American tradition did not subscribe to a large, standing professional army. And the United States Regulars were strung across the country all the way to the frontier with very little concentration.
What if the USA had even a modest, concentrated standing army in 1861? If Lincoln had 15,000 professional soldiers, readily available to concentrate and play with, could he have routed the rebels at Bull Run and quickly made a move into Richmond and chopped the rebellion off immediately? Could he have made a more forceful move at Fort Sumter and asserted Federal authority in South Carolina? Could he have occupied some of the upper South states and maybe kept a couple more in the Union?
QUESTION: Do 15,000 professional Union soldiers in Washington in January 1861 have any chance of stopping the rebellion very quickly in its tracks?
What if the USA had even a modest, concentrated standing army in 1861? If Lincoln had 15,000 professional soldiers, readily available to concentrate and play with, could he have routed the rebels at Bull Run and quickly made a move into Richmond and chopped the rebellion off immediately? Could he have made a more forceful move at Fort Sumter and asserted Federal authority in South Carolina? Could he have occupied some of the upper South states and maybe kept a couple more in the Union?
QUESTION: Do 15,000 professional Union soldiers in Washington in January 1861 have any chance of stopping the rebellion very quickly in its tracks?