Yankee Victorious

[Luke Freet]

I think most here are familiar with Peter Tsouras' Dixie Victorious, a collection of alt-history stories revolving around the Civil War. While there's some good stories in the mix, there's a strong bias towards "The Confederacy wins" stories. I guess that figures, because most alt history is "what if x losing nation won instead?" But still, most other alt history collections by guys like Tsouras contain a mix of that with stories where the other side won but in a different manner.

Like, say, what if [insert general killed] had lived? You see that in Dixie Victorious but with Confederate generals primarily of course. You could have interesting stories involving Nathaniel Lyon or Philip Kearny or John Buford or a multitude of other Union Generals who could have made things different in various campaigns or battles. I can imagine a Nathaniel Lyon story where he gets transferred east instead of Pope, gets the Army of Virginia, and plays way more aggressively against Lee, making later summer/early fall campaign in Northern Virginia far more interesting.

In addition, there are plenty of Union defeats that could have been victorious, and several victories which could have been even greater had the Union commanders exploited certain oppurtunities. The Atlanta Campaign comes to mind: If McPherson takes Resaca before Johnston realizes he's in danger; if Howard had pressed strongly on the second day of Jonesborough; and if Sherman had supported Mower's attack at Bentonville. All these could have led to the total destruction of rebel armies and shortened the war significantly.

Would anyone be interested in brainstorming a potential collection for a "Yankee Victorious"? I think I may work on my own short story involving Jonesborough.

 

[JackADriscoll]

First bull run is what comes to my mind. What happens if the Confederacy goes out with nothing louder than a whimper

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

if Sherman had supported Mower's attack at Bentonville

I don't think that makes a big difference. The battle ended only ten days before Five Forks and Sherman needed to link up with the column from Wilmington.

 

[Luke Freet]

I don't think that makes a big difference. The battle ended only ten days before Five Forks and Sherman needed to link up with the column from Wilmington.

Considering Lee's strategy at that time was to link up with Johnston, then removing Johnston from the board entirely would mean Lee probably would surrender earlier, maybe no Appomattox Campaign (or, at the least, he surrenders several days prior to then). Think of it as how Johnston surrendered almost immediately after hearing of Lee's surrender.

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

1. Jefferson Davis goes on trial for treason.

2. Benjamin Butler is Lincoln's running mate in 1864. After Lincoln is assassinated, President Butler immediately begins implementing Radical Reconstruction; there is no soft Reconstruction as occurred under Andrew Johnson.

3. Rain doesn't interfere with the Tullahoma Campaign. Bragg's army is utterly wrecked in the summer of 1863.

4. The USCT lead the Crater attack as planned. A breakthrough results, ending with the ANV surrendering in Aug 1864. Black soldiers have played a very visible role in winning the war.

5. Lee is literally heartbroken at Appomattox. Having surrendered, he dies of a massive heart attack before penning his farewell address to the ANV. Instead, a heavy-hearted Longstreet writes the farewell address with a tone akin to his 1866 writings, urging the soldiers to accept the war as having settled key matters like slavery and secession. This inspires more ex-Confederates to follow Longstreet's lead in joining the Republicans. Longstreet remains controversial and his views are by no means widely embraced, but the political needle is nevertheless shifted.

 

[JeffBrooks]

What if Hooker hadn't gone over to the defensive on May 1 at Chancellorsville?

 

[peacefulanimalguy7]

If George H. Thomas and John T. Wilder were sent East in 1864, or if Meade got his reinforcements at Fredericksburg.

 

[General JJ]

I've always wondered what would have happened if the 1st and 5th Corps had been unleashed on May 3rd, 1863. It's possible they could have wreaked havoc on Stuart's left flank and won a smashing victory.

That missed opportunity, as well as many others, is why I don't consider Hooker's abandonment of the offensive on May 1st the fatal mistake of the battle. There were still plenty of opportunities to exploit that he didn't. And Sears' book made a decent argument for why his decision on the 1st was more reasonable than believed.

 

[JeffBrooks]

I've always wondered what would have happened if the 1st and 5th Corps had been unleashed on May 3rd, 1863. It's possible they could have wreaked havoc on Stuart's left flank and won a smashing victory.

That missed opportunity, as well as many others, is why I don't consider Hooker's abandonment of the offensive on May 1st the fatal mistake of the battle. There were still plenty of opportunities to exploit that he didn't. And Sears' book made a decent argument for why his decision on the 1st was more reasonable than believed.

