
 
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