Harms88
Sergeant
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2019
One of the more fascinating 'what ifs' for me is the one where in the Wilderness, Lee, Stuart and their staffs ran into a squad of Union soldiers. They ended up staring at each other, than drifting apart, most likely because the appearance of Confederate riders spooked the Federals. But what if it happened where the Federals fired on the group and hit Lee and Stuart? With Longstreet also going down, what would have become the command structure of the Army of Northern Virginia?
Would someone within the Army rise to command (like Hood would for the Army of Tennessee)? Or would an outsider be brought in? And if so, which commander would Davis have put in charge? And how would they have conducted the Army?
My own belief is that Beauregard takes command, and pulls the majority of the AONV back to protect Richmond while allowing a detachment, perhaps the Second Corps, to conduct a very Napoleonic-esque lightning campaign such as the Six Days Campaign of the 1814 Invasion of France, constantly hitting in small battles. But what do you guys think?
Would someone within the Army rise to command (like Hood would for the Army of Tennessee)? Or would an outsider be brought in? And if so, which commander would Davis have put in charge? And how would they have conducted the Army?
My own belief is that Beauregard takes command, and pulls the majority of the AONV back to protect Richmond while allowing a detachment, perhaps the Second Corps, to conduct a very Napoleonic-esque lightning campaign such as the Six Days Campaign of the 1814 Invasion of France, constantly hitting in small battles. But what do you guys think?