And what if Hooker had not withdrawn and Lee had attacked on May 6? The result might have been an overwhelming Union victory.

 

[Bryce]

I think most here are familiar with Peter Tsouras' Dixie Victorious, a collection of alt-history stories revolving around the Civil War. While there's some good stories in the mix, there's a strong bias towards "The Confederacy wins" stories. I guess that figures, because most alt history is "what if x losing nation won instead?" But still, most other alt history collections by guys like Tsouras contain a mix of that with stories where the other side won but in a different manner.

Like, say, what if [insert general killed] had lived? You see that in Dixie Victorious but with Confederate generals primarily of course. You could have interesting stories involving Nathaniel Lyon or Philip Kearny or John Buford or a multitude of other Union Generals who could have made things different in various campaigns or battles. I can imagine a Nathaniel Lyon story where he gets transferred east instead of Pope, gets the Army of Virginia, and plays way more aggressively against Lee, making later summer/early fall campaign in Northern Virginia far more interesting.

In addition, there are plenty of Union defeats that could have been victorious, and several victories which could have been even greater had the Union commanders exploited certain oppurtunities. The Atlanta Campaign comes to mind: If McPherson takes Resaca before Johnston realizes he's in danger; if Howard had pressed strongly on the second day of Jonesborough; and if Sherman had supported Mower's attack at Bentonville. All these could have led to the total destruction of rebel armies and shortened the war significantly.

Would anyone be interested in brainstorming a potential collection for a "Yankee Victorious"? I think I may work on my own short story involving Jonesborough.

I think if you explore what might've happened if one thing had been different, it's a good mental exercise into understanding, where a general did a bad job of planning a battle

 

[JackADriscoll]

I think if you explore what might've happened if one thing had been different, it's a good mental exercise into understanding, where a general did a bad job of planning a battle

That and where Murphy comes in. No plan survives first contact intact

 

[Stryker65]

I wonder about General Albert S. Johnston. Would the war in the West have gone significantly differently were he not to have died at Shiloh?

 

[Philip Leigh]

I think most here are familiar with Peter Tsouras' Dixie Victorious, a collection of alt-history stories revolving around the Civil War. While there's some good stories in the mix, there's a strong bias towards "The Confederacy wins" stories. I guess that figures, because most alt history is "what if x losing nation won instead?" But still, most other alt history collections by guys like Tsouras contain a mix of that with stories where the other side won but in a different manner.

Like, say, what if [insert general killed] had lived? You see that in Dixie Victorious but with Confederate generals primarily of course. You could have interesting stories involving Nathaniel Lyon or Philip Kearny or John Buford or a multitude of other Union Generals who could have made things different in various campaigns or battles. I can imagine a Nathaniel Lyon story where he gets transferred east instead of Pope, gets the Army of Virginia, and plays way more aggressively against Lee, making later summer/early fall campaign in Northern Virginia far more interesting.

In addition, there are plenty of Union defeats that could have been victorious, and several victories which could have been even greater had the Union commanders exploited certain oppurtunities. The Atlanta Campaign comes to mind: If McPherson takes Resaca before Johnston realizes he's in danger; if Howard had pressed strongly on the second day of Jonesborough; and if Sherman had supported Mower's attack at Bentonville. All these could have led to the total destruction of rebel armies and shortened the war significantly.

Would anyone be interested in brainstorming a potential collection for a "Yankee Victorious"? I think I may work on my own short story involving Jonesborough.

If anything, I would say that the General Pope was aggressive to the point of being reckless. It was his over eagerness to come in contact with Jackson that led to his defeat at the Second Bull Run. Although Lyon demonstrated personal bravery, he also demonstrated poor judgment by dividing his army in the presence of a superior force and entrusting Siegel with one part.

 

[Harms88]

What if Hooker hadn't gone over to the defensive on May 1 at Chancellorsville?

On Reddit I actually wrote in their alternate history subreddit an alternate history where Hooker goes fully on the offensive on May 3rd and wins Chancellorsville and where the military situation stood a month after the battle. Basically, Hooker has Lee under siege at Richmond and Jackson is conducting another lightning campaign against the AOTP corps that were sent to trap him.

