IOTL, Jefferson Davis removed General Joe Johnston from command of the Army of Tennessee on July 17, 1864, and replaced him with General John Bell Hood. Three days later, the Army of Tennessee attacked the Army of the Cumberland as it crossed Peachtree Creek north of Atlanta and, after bitter fighting, was beaten back.
Both Hood and Johnston essentially said later on that the plan to attack the AotC as it crossed Peachtree Creek was Johnston's general idea. Considering that the two men could otherwise not be counted on to agree as to the color of an orange, it seems reasonable to assume that they were both telling the truth. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that Johnston would have attacked the AotC (commanded by General George Thomas) in rather the same manner as Hood did IOTL had he been retained in command.
How would the Battle of Peachtree Creek have been different had Johnston been in command?
A few things jump out at me. First, Benjamin Cheatham would still have been in command of his Tennessee division, since IOTL he was appointed to take over the command of Hood's corps. IOTL, the division was taken over by General Maney, who clearly had a very hard time adapting to the role of division commander and scarcely fired a shot during the entire battle. This played a major role in the failure of the Confederate effort. Had Cheatham been in command, he could have been counted upon to hit the Union forces hard and effectively.
Second, it seems to me that General Hardee was irritated and upset by having General Hood promoted over him and that this may well have affected his performance at Peachtree Creek. Had Johnston remained in command, it may well have been that he would have fought on July 20 with a good deal of greater effectiveness.
Third, whatever his flaws, Johnston was a more thorough administrator than was Hood. IOTL, the troops attacking the Yankees at Peachtree Creek had done a very poor job of reconnaissance. Had Johnston been in command, it is possible that the planning would have been much better. There is an inevitable confusion when a new commander takes over from an old one and this disorder seems to have had a bad effect on the AoT just before Peachtree Creek.
Thoughts?