Josh The Lighthouse Guy
Major
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2012
- Location
- Jupiter, FL
In the fall of 1863 and early 1864, the Army of the Potomac had a serious upper leadership problem (corps and division). Deaths, injuries, ineffectiveness, arguably some outright incompetence, and some people Meade simply didn't like. Five corps were reorganized into three: because of losses at Gettysburg, to make the army easier to manage, to squeeze some generals out, and because of a perceived shortage of good corps commanders.
After reorganization, the corps commanders were Sedgwick, Hancock, and Warren.
Hancock never really recovered from his Gettysburg wound and had to resign as corps commander after the Overland Campaign. Meade wanted and needed a healthy Hancock at corps commander.
I don't think Meade was inclined to replace Sedgwick. He was popular, had seniority, and was competent. However, by early 1864 it should have been obvious he was slow and cautious, to a fault.
Warren proved in the long term not to be cut out for corps command, although that wasn't apparent before the Overland Campaign.
Besides those already in the AOTP who did later become corps commanders (Humphreys, Wright, and Gibbon) what realistic options were there outside the AOTP?
Three obvious answers to me are Baldy Smith, Franklin, and Couch. I don't think Meade would have wanted any of them back in the AOTP and I don't think they would have been improvements anyways.
Henry Slocum or Alpheus Williams seem like logical options, if Sherman would spare them. Meade was familiar with them, but I'm not sure what he thought of them. I doubt Sherman would have been willing to spare any of his other top guys. (Howard was definitely not coming back.)
Edward Ord is someone Grant liked a lot and he was Sherman's West Point roommate, but I don't know what Meade thought of him (I can imagine Meade would have come to hate him though). Dave Powell's book about New Market illustrates Ord weaseled his way into a WV command for the 1864 campaigns then quickly weaseled his way back out when he saw how messy the situation was, doing Sigel no favors in the process. His war record seems surprisingly peripheral so it seems difficult to evaluate his quality as a commander.
Given Grant's dislike of Rosecrans I don't see him getting a second chance as a corps commander in Virginia. I don't suppose Meade knew him.
Sheridan probably would have been much better for the AOTP as an infantry corps commander rather than as the cavalry corps commander. (I think our esteemed cavalry guru Eric Wittenberg has previously given the learned opinion that, with Buford dead, Wesley Merritt should have gotten the position.)
Are there any other realistic options I'm overlooking? Some Major General on the sidelines in the winter of 1863-1864 that might have been better than Sedgwick, Warren, or a weakened Hancock and also acceptable to Meade, Grant, and Lincoln? (So definitely not McClellan or Buell.)
After reorganization, the corps commanders were Sedgwick, Hancock, and Warren.
Hancock never really recovered from his Gettysburg wound and had to resign as corps commander after the Overland Campaign. Meade wanted and needed a healthy Hancock at corps commander.
I don't think Meade was inclined to replace Sedgwick. He was popular, had seniority, and was competent. However, by early 1864 it should have been obvious he was slow and cautious, to a fault.
Warren proved in the long term not to be cut out for corps command, although that wasn't apparent before the Overland Campaign.
Besides those already in the AOTP who did later become corps commanders (Humphreys, Wright, and Gibbon) what realistic options were there outside the AOTP?
Three obvious answers to me are Baldy Smith, Franklin, and Couch. I don't think Meade would have wanted any of them back in the AOTP and I don't think they would have been improvements anyways.
Henry Slocum or Alpheus Williams seem like logical options, if Sherman would spare them. Meade was familiar with them, but I'm not sure what he thought of them. I doubt Sherman would have been willing to spare any of his other top guys. (Howard was definitely not coming back.)
Edward Ord is someone Grant liked a lot and he was Sherman's West Point roommate, but I don't know what Meade thought of him (I can imagine Meade would have come to hate him though). Dave Powell's book about New Market illustrates Ord weaseled his way into a WV command for the 1864 campaigns then quickly weaseled his way back out when he saw how messy the situation was, doing Sigel no favors in the process. His war record seems surprisingly peripheral so it seems difficult to evaluate his quality as a commander.
Given Grant's dislike of Rosecrans I don't see him getting a second chance as a corps commander in Virginia. I don't suppose Meade knew him.
Sheridan probably would have been much better for the AOTP as an infantry corps commander rather than as the cavalry corps commander. (I think our esteemed cavalry guru Eric Wittenberg has previously given the learned opinion that, with Buford dead, Wesley Merritt should have gotten the position.)
Are there any other realistic options I'm overlooking? Some Major General on the sidelines in the winter of 1863-1864 that might have been better than Sedgwick, Warren, or a weakened Hancock and also acceptable to Meade, Grant, and Lincoln? (So definitely not McClellan or Buell.)
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