See, this makes me wonder why there isn't a Chancellorsville victory POD TL - that sees Hooker kickass.
A Glorious Union or America: the New Sparta
- Thread starter TheKnightIrish
- Start date
Yeah - Hooker's attempt to maintain battlefield communication with his headquarters by telegraph was well ahead of its time. Unfortunately it was also well ahead of the technology!
Other points in Hooker's favor are in OTL he reorganized the Union cavalry in a way that made it far more effective and Hooker created the Bureau of Military Information, which unlike the Pinkertons produced accurate assessment of Confederate numbers.
For all you closet Joe Hooker fans he will feature heavily in this timeline and as you might expect he is going to be a contraversial character. In relationship with Dan Butterfield is going to be a particularly important factor in his successes and failures...(enough hints I must prepare anotherr chapter on the west)...
Chapter Ninety Seven A Political General for a Political Command
Chapter Ninety Seven
A Political General for a Political Command
From “The War Between the States” by Otis R. Mayhew
Sword & Musket 1992
Sword & Musket 1992
“General Schofield may be in step with the President but General Kearny is in step with the nation” so said Senator James Lane after Kearny’s visit to Missouri…”
From “Kearny the Magnificent” by Roger Galton
NorthWestern
NorthWestern
“Schofield got off on the wrong foot with Kearny from the beginning. He caveated his initial verbal report to Kearny by stating that, no matter what Kearny may have heard about Schofield from others, like General [George] Thomas, or about his department from radicals in Washington, he should not allow himself to be guided by anything other than what he saw and heard himself.
According to Chauncey McKeever, Kearny was both mystified and irritated at once. General Thomas had made no reference to General Schofield during his meetings in Chattanooga, nor was it Kearny’s policy to be “blown about by politicians like so much chaff”. Kearny had no idea about Schofield’s one-sided vendetta against George Thomas, who had been one of two officers to vote for Schofield’s dismissal from West Point for a serious disciplinary infraction [the attempt to expel Schofield only failed when political pressure was brought to bear in his favor]…
If Kearny took one impression from his initial interview with General Schofield it was that the Department of Missouri was “an entirely political beast”. Kearny quickly resolved to sever the Departmental command with its guerrillas and political blood feuds, from the military command of the Army of the Frontier…
General James Blunt, living up to the example set by his name, was in personality and by first impression much more to Kearny’s liking. An amateur, certainly, but a gifted one with an aggressive tendency. Blunt’s assessment of both Curtis (Schofield’s predecessor) and of Schofield also struck a chord with Kearny: “Every time we win a victory they stop; retreat; consolidate. Every victory is a lost opportunity” (McKeever). Kearny never expressed a recorded opinion about James McNeill but McKeever, who was present during the interview, came to his own conclusion “loathsome but extremely effective against guerrillas”…
With the Radicals baying for Schofield’s head; with the conservatives mewling that Schofield was “too timid to do what he knows to be right”; and with Schofield himself making such a poor impression on Kearny a change was inevitable. The President had supported Schofield as he sought to walk the tightrope of Missouri politics but Kearny presented Lincoln with the solution to a larger political problem – Major General Benjamin Butler…”
Major General Benjamin Butler - Hero of the Radicals
Butler had, due to the factional support of the radical press and the frequent denunciations by the Southern Government, maintained his status as a hero in the north, which only seemed to grow after the Battle of Blackwater. Although the battle itself was a debacle Butler’s status had been maintained and enhanced by the cries of the Southern fire-eaters that the wounded Butler should have shared the fate of David Hunter, and their passing of a resolution that supported and elaborated on previous declarations that Butler should be tried and executed if captured for inciting servile insurrection. The view in the north was that anyone referred to as “the Beast” by the Confederacy “must be a very great patriot indeed” (George Templeton Strong)…”
From “The King and his Heir – Lincoln and Kearny in the Civil War” by Robert Todd Lincoln II
Grafton Press 1939
Grafton Press 1939
“Butler’s ongoing presence in Washington, without a command, was a thorn in the side of Lincoln. With the passion of the convert Butler became the champion of the Radical cause in the capitol. His demands in the press and in speaking engagements for harsher and harsher measures again the rebels were gaining traction with news of each new atrocity. These demands flew in the face of everything the President believed necessary to reunite the nation was the Union was restored…
Kearny held the general opinion in the army that it was “pure murder” (Secretary Stanton) to give military commands to a man like Butler. Kearny was under no illusions – the Battle of Blackwater was an avoidable debacle. However it was not lost on Kearny that, whether in spite of or because of southern denunciations of Butler, his governance of New Orleans had been a success. While maintaining a reputation for harshness Butler had actually pursued a relatively conciliatory line with the inhabitants when the opportunity permitted. [The issue of the 'ladies' of New Orleans was one instance where the threat of action had a salutory effect without much substance ever having been given to its exercise]. Unlike Schofield, who appeared conservative regardless of his harsh measures, Butler could appear the radical while pursuing a reasonable course of governance in Missouri. Both the President and the Commanding General ‘overlooked’ the rumors of malfeasance by “Spoons Butler” as it was clearly politic to do so...
