Saphroneth
Lt. Colonel
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2017
Have you got any feasible alternatives yet? I've asked multiple times...Whining about reinforcements is not the answer. You have to work with what you have with you.
...and checked this to ensure that you hadn't provided any alternatives. I certainly didn't see them if they were there.I apologize I had provided the link on another thread.
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/before-the-seven-days-the-advance-to-the-chickahominy.19044/
Incidentally...
There are two arguments I can make against this.Whining about reinforcements is not the answer. You have to work with what you have with you.
The first is that this argument suggests anyone who ever asked for reinforcements was unjustified, which is obviously nonsense (but Grant only succeeded as much as he did in the Overland because he could simply order reinforcements to him).
The second is that McClellan was not whining for reinforcements in any sense of the word. He had been ordered to prepare for the imminent arrival of reinforcements (orders which were never rescinded) and he repeatedly made the point that without those reinforcements (which he had been promised) he could not safely attack Richmond, as his flank was exposed.
If the reinforcements had been outright cancelled and the order to operate against the rail lines north of Richmond rescinded, then McClellan could have pulled his entire force over the Chickahominy and used that as his flank guard. He would then have been technically able to very slowly and carefully attack Richmond, essentially fighting a battle of posts where he never risked uncovering his army (because Lee's army was larger than his) to get his guns in range to bombard.
But to do that historically would have meant disobeying orders and is my (4) option. You have claimed repeatedly that McClellan had alternatives to solve the operational conundrum, too many to list - so give one. Resigning does not solve the conundrum.