What if the Red River Campaign, and the Union resources allotted to it, were instead used for a campaign to capture Mobile, Alabama? Would this result in an early capture? How would this affect Banks, Porter, Taylor, and Smith? Would this speed up the conclusion of the Civil War? Discuss.
To elaborate: The Red River Campaign was supposedly ordered by Lincoln and Halleck because of the fear of French troops marching up from Mexico and joining Confederate troops in Texas, and then using the Red River to stage an attack against Union troops. Now, this is complete bollocks IMHO, so the POD would be that Lincoln and/or Halleck realize this and decide instead for a push against Mobile.
To elaborate: The Red River Campaign was supposedly ordered by Lincoln and Halleck because of the fear of French troops marching up from Mexico and joining Confederate troops in Texas, and then using the Red River to stage an attack against Union troops. Now, this is complete bollocks IMHO, so the POD would be that Lincoln and/or Halleck realize this and decide instead for a push against Mobile.