There was one issue, would Butler accept the command which would remove him far from the engine of government. Kearny’s solution was simple – the President should simply announce that the appointment had been offered and that General Butler, in the spirit of a true patriot, had accepted. Once announced it would be “the very devil for Butler to withdraw” observed an impressed Secretary Seward. “General Kearny is a very shrewd operator for a soldier” noted Seward. “When he can keep his temper in check, William, only with his temper in check” was Lincoln’s reply…
With the newspapers trumpeting Butler’s appointment which would “finally cleanse Missouri of rebels, traitors, bushwhackers and secesh of all stripes” Butler was boxed in. He accepted the appointment. Kearny exercised his own personal sense of humor by re-assigning Schofield to Thomas’ force in East Tennessee that was to act against the small isolated rebel force around Knoxville…”
Major General Edward Canby
From “Kearny the Magnificent” by Roger Galton
NorthWestern
NorthWestern
“However if Butler thought he would have the opportunity to shed his administrative responsibilities in Missouri to redeem his military reputation in the field, he was mistaken. Kearny appointed a new general to command the unified andnewly independent command of the Army of the Frontier (formerly the Army of the Southwest) – Major General Edward Canby...
Although a “subordinate theatre” in the coming campaigns, Kearny nevertheless intended that sufficient forces would be forwarded to allow Canby to make a serious descent on Texas. One of Butler’s first objectives was to federalise the Missouri Militia, removing it from the control of the conservative governor Hamilton R. Gamble, and forward such elements as practical to Canby’s command. Even the unionist ‘Indian Home Guard’ units were to be federalised. Three red regiments would join their black and white comrades in the struggle for the Union…”
Although a “subordinate theatre” in the coming campaigns, Kearny nevertheless intended that sufficient forces would be forwarded to allow Canby to make a serious descent on Texas. One of Butler’s first objectives was to federalise the Missouri Militia, removing it from the control of the conservative governor Hamilton R. Gamble, and forward such elements as practical to Canby’s command. Even the unionist ‘Indian Home Guard’ units were to be federalised. Three red regiments would join their black and white comrades in the struggle for the Union…”
Last edited:
I'm glad to see this isn't just a "Kearny-wank". Crap decision by Kearny (but then so is allowing Sickles to keep a corps command!). Canby's an 1860s policy wonk not a campaign commander. Is this because he did ok during Lee's invasion of the north in command of the militia? I suspect Canby won't see out the campaign in command. But then again what has Holmes and EKS got to through back at him? He'll be slow certainly and that will annoy Kearny.
And Butler. Between him and Blunt they'll have the west robbed clean! But I see the point of shunting him out west.
I didn't realise Canby was that poor on in the field. All I knew was of his "success" in the west against Sibley. Interesting. Kearny has replaced the ultimately effective Schofield with Butler, which could could be good but will likely result in a healthy amount of chaos in Missoura. I agree Canby will get the bums rush if he doesn't move quickly into Arkansas and Texas.
It all looks like Kearny means to try and end the war before the 64 election.
It all looks like Kearny means to try and end the war before the 64 election.
Which gives me some questions and concerns. Grant will be marching on Atlanta via Sherman's OTL route. If I know Grant he'll insist on a few bloody frontal assaults. That could disasterous if he doesn't follow Sherman's flanking tactic.
But I don't know about McClernand's army. Can he realistically move from Mobile into Georgia from the south?
And I don't know the ground in North Carolina. What are Reynolds and Peck going to be up against in terms of terrain and obsticles?
have butterflies reached the Dakota War in Minnesota? I think it was over by now (late 1863). Largest mass hanging in US history.
Remember that Grant IOTL was in Virginia where he had relatively little room to move around Lee. He tried to avoid frontal assaults where possible. ITTL, he has more room to work with so I assume he will act as Sherman did IOTL.
Quite easily; there is a railroad line that runs from Mobile to Atlanta so McClernand will presumably do so. IOTL, when Grant became Commander of all Union armies, he planned to launch a raid from Mobile to Atlanta; however, the man slated to lead the raid took his troops to Louisiana for the Red River expedition instead.
Probably not much since Lee stripped the garrisons from NC for his assault up north. Since the AoNV is penned up in southwest Virginia, there's not really much organized opposition in the state; and the Eastern end of NC doesn't really have much in the way of terrain to slow them down. If the Navy could seize the Eastern NC sounds it would make it easy to supply an army in Eastern NC.
Interesting. The initial stages of the war play out the same, unaffected by the butterflies. However it is Charles Smith Hamilton who is appointed to commander the dept. rather than the now deceased (in TTL) John Pope. You can expect more, rather than less, brutality from Hamilton, who is not thrilled to have been appointed to his dept and has only avoided offering his resignation because of the direct intervention of Phil Kearny...
Although it's not a color poster, it's the better thing I've managed to draw. I hope that TheKnightIrish will like this version of his poster.
Last edited:
I was guessing that there would be more brutality based on how the larger war is going..