Joshism
Captain
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2012
- Location
- Jupiter, FL
In 1861, 1862, and 1863 the war seemed very winnable for the Confederates.
In 1864, things seemed bad for the Confederates, but they had a reasonable chance of winning by dragging the war out to cause Lincoln's defeat at the polls.
But then we come to January 1865:
By early 1865 what cards did the Confederates seriously think they still had left to play that could result in victory (defined as they defined it: independence)? There was certainly a grass-roots peace/surrender movement in some areas, but why was there no serious pro-surrender faction in the Confederate government? Were the Confederates simply stubborn?
Does the behavior of Confederate leaders in 1865 in the face of an utterly hopeless situation tell us anything about their willingness to unilaterally secede and wage war in 1861?
In 1864, things seemed bad for the Confederates, but they had a reasonable chance of winning by dragging the war out to cause Lincoln's defeat at the polls.
But then we come to January 1865:
- Lee is still locked with Grant at Petersburg. The ANV is bleeding deserters, especially in the wake of Sherman's March to the Sea, and Lee knows it.
- Sheridan has laid waste to the Shenandoah Valley and crushed the Confederate forces there.
- Sherman has taken Atlanta and Savannah, making a morale-crushing and resourced-destroying march across Georgia in the process.
- The only Confederate army of any significant size besides Lee's has been utterly wrecked at Franklin and Nashville. The rements start moving east to the Carolinas to confront Sherman, but the Confederate command knows how few are left.
- Price's last ditch raid in Missouri has utterly failed.
- Fort Fisher falls on January 15, 1865. The loss of Wilmington closes the last Confederate port of any vaguely meaningful size east of Galveston.
By early 1865 what cards did the Confederates seriously think they still had left to play that could result in victory (defined as they defined it: independence)? There was certainly a grass-roots peace/surrender movement in some areas, but why was there no serious pro-surrender faction in the Confederate government? Were the Confederates simply stubborn?
Does the behavior of Confederate leaders in 1865 in the face of an utterly hopeless situation tell us anything about their willingness to unilaterally secede and wage war in 1861?