Removing Grant

[atlantis]

By the time cold harbor is over it is clear the ANV has a problem Grant is a bulldog who is not going away. Could the confederates solve the problem of Grant by spreading rumors of drunkenness on duty. Did they try? Would it work was it possible to convince union soldiers/public/politicians and Lincoln that Grant was nothing more than a drunken butcher blundering around the Virginia countryside.
Something had to be done the constant contact approach was wearing down the ANV. Or should they have tried to get a sharpshooter with a specific mission of taking out Grant.

Your Thoughts.

 

[35th MA InfRegt]

By the time cold harbor is over it is clear the ANV has a problem Grant is a bulldog who is not going away. Could the confederates solve the problem of Grant by spreading rumors of drunkenness on duty. Did they try? Would it work was it possible to convince union soldiers/public/politicians and Lincoln that Grant was nothing more than a drunken butcher blundering around the Virginia countryside.
Something had to be done the constant contact approach was wearing down the ANV. Or should they have tried to get a sharpshooter with a specific mission of taking out Grant.

Your Thoughts.

I seem to recall that Grant was publicly labelled a drunkard after Shiloh so I highly doubt that rumours would be enough to undo him. As long as he was seen to be advancing, or at least fighting, the Republicans would stand behind him. I think a debacle on the scale of Second Manassas would be needed to undo Grant.

As for the assassination mission, that may be a more viable approach, but one wonders if Bobby Lee would have approved of such a thing.

 

[captaindrew]

Lincoln probably wouldn't have cared less about rumors as long as he was providing results

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

By the time cold harbor is over it is clear the ANV has a problem Grant is a bulldog who is not going away. Could the confederates solve the problem of Grant by spreading rumors of drunkenness on duty. Did they try? Would it work was it possible to convince union soldiers/public/politicians and Lincoln that Grant was nothing more than a drunken butcher blundering around the Virginia countryside.
Something had to be done the constant contact approach was wearing down the ANV. Or should they have tried to get a sharpshooter with a specific mission of taking out Grant.

Your Thoughts.

I believe that Lincoln realized that he had the bulldog that he wanted, and could not have been persuaded to relieve him of command.

 

[dlofting]

Officers drinking, even during a battle, was not frowned on, like it would be today, unless the officer was so drunk that he couldn't carry out his duties.

So even if the propaganda could be widely spread I don't think it would have had much effect.

 

[archieclement]

As well what difference would it made?

The Union Army would remained twice size of the Confederates. As well largely veteran troops by this point. Perhaps both sides take few less casualties as Confederates drove to Richmond, but don't see how it materially would change events in any significant manner.

 

[gary]

Grant had enough detractors (including that back stabbing Halleck) and Charles Dana was sent out to spy on Grant. Dana was impressed enough to became an ally and advocate.

 

[atlantis]

Did not the ranks refuse to do the last assault at cold harbor, what does that indicate to you all. I am probably clutching at straws but was there not some opportunity to incite mutiny or widespread desertion against Grant. After all these were not westerners familiar with Grant but easterners and after cold harbor a lot of the veterans were gone. Even if you could not paint him as a drunkard, you could possibly paint him as indifferent to the lives of his men which may play differently with green troops compared to veterans.

 

[Krieger]

As angry and loud as the Copperheads were about high casualties, Grant hadn't failed to produce results. There was a lot of frustration but not a huge loss of faith in eventual victory. I imagine the soldiers in the ranks were very fed up with the constant assaults that were at best indecisive, but they weren't naive about the fact that the campaign would be very bloody and their ire was directed at basically everyone above them and not just Grant. They still knew that, if nothing else, they were finally at the gates of Richmond again and had still done more damage to the Confederate army than in any previous campaign.