AH Challenge: Make Sherman take that ferry!

I'm trying to work on a couple of TLs both with an extended American Civil War and one ending with CSA independence. One of the major problems I've been having though is that I want to keep *most* of the events up until the last year of the war unchanged since I find the more brutal turn the warfare took at that stage to be more interesting. Sadly this makes it harder to keep the CSA in a winning position especially since I've wanted to keep most of Sherman's March intact since I'd like to make is style of warfare during that time an inspiration for other Generals later on.

I have had a few suggestions on how to slow Sherman's March but none yet on how to stop it. But after doing some research I believe I have found a situation that could change things alot with the proper POD.

Source: http://www.nchistoricsites.org/bentonvi/main.htm

After having taken Atlanta and completed his March to the Sea Sherman was requested by Grant to ferry himself and his men by sea to Virginia in order to join the Army of the Potomac so as to make a great push against Lee's army. On Christmas Eve Sherman answers Grant by offering a different plan involving an extended march north through the Carolinas and into Virginia. Due to Grant's trust in Sherman's abilities he accepts the offer and allows Sherman to continue.

As of right now I think that if Sherman had taken that ferry to VA then maybe Lee and the AoNV might have been given a better chance at extending the war, and the Union troops remaining in Georgia could be kept at bay and maybe forced back to Tenn by using guerilla warfare. So I'd like to ask for some help on figuring out how to make Sherman decide to do as Grant wanted.

PS:Be warned I do plan on including this TL in the ASB section since I plan on involving some Sci Fi elements but I want the set up before that involving battle plans and social political elements to follow a logical path and be as realistic as possible. So that is why I am here asking for help. Thank you.
 
You'd need a reason for it (guerrilla warfare) to break out in Georgia worse than OTL (at all? I'm not familiar with that part of the war), too.

And how does Lee have a better chance if he's facing Sherman's bummers AND Grant's forces?

:confused:
 
I figured that without Sherman and Grant sandwiching Lee from both North and South Lee might have a better chance at retreating further south and keep up the fight.
 
I figured that without Sherman and Grant sandwiching Lee from both North and South Lee might have a better chance at retreating further south and keep up the fight.

Lee was sandwiched quite nicely just by Grant, tactically. Sherman might be a problem in the long term, but...
 

NothingNow

Banned
[noparse]I'm trying to work on a couple of TLs both with an extended American Civil War and one ending with CSA independence. One of the major problems I've been having though is that I want to keep *most* of the events up until the last year of the war unchanged since I find the more brutal turn the warfare took at that stage to be more interesting. Sadly this makes it harder to keep the CSA in a winning position especially since I've wanted to keep most of Sherman's March intact since I'd like to make is style of warfare during that time an inspiration for other Generals later on.

I have had a few suggestions on how to slow Sherman's March but none yet on how to stop it. But after doing some research I believe I have found a situation that could change things alot with the proper POD.

Source: http://www.nchistoricsites.org/bentonvi/main.htm

After having taken Atlanta and completed his March to the Sea Sherman was requested by Grant to ferry himself and his men by sea to Virginia in order to join the Army of the Potomac so as to make a great push against Lee's army. On Christmas Eve Sherman answers Grant by offering a different plan involving an extended march north through the Carolinas and into Virginia. Due to Grant's trust in Sherman's abilities he accepts the offer and allows Sherman to continue.

As of right now I think that if Sherman had taken that ferry to VA then maybe Lee and the AoNV might have been given a better chance at extending the war, and the Union troops remaining in Georgia could be kept at bay and maybe forced back to Tenn by using guerilla warfare. So I'd like to ask for some help on figuring out how to make Sherman decide to do as Grant wanted.
[/noparse]
PS:Be warned I do plan on including this TL in the ASB section since I plan on involving some Sci Fi elements but I want the set up before that involving battle plans and social political elements to follow a logical path and be as realistic as possible. So that is why I am here asking for help. Thank you.
Well, it'll keep Malaria and other swamp diseases from cutting his force to ribbons, and would speed the war up significantly, since lee wasn't the sort to seriously consider Guerilla warfare, and it'd be much harder to dislodge the Union forces in Georgia then you imagine. Hell, the only way that might really be possible is a Yellow Fever outbreak, which would also devastate pretty much everyone else.

