OldReliable1862
First Sergeant
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2017
- Location
- Georgia
It seems that, of all the Confederates failures and missed opportunities in the Western theater, few entailed so many disasters in rapid succession as those of late 1861 and early 1862 - the invasion of Kentucky, the defeat at Mill Springs and subsequent evacuation of Kentucky, the loss of Forts Henry and Donelson, the fall of Nashville, the defeat at Shiloh, and the loss of Corinth. The question on my mind is: could anything have been done better? I've made a list of possible opportunities, and thought they might generate some discussion. Which scenario do you think works best, or is there another I missed entirely?
1) Better locations for Forts Henry and Donelson: While this scenario does not alter Kentucky's neutrality, I still wonder if better locations could have been found to build these crucial forts.
2) No invasion of Kentucky: Polk and Pillow's impetuous move into Kentucky was undoubtedly one of the war's great blunders. It ruined any hope of Southern sentiment winning out in Kentucky, and extended the alteady massive line the Confederates had to defend. Had Polk waited, Frémont would have sent Grant to Paducah only a few days later, probably causing Unionists in the state to be so cowed as to allow Polk and his rebels to be invited in. Kentucky's men and resources, along with her geographical postion, would have been invaluable to the Confederacy.
3) Finishing the Nashville ironclads earlier: This scenario is probably more potent when combined with #4a/b, but could still be useful at Fort Donelson. Foote may not have been able to advance with such confidence up the Cumberland had he met real oppostion, and two ironclad gunboats would surely have provided that.
4a) Properly reinforcing Donelson: While many condemn Sidney Johnston for the failures of December to May, I hold the one truly great mistake undeniably his own was his indecision regarding Donelson. He should either have gone there personally with his forces to make his stand there, or evacuated to defend Nashville later. What he went with was the worst of both worlds. Had he gone with the former, it seems Grant is forced into a siege, which is probably worse for Johnston than him.
4b) Evacuating Donelson, defending Nashville: Here, Johnston evacuates the fort, and decides to defend Nashville, probably digging in at the bend in the Cumberland below Dover, with his right flank on the river. How this battle would go, I'm not sure.
5) Davis sending Bragg early: In his diary, Josiah Gorgas sharply criticised Davis for not dispatching Bragg and his Gulf troops earlier to Johnston. The presence of 10,000 more troops at Donelson could change Grant's plans significantly.
6) Victory at Shiloh: According to some, Beauregard's plan was over-ambitious, while Johnston's was more feasible. While the green troops will still present an issue, a victory on the level of Second Manassas could easily set the Confederates on the path to more successes.
7) "Lee of the West" Johnston survives Shiloh: this only counts as "better" if you believe Johnston had the potential to become a better commander. You have those who hold he was a hopeless incompetent, and those who suggest he had the makings of a "Lee of the West", hence my specifying "which Johnston" survives the battle. While it seems there was little that could have done more effectively at Corinth, Johnston could have decided to take his army into Kentucky as Bragg did, or follow Hood's path into Tennessee to Nashville.
1) Better locations for Forts Henry and Donelson: While this scenario does not alter Kentucky's neutrality, I still wonder if better locations could have been found to build these crucial forts.
2) No invasion of Kentucky: Polk and Pillow's impetuous move into Kentucky was undoubtedly one of the war's great blunders. It ruined any hope of Southern sentiment winning out in Kentucky, and extended the alteady massive line the Confederates had to defend. Had Polk waited, Frémont would have sent Grant to Paducah only a few days later, probably causing Unionists in the state to be so cowed as to allow Polk and his rebels to be invited in. Kentucky's men and resources, along with her geographical postion, would have been invaluable to the Confederacy.
3) Finishing the Nashville ironclads earlier: This scenario is probably more potent when combined with #4a/b, but could still be useful at Fort Donelson. Foote may not have been able to advance with such confidence up the Cumberland had he met real oppostion, and two ironclad gunboats would surely have provided that.
4a) Properly reinforcing Donelson: While many condemn Sidney Johnston for the failures of December to May, I hold the one truly great mistake undeniably his own was his indecision regarding Donelson. He should either have gone there personally with his forces to make his stand there, or evacuated to defend Nashville later. What he went with was the worst of both worlds. Had he gone with the former, it seems Grant is forced into a siege, which is probably worse for Johnston than him.
4b) Evacuating Donelson, defending Nashville: Here, Johnston evacuates the fort, and decides to defend Nashville, probably digging in at the bend in the Cumberland below Dover, with his right flank on the river. How this battle would go, I'm not sure.
5) Davis sending Bragg early: In his diary, Josiah Gorgas sharply criticised Davis for not dispatching Bragg and his Gulf troops earlier to Johnston. The presence of 10,000 more troops at Donelson could change Grant's plans significantly.
6) Victory at Shiloh: According to some, Beauregard's plan was over-ambitious, while Johnston's was more feasible. While the green troops will still present an issue, a victory on the level of Second Manassas could easily set the Confederates on the path to more successes.
7) "Lee of the West" Johnston survives Shiloh: this only counts as "better" if you believe Johnston had the potential to become a better commander. You have those who hold he was a hopeless incompetent, and those who suggest he had the makings of a "Lee of the West", hence my specifying "which Johnston" survives the battle. While it seems there was little that could have done more effectively at Corinth, Johnston could have decided to take his army into Kentucky as Bragg did, or follow Hood's path into Tennessee to Nashville.