 

[Bryce]

I think most here are familiar with Peter Tsouras' Dixie Victorious, a collection of alt-history stories revolving around the Civil War. While there's some good stories in the mix, there's a strong bias towards "The Confederacy wins" stories. I guess that figures, because most alt history is "what if x losing nation won instead?" But still, most other alt history collections by guys like Tsouras contain a mix of that with stories where the other side won but in a different manner.

Like, say, what if [insert general killed] had lived? You see that in Dixie Victorious but with Confederate generals primarily of course. You could have interesting stories involving Nathaniel Lyon or Philip Kearny or John Buford or a multitude of other Union Generals who could have made things different in various campaigns or battles. I can imagine a Nathaniel Lyon story where he gets transferred east instead of Pope, gets the Army of Virginia, and plays way more aggressively against Lee, making later summer/early fall campaign in Northern Virginia far more interesting.

In addition, there are plenty of Union defeats that could have been victorious, and several victories which could have been even greater had the Union commanders exploited certain oppurtunities. The Atlanta Campaign comes to mind: If McPherson takes Resaca before Johnston realizes he's in danger; if Howard had pressed strongly on the second day of Jonesborough; and if Sherman had supported Mower's attack at Bentonville. All these could have led to the total destruction of rebel armies and shortened the war significantly.

Would anyone be interested in brainstorming a potential collection for a "Yankee Victorious"? I think I may work on my own short story involving Jonesborough.

I believe that Grant could've captured Petersburg much earlier if he had
done different things. Would you like me to talk about that

 

[Bryce]

I think most here are familiar with Peter Tsouras' Dixie Victorious, a collection of alt-history stories revolving around the Civil War. While there's some good stories in the mix, there's a strong bias towards "The Confederacy wins" stories. I guess that figures, because most alt history is "what if x losing nation won instead?" But still, most other alt history collections by guys like Tsouras contain a mix of that with stories where the other side won but in a different manner.

Like, say, what if [insert general killed] had lived? You see that in Dixie Victorious but with Confederate generals primarily of course. You could have interesting stories involving Nathaniel Lyon or Philip Kearny or John Buford or a multitude of other Union Generals who could have made things different in various campaigns or battles. I can imagine a Nathaniel Lyon story where he gets transferred east instead of Pope, gets the Army of Virginia, and plays way more aggressively against Lee, making later summer/early fall campaign in Northern Virginia far more interesting.

In addition, there are plenty of Union defeats that could have been victorious, and several victories which could have been even greater had the Union commanders exploited certain oppurtunities. The Atlanta Campaign comes to mind: If McPherson takes Resaca before Johnston realizes he's in danger; if Howard had pressed strongly on the second day of Jonesborough; and if Sherman had supported Mower's attack at Bentonville. All these could have led to the total destruction of rebel armies and shortened the war significantly.

Would anyone be interested in brainstorming a potential collection for a "Yankee Victorious"? I think I may work on my own short story involving Jonesborough.

Why do you think Nathaniel Lyon lost the battle of Wilson's Creek? Was it because he split his army, following the advice of Sigel? What if he had kept his entire army together and attacked with that instead?

 

[Harms88]

1. What if the Crater was successful?

2. What if McClellan captured Richmond?

3. What if the Emancipation Proclamation incited a massive slave revolt in the Confederacy?

4. What if the Confederate Stares were broken up after the war?

5. What if Lincoln served his full 2nd term?

6. What if Ben Butler captured Richmond in 1864?

7. What if Fremont's emancipation decree in 1861 was allowed to stand?

8. What if Lee hadn't surrender at Appomattox?

9. What if Grant and Buell had vigorously pursued the Confederates after Shiloh?

10. What if the Confederacy had a provision in their constitution that troops from different states couldn't enter the other states without the permission of both states governors and military leaders?

 

[Stryker65]

If the Confederate Congress was not deadlocked all the time - half against Davis and half for.

 

[Library Lady]

What if Davis takes Lee up on his offer to resign after Gettysburg? Or, more to the point, he doesn't have a choice about accepting because Lee has a massive MI about that time and is incapable of remaining in command.

What if the command structure of the Army of the Potomac had acted like they were all on the same team instead of engaging in petty scheming, plotting, conniving and backstabbing?

What if the weather had cooperated and the Mud March was just a march? Could Burnside have been successful or not?

What if someone other than James Ripley had been Chief of Ordnance? Would new technology have come on line sooner? If it had, would it have lived up to expectations?