Also, see that shit? Stop it. There's no need to use that many tags for formatting that simple.
 
Also, see that shit? Stop it. There's no need to use that many tags for formatting that simple.
Sorry I didn't know that it would list the fonts and colors like that if it was quoted.

Besides that though the guerilla warfare mentioned before I would have come from the Georgian homeguard. As well I didn't expect Lee to resourt to such tactics himself even with this change. This was just one situation I tried to think up in order to write the TL I've been thinking of and I wanted to see if anyone could find holes in it and that has been done.

Thank you for the input I guess I'll have to think of another POD.
 
A better bet to prolong the war by the point of the Petersburg Siege is either at Spring Hill or just let Hood get lucky all of once in his attacks on Sherman in the Atlanta region. Militarily even Lee knew he didn't have a yellow snowball's chance in Hell of winning when he got into the Petersburg Siege but Bobby Lee's daddy and George Washington issues wouldn't let him do the honorable thing and just surrender. :rolleyes:
 
A better bet to prolong the war by the point of the Petersburg Siege is either at Spring Hill or just let Hood get lucky all of once in his attacks on Sherman in the Atlanta region. Militarily even Lee knew he didn't have a yellow snowball's chance in Hell of winning when he got into the Petersburg Siege but Bobby Lee's daddy and George Washington issues wouldn't let him do the honorable thing and just surrender. :rolleyes:
What exactly would you have go differently at Spring Hill then?

Lee was sandwiched quite nicely just by Grant, tactically. Sherman might be a problem in the long term, but...

But What?

I'd like to add on some more questions for the sake of conversation. What could, if anything, make Sherman move his army by see? What could, if anything (agian) repel the Union army from GA? What would Grant's next few moves have been if Sherman did sail with his army to VA? I'd assume he'd try to break the treanche line around Petersburg but I could be wrong like so often before on that hunch. What are the chances of having Shermans boat sink if he took it, and/or having it captured?
 
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NothingNow

Banned
Sorry I didn't know that it would list the fonts and colors like that if it was quoted.
Not in the quote once it's posted, I just used the [/noparse] tag to show it, but It makes it really hard to follow something when it's been quoted.

Besides that though the guerilla warfare mentioned before I would have come from the Georgian homeguard. As well I didn't expect Lee to resourt to such tactics himself even with this change. This was just one situation I tried to think up in order to write the TL I've been thinking of and I wanted to see if anyone could find holes in it and that has been done.

Thank you for the input I guess I'll have to think of another POD.
Well, I don't think it's been done, and I know a yellow fever outbreak certainly hasn't been used as a pod here.
 
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But What?

"What long term?"

I'd like to add on some more questions for the sake of conversation. What could, if anything, make Sherman move his army by see? What could, if anything (agian) repel the Union army from GA? What would Grant's next few moves have been if Sherman did sail with his army to VA? I'd assume he'd try to break the treanche line around Petersburg but I could be wrong like so often before on that hunch. What are the chances of having Shermans boat sink if he took it, and/or having it captured?

1) Not sure.

2) Nothing in the Confederacy.

3) Not sure.

4) Not very good, but this is winter.
 
"What long term?"



1) Not sure.

2) Nothing in the Confederacy.

3) Not sure.

4) Not very good, but this is winter.
Thanks. Now what exactly makes things different with it being winter? I could imagine but I want to know what your thinking.
 
Thanks. Now what exactly makes things different with it being winter? I could imagine but I want to know what your thinking.

Winter means storms. Storms and ships always involve a few disasters.

Can't even begin to speculate on the captured part without knowing more precisely what the Confederates have that could threaten him there.
 
Winter means storms. Storms and ships always involve a few disasters.

Can't even begin to speculate on the captured part without knowing more precisely what the Confederates have that could threaten him there.
If they get anywhere near Fort Fisher or a place like it they could get into some trouble.
 
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