The Davis plan

[atlantis]

As I understand the war plan of Davis was to defend the borders. He has taken a lot of criticism on this but what other options did he have.

 

[leftyhunter]

War of 1812.

Not really has the British were once again fighting a two front war on the Indian Subcontinent . The US did try offensive warfare in Canada but that didn't work out. The war of 1812 was more of a stalemate but yes the US kept it's independence but had to leave British Canada alone.

War of 1812.

British Army during the Napoleonic Wars - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The British Army was rather busy fighting Napoleon in Western Europe plus where fighting against the Gurkhas in in Nepal so they can only send so many troops to fight the Americans. The Americans did fight an offensive war in Canada but could not sieze territory.
Leftyhunter

 

[NedBaldwin]

War of 1812.

A myth we are taught as school kids is that the US won that war

 

[Nathan Towne]

With the manpower limitations that the CSA had, it was simply not possible to defend every inch of the Confederacy. What they could do is trade space in order to lengthen US supply lines and give the CSA forces time to concentrate and give themselves a reasonable chance to knock out a US army (if fairness, no one knew how difficult that would turn out to be).

Ryan

You are absolutely right, of course, that there was no way for the Confederacy to defend against all threats everywhere.

However, it is equally true that the Confederacy could not afford to cede much ground for economic and logistical reasons, which was desperately needed for the war effort.

It was just a catch-22. Pick your poison.

 

[rpkennedy]

You are absolutely right, of course that there was no way for the Confederacy to defend against all threats everywhere.

However, it is equally true that the Confederacy could not afford to cede much ground for economic and logistical reasons, which was desperately needed for the war effort.

It was just a catch-22. Pick your poison.

Which is why Lee's strategy was the only one that had a real chance of success. They needed to take the fight to the enemy and either win on Northern soil or at least inflict enough damage so that the Northern public would push for peace. Unfortunately, that strategy cost a lot of Southern lives.

Ryan

 

[Nathan Towne]

Which is why Lee's strategy was the only one that had a real chance of success. They needed to take the fight to the enemy and either win on Northern soil or at least inflict enough damage so that the Northern public would push for peace. Unfortunately, that strategy cost a lot of Southern lives.

Ryan

Yeah, some sort of negotiated settlement was the most likely path to Confederate independence, I think, at least in a vacuum.

 

[leftyhunter]

Yeah, some sort of negotiated settlement was the most likely path to Confederate independence, I think, at least in a vacuum.

No because the president of the United States has no legal authority to allow any state or part of any state to become its own country. The Confederacy had to succeed by force of arms to create an independent slave republic. Their was nothing to negotiate.
Leftyhunter

 

[major bill]

If the South had said that secession would not affect commercial navigation on the Mississippi and in its territorial waters in the Gulf and the Atlantic, there would not have been the eruption of war fever that Grant witnessed in Galena and Illinois and throughout the Midwest when Ft. Sumter was fired upon. Instead, the South, at Davis' urging, imposed on absolute embargo on all water-borne trade between the Midwest and the rest of the world.

There was no way thy could promise that commercial navigation on the Mississippi River could be insured. The river went through more than one Confederate state and each state would have had their own view. Was Davis some how empowered to predict what the Confederate legislature would be able to pass? Commercial navigation on the Mississippi and other rivers was a hammer a free Confederacy would have been free to use against the Union in every negation.

 

[LetUsHavePeace]

There was no way thy could promise that commercial navigation on the Mississippi River could be insured. The river went through more than one Confederate state and each state would have had their own view. Was Davis some how empowered to predict what the Confederate legislature would be able to pass? Commercial navigation on the Mississippi and other rivers was a hammer a free Confederacy would have been free to use against the Union in every negation.

True. But Davis removed all doubt about the ability of northern farmers to continue to ship hogs, lard, corn and flour south to New Orleans. He dropped the hammer before the Midwesterners even had a chance to ask if they could continue their trade.