WI Joeseph E. Johnston became Major general of the confederacy instead of Lee

[Fredrick II Barbarossa]

So WI the confederates decided to make Johnston the major general and give Lee the position otl Johnston got. So how would the war play out with Johnston being Major general instead of Lee. Does it change anything.

[Elfwine]

Originally Posted by Fredrick II Barbarossa

So WI the confederates decided to make Johnston the major general and give Lee the position otl Johnston got. So how would the war play out with Johnston being Major general instead of Lee. Does it change anything.

What do you mean by this? What position is Johnston getting?

[Fredrick II Barbarossa]

Originally Posted by Elfwine

What do you mean by this? What position is Johnston getting?

Basically at the start of the war Johnston was commisioned Major general in the virginia militia on May 4th. However after review the virginia convention decided two weeks later that only one major general was required and that would be Lee. So then Johnston as forced to accept a Birgaider General position in the confederate army. So my question is WI Lee took Johnstons place by becoming Brigaider general of the confederate army and Johnston becoming Major general of the Virginia militia. How would this change the outcome of the war. Btw this is before the rivalry between Davis and Johnston.

[Elfwine]

Originally Posted by Fredrick II Barbarossa

Basically at the start of the war Johnston was commisioned Major general in the virginia militia on May 4th. However after review the virginia convention decided two weeks later that only one major general was required and that would be Lee. So then Johnston as forced to accept a Birgaider General position in the confederate army. So my question is WI Lee took Johnstons place by becoming Brigaider general of the confederate army and Johnston becoming Major general of the Virginia militia. How would this change the outcome of the war. Btw this is before the rivalry between Davis and Johnston.

I think Johnston being a brigadier in the Confederate army put him in a better position - Lee quickly wound up commandless in effect, but Johnston commanded one of the two Confederate armies in Virginia (and later the one resulting if it was merged).

Johnston as commander of militia would probably not take it very well when that winds up as meaningless, not sure how that would impact his career. But if he's in Lee's shoes in West Virginia, expect more whining/complaining and similar results to OTL - how things go from there depends on how his carping is taken.

[Fredrick II Barbarossa]

Originally Posted by Elfwine

I think Johnston being a brigadier in the Confederate army put him in a better position - Lee quickly wound up commandless in effect, but Johnston commanded one of the two Confederate armies in Virginia (and later the one resulting if it was merged).

Johnston as commander of militia would probably not take it very well when that winds up as meaningless, not sure how that would impact his career. But if he's in Lee's shoes in West Virginia, expect more whining/complaining and similar results to OTL - how things go from there depends on how his carping is taken.

Well in otl Lee fared poorly in West Virginia. Such as losing at CHeat mouuntain and making blunders throughout the campaign. With Johnston in Lee's shoes at West Virginia could the west Virginia campaign have gone better for the confederacy?

[Snake Featherston]

The problem is that Joe Johnston and Lee both became full generals but Davis wrongly ranked Lee over Johnston because he disliked Old Joe even before the war broke out and that particular feud only worsened mutual animosity. To change Joe Johnston's ranking you need to change the Davis/Johnston relationship.

[Cook]

Originally Posted by Fredrick II Barbarossa

So WI the confederates decided to make Johnston the major general and give Lee the position otl Johnston got. So how would the war play out with Johnston being Major general instead of Lee. Does it change anything.

Fred,
The question you actually want to ask is, ‘What if Johnston were given command of the Army of Northern Virginia instead of Lee?’

Major General is a rank; the commander of a division is usually a Major General.

[67th Tigers]

Originally Posted by Cook

Major General is a rank; the commander of a division is usually a Major General.

It is also a position dating back a long way.

Anyway, outside of America Division Commanders were Lieutenant Generals, Major Generals were substantive brigadiers.

[Snake Featherston]

Originally Posted by 67th Tigers

It is also a position dating back a long way.

Anyway, outside of America Division Commanders were Lieutenant Generals, Major Generals were substantive brigadiers.

And the Confederacy gave the job of army commander to full generals, not major generals, and lieutenant generals commanded corps-level formations. The Confederacy had earlier a much better command structure than the Union did.

[Cook]

Originally Posted by 67th Tigers

Anyway, outside of America Division Commanders were Lieutenant Generals, Major Generals were substantive brigadiers.

No. Lieutenant General is rank associated with Corps Command. Major General is divisional command and Brigadier General is Brigade command.

[Anaxagoras]

I think the OP is asking what would have happened had Johnston been the most important Confederate general during the war, rather than Lee. This could have easily taken place had Johnston not been wounded at the Battle of Seven Pines in mid-1862.

Regarding the respective ranks of Lee and Johnston, Confederate law dictated that the respective ranks of officers would be based on the rank they had held in the United States Army before the war. Due to his service as quartermaster general of the United States Army, Johnston had held the rank of general, whereas Lee had been only a colonel. Therefore, as far as Johnston was concerned, he should have outranked Lee and, for that matter, all other Confederate officers. But Davis decided to interpret the law his own way, and decided that staff rank did not count (though the legislative language made no distinction between staff rank and line rank).

[Cook]

Originally Posted by Anaxagoras

Davis decided to interpret the law his own way, and decided that staff rank did not count...

It was his prerogative.

[Anaxagoras]

Originally Posted by Cook

It was his prerogative.

Really? How so?