Sherman's Red River Campaign?

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

Sherman was interested in leading the Red River Campaign when it was proposed to him. If he had commanded the operation instead of Banks how would it have looked differently?

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Great question !

I'm looking forward to some speculations.

 

[tony_gunter]

Sherman was interested in leading the Red River Campaign when it was proposed to him. If he had commanded the operation instead of Banks how would it have looked differently?

Did Sherman consider it more of a raid than a campaign, similar to Meridian?

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Did Sherman consider it more of a raid than a campaign, similar to Meridian?

Meridian was Sherman's dress rehearsal prior to Atlanta.

Personally, I doubt he would have had the same success along the Red River.

 

[bdtex]

Sherman was interested in leading the Red River Campaign when it was proposed to him. If he had commanded the operation instead of Banks how would it have looked differently?

Just spitballing here, but perhaps the lessons learned in the Chickasaw Bayou/Bluffs phase of the Vicksburg Campaign would have helped Sherman make better decisions than Banks in the Red River Campaign. The terrain and logistical issues were similar.

 

[Drew]

Sherman wasn't interested in it. He and Grant understood it was a fool's errand and the latter pulled him out of New Orleans before it started. End of discussion.

 

[gary]

Sherman was competent, Banks was not.

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

Just spitballing here, but perhaps the lessons learned in the Chickasaw Bayou/Bluffs phase of the Vicksburg Campaign would have helped Sherman make better decisions than Banks in the Red River Campaign. The terrain and logistical issues were similar.

There weren't really bluffs to deal with though, until reaching to the ridges around Shreveport, were there?

 

[bdtex]

There weren't really bluffs to deal with though, until reaching to the ridges around Shreveport, were there?

It wasn't really the bluffs I was thinking about. It was more the supplies and troops transportation logistics I was thinking about. The route to the battlefields was delta/bayou/river country. Again, I was just spitballing.

 

[LtGenHenryWagerHalleck]

It is impossible to imagine Sherman would have made the mistakes that Banks did. Him and Porter were good friends and worked exceedingly well together. During the expedition on the Yazoo Sherman pushed a force to save the trapped ironclads and the two men trusted each other greatly.

Banks made a critical and inexplicable blunder when he abandoned Porters fleet at grand score this not only left the fleet to its fate against low water ,sabotage and ambushes from the shores, but it also deprived his forces of the support of the big naval guns and supplies. An average river steamer carries roughly 500 tons of supplies it take hundreds of mile driven wagons to carry such supplies. Sherman who was obsessive about logistics would not have neglected this fact.

Sherman also was a by the books West Point trained general who knew to protect his supply train and concentrate his forces which Banks failed to do prior to the battle of Sabine crossroads

It is difficult to speculate but the campaign would not have failed in the way it did. Still Sherman and his forces were needed in Atlanta.

The campaign had strategic and diplomatic merits with respect to limiting French influence and their potential involvement in the rebellion. The plan was sound in many respects but for Banks improvisation

Very respectfully, your obedient servant

H. W. HALLECK

 

[Stryker65]

I may be forgetting something, but I'm pretty sure Sherman was undefeated in open-field battles, which Sabine Crossroads was, of course. Sherman didn't do so well with entrenchments, as seen at Chickasaw and Kennesaw (a lot of saws!), but I think he certainly would have done better in this environment. Especially with use of his cavalry.