What If Johnston Wasn't Wounded?

[Manassas 1861]

If Joe Johnston wasn't wounded at Seven Pines, would McClellan's peninsula campaign have been able to end the war? Or would the war have lasted longer or end differently?

I think that McClellan slowly would've pushed Johnston back into Richmond, leading to a siege and later the surrender of Johnston's army.

 

[Scott1967]

I think even Johnston understood that once siege guns are placed within range of a town or city its curtains he would have had to attack regardless of his instincts to sit behind the defences I think Lee and Davis would have made that abundantly clear to him.

 

[RedRover]

If Joe Johnston wasn't wounded at Seven Pines, would McClellan's peninsula campaign have been able to end the war? Or would the war have lasted longer or end differently?

I think that McClellan slowly would've pushed Johnston back into Richmond, leading to a siege and later the surrender of Johnston's army.

Richmond might have fallen, but Johnston apparently wasn't the sort to let an army get into the bag so easily. That's what kept him out of Jefferson Davis' good graces. He wouldn't get his army into the bag at Vicksburg, and when it appeared he would let Atlanta fall rather than sacrifice his army, Davis replaced him with Hood.

All that said, even if the Army of Northern Virginia escaped the fall of Richmond in 1862, the blow might have been fatal to faith in the Confederate effort, which tottered along through 1864 even with the rise of General Lee's fortunes. General Longstreet stating that he was convinced of Confederate defeat in October, 1863. Forrest by December, 1863, etc.