At an antique mall yesterday I bought a copy of the Civil War Times, May 1969, a special feature issue on the battle of Chickamauga. Near the end are a couple of "what ifs", Union victory and Confederate followup of their win. Here's what they said about a victorious Rosecrans:
"In the fall and winter of 1863 he undoubtedly would have been the outstanding Northern general of the war, with a series of impressive victories and no defeats in his record."
"Grant would not have had the opportunity at Chattanooga to break Bragg's investment, to win at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, and, in turn, to gain promotion to be lieutenant general."
"Rosecrans likely would have been called to command in Virginia, instead of Grant."
"The country might never have experienced the years of the Grant Presidency, nor the easy tolerance of carpet bag rule in the South."
Here's what they said about an aggressive Bragg following up his victory:
"By compelling Rosecrans and Burnside to fall back and defend the Ohio River cities, Bragg would have recovered East and central Tennessee and nullified the efforts of more than two years by Northern armies."
"The North, restive after the draft riots and with ardent advocates urging peace, might well have concluded that the South was too vast a territory to be subjugated."
"Lincoln's task of saving the Union would have been made much more difficult, if not impossible."
"Sherman's campaign into Georgia would have been most unlikely, and amy simuilar campaign would have been long delayed, if ever undertaken"
"Lincoln, whose re-election in 1864 has usually been attributed to Sherman's capture of Atlanta likely would have been defeated."
"Southern hopes, beginning to languish, would have been revived, bringing deserters sown from the mountains and giving general impetus to the Confederate cause."
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Agree or Disagree?
"In the fall and winter of 1863 he undoubtedly would have been the outstanding Northern general of the war, with a series of impressive victories and no defeats in his record."
"Grant would not have had the opportunity at Chattanooga to break Bragg's investment, to win at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, and, in turn, to gain promotion to be lieutenant general."
"Rosecrans likely would have been called to command in Virginia, instead of Grant."
"The country might never have experienced the years of the Grant Presidency, nor the easy tolerance of carpet bag rule in the South."
Here's what they said about an aggressive Bragg following up his victory:
"By compelling Rosecrans and Burnside to fall back and defend the Ohio River cities, Bragg would have recovered East and central Tennessee and nullified the efforts of more than two years by Northern armies."
"The North, restive after the draft riots and with ardent advocates urging peace, might well have concluded that the South was too vast a territory to be subjugated."
"Lincoln's task of saving the Union would have been made much more difficult, if not impossible."
"Sherman's campaign into Georgia would have been most unlikely, and amy simuilar campaign would have been long delayed, if ever undertaken"
"Lincoln, whose re-election in 1864 has usually been attributed to Sherman's capture of Atlanta likely would have been defeated."
"Southern hopes, beginning to languish, would have been revived, bringing deserters sown from the mountains and giving general impetus to the Confederate cause."
__________________________________________________________________________
Agree or Disagree?
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