The One Greatest Ride of the Civil War...!

The Greatest Ride of the Civil War.....!!

  • CS J.E.B. Stuart: Ride around the AOP, 1862

    Votes: 43 30.5%
  • US Ben Grierson: Ride through Mississippi, 1863

    Votes: 37 26.2%
  • CS Jo Shelby: Ride through Missiouri. 1863

    Votes: 7 5.0%
  • CS Nathan Forrest: Ride through Tennessee, 1863

    Votes: 19 13.5%
  • CS John Mosby: Greenback Raid, 1863

    Votes: 6 4.3%
  • CS John Morgan: Ride to Ohio, 1863

    Votes: 16 11.3%
  • US James Wilson: Ride through Alabama, 1865

    Votes: 3 2.1%
  • US Phil Sheridan: Richmond Raid, 1864

    Votes: 3 2.1%
  • US A.D. Straight: Mule ride to Georgia. !863

    Votes: 2 1.4%
  • Another: I know I missed some....

    Votes: 5 3.5%

  • Total voters
    141
The greatest ride

Stuart's in'62. I think it had the greatest impact on future events. This was intelligence gathering at it's best and proved to Lee that the yankee right north of the river could be taken in flank.
 
I picked "another" and think Hampton's great cattle raid at City Point and movement back within the ANV lines at Petersburg took a lot of skill and experienced leadership to pull off. The rebels tormented the yanks with the smell of BBQ'd beef for days.
 
I have to go with Forrest's ride. I had a hard choice between Stuart's and Forrest's but in the end I went with Forrest. Stuart's ride may have been spectacular but in the end, although it did cause eventual consequences, it did nothing but delay Stuart getting to Gettysburg.

Forrest's ride was effective, he got a lot done. He took out some federals and added some victories to his record.
 
:sabre: Grierson He followed orders, It worked, Yes luck, What raid didn't? Throughly confused the Confederates. Like most of the other great raiders he was not a military man.
 
Dear Corporal Severon, Stuarts ride around the AOP in 1862 was after the battle of Seven Pines (I was raised on the battlefield) and before the Seven Days battles. I think you got confused with his attempt to ride around again in 1863.
 
Also... Stuart's RAMcC came at a time when the south had been suffering reverses on the battlefield (Seven Pines, Forts Henry and Donelson, and I think Norfolk had just been captured). It was a huge morale boost for the army and the civilian population, as well as successful in intelligence-gathering. Also he lost only one man.

That said, I was also tempted to vote for Grierson because it was such a big part in enabling Grant to get across the Mississippi. In its ramifications/fallout, it's probably the more important of the two. But as far as the rides per se, I voted Stuart.

We would expect no less from you....:angel:
 
I'm of the opinion Grierson was definitely supposed to keep Pemberton unhappy and Streight was supposed to keep Forrest out of everybody's hair. Streight was also to do as much damage as possible all the way to Rome and do in the foundry there - not that many foundries in the South all told and one less would help a lot - so it was a two-pronged diversion. Both Sherman and Grant worried about Forrest as he was a proven pain in their necks, probably the most effective in hamstringing them, and had foiled campaigns before. He and Van Dorn had made Grant turn back from investing Vicksburg once before. Grierson and his Butternut Guerillas were fantastic and did exactly their job better than expected; Streight, too, did his job although not as fantastically. Forrest had to pack a lunch to ride him down but he did it. I suspect he knew he was being played but he could either go after Grierson and let Streight wreck northern Alabama and northern Georgia, or go after Streight and let Grierson wreck Mississippi. There were cavalry units available in Mississippi and in trans-Mississippi, but he was about the only one available to stop Streight. He only barked at Dodge's bait then went after the mule brigade. And Streight couldn't do all the destruction he could have because Forrest was on his coat tails the whole way. Not a man you'd want after you! With Forrest gone - the most formidable cavalryman in that theater - and Grierson effectively riding through Mississippi, Grant's campaign against Vicksburg and Sherman's support operations had little impediment. Overall, as far as aiding the entire campaign, which was ultimately successful, I'd vote for both Grierson's raid and Streight's.
 
I never think of voting for two things.....darn it. But Diane, you're absolutely right--the two together are what worked so brilliantly. Forcing Forrest to toss a coin and pick one was pretty darned brilliant. Add to that the masterful job of misdirection and covering territory by Grierson, and you have....well, you have the stuff movies are made of!
 
I would go with Forrest.

Note you don't have Sheridan's Ride from Winchester to Cedar Creek which got a poem written after it....but it was only 12 miles, not twenty and he just galloped for the last few miles.

Made for good press though...
 
True elfdream. Rienzi might be one of the few war horses anyone can name. (Other than us, of course.)
 
Wasn't there a third diversionary raid in addition to Streight's and Grierson's? I might be dreaming, but seems that there were three sent out to keep NBF busy.
 
ole,

There were four diversionary missions altogether I believe. The other Union cavalry operation was Sooy Smith, coming out of La Grange with 1500 men. Is that the one you were thinking of?
 
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