Better Union cavalry during ACW

WI the Union cavalry was better- quality, quantity & leadership-wise during the ACW, before the engagement at Brandy Station (June 1863) which marked the start of the decisive ascendance of Union mounted forces ? Of course, there was always the disparity at the war's outset where Union troopers were generally disadvantaged- esp in the Eastern theatre- by far less horsemanship experience than their Southern counterparts (although Union cavalrymen in the Western theatre were by & large more used to being in the saddle)- but WI the Union from 1861 had possessed better cavalry generals from the start- such as Phil Sheridan, Ben Grierson, Alfred Pleasanton & John Buford- over reckless incompetents like Judson 'Kill-Cavalry' Kilpatrick, or commanding generals like McClellen & Burnside who had little idea how to use cavalry ? WI also AotP commanders had been more appreciative of the crucial role played by cavalry ? WI Union cavalry had been able at a much earlier stage to 1st match, then defeat the Confederate cavalry under the likes of JEB Stuart & Bedford Forrest ?
 

67th Tigers

Banned
WI the Union cavalry was better- quality, quantity & leadership-wise during the ACW, before the engagement at Brandy Station (June 1863) which marked the start of the decisive ascendance of Union mounted forces ? Of course, there was always the disparity at the war's outset where Union troopers were generally disadvantaged- esp in the Eastern theatre- by far less horsemanship experience than their Southern counterparts (although Union cavalrymen in the Western theatre were by & large more used to being in the saddle)- but WI the Union from 1861 had possessed better cavalry generals from the start- such as Phil Sheridan, Ben Grierson, Alfred Pleasanton & John Buford- over reckless incompetents like Judson 'Kill-Cavalry' Kilpatrick, or commanding generals like McClellen & Burnside who had little idea how to use cavalry ? WI also AotP commanders had been more appreciative of the crucial role played by cavalry ? WI Union cavalry had been able at a much earlier stage to 1st match, then defeat the Confederate cavalry under the likes of JEB Stuart & Bedford Forrest ?

Pleasonton's handling of the cavalry in the Maryland campaign was a wonder, his cavalry screen was so effective that Stuart basically found out nothing.

In battle, well, quantity is needed as well as quality. It's doubtful McClellan had 2,000 sabres at Antietam, a few weeks later he had less than 800.
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
Of course, there was always the disparity at the war's outset where Union troopers were generally disadvantaged- esp in the Eastern theatre- by far less horsemanship experience than their Southern counterparts

I don't think the Southern cavalry in the East was any better than their comrades in the West vis-a-vis the Union horsemen. By 1864, when Union cavalry in the East had become a formidable force, the Union cavalry in the West was still clearly inferior to the Confederates. During the Atlanta Campaign, the performance of Sherman's cavalry was pretty pathetic, their only real accomplishment (stopping the Rebel attack at Cassville) happening because one of their commanders had gotten lost and took the wrong road!
 
I don't think the Southern cavalry in the East was any better than their comrades in the West vis-a-vis the Union horsemen. By 1864, when Union cavalry in the East had become a formidable force, the Union cavalry in the West was still clearly inferior to the Confederates. During the Atlanta Campaign, the performance of Sherman's cavalry was pretty pathetic, their only real accomplishment (stopping the Rebel attack at Cassville) happening because one of their commanders had gotten lost and took the wrong road!

Well, I think that was more a function of mediocre command than the quality of the cavalry itself, which is where Melvin said the Western Union cavalry was more equal to it's Confederate counterparts than the Eastern Union cavalry was in the early part of the war. Or possibly it was a function of the fact that there were so many brilliant Confederate cavalry leaders in the West...Nathan Bedford Forrest, John Hunt Morgan, Joseph Wheeler, Earl Van Dorn, Tom Green...that the Union leadership looked pitiful in comparison. Once most of the brilliant Confederates (Morgan, Van Dorn, and Green) were killed off, and the Union cavalry finally got a good leader...James Wilson...the Union cavalry in the West kicked butt.
 
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WI the Union cavalry was better- quality, quantity & leadership-wise during the ACW, before the engagement at Brandy Station (June 1863) which marked the start of the decisive ascendance of Union mounted forces ? Of course, there was always the disparity at the war's outset where Union troopers were generally disadvantaged- esp in the Eastern theatre- by far less horsemanship experience than their Southern counterparts (although Union cavalrymen in the Western theatre were by & large more used to being in the saddle)- but WI the Union from 1861 had possessed better cavalry generals from the start- such as Phil Sheridan, Ben Grierson, Alfred Pleasanton & John Buford- over reckless incompetents like Judson 'Kill-Cavalry' Kilpatrick, or commanding generals like McClellen & Burnside who had little idea how to use cavalry ? WI also AotP commanders had been more appreciative of the crucial role played by cavalry ? WI Union cavalry had been able at a much earlier stage to 1st match, then defeat the Confederate cavalry under the likes of JEB Stuart & Bedford Forrest ?

It could bring the war to an end much sooner. Consider...

--If the Union cavalry had been able to block Stuart's ride around McClellan in the Peninsula campaign, and deny crucial intelligence gained on this raid to Lee, the Army of Northern Virginia would likely have ended up besieged in Richmond rather than pulling off the Seven Days victory which forced McClellan to retreat.

--If Union cavalry had blocked the Confederate cavalry raids of Van Dorn and Forrest in December 1862, including that on the Union supply depot at Holly Springs, Mississippi, Grant may have captured Vicksburg 6 months earlier.

And these are just a couple of examples of changes which could have major butterflies as a result of this POD.
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
Well, I think that was more a function of mediocre command than the quality of the cavalry itself, which is where Melvin said the Western Union cavalry was more equal to it's Confederate counterparts than the Eastern Union cavalry was in the early part of the war. Or possibly it was a function of the fact that there were so many brilliant Confederate cavalry leaders in the West...Nathan Bedford Forrest, John Hunt Morgan, Joseph Wheeler, Earl Van Dorn, Tom Green...that the Union leadership looked pitiful in comparison. Once most of the brilliant Confederates (Morgan, Van Dorn, and Green) were killed off, and the Union cavalry finally got a good leader...James Wilson...the Union cavalry in the West kicked butt.

I agree, except for the bit about Wheeler being "brilliant".
 

67th Tigers

Banned
It could bring the war to an end much sooner. Consider...

--If the Union cavalry had been able to block Stuart's ride around McClellan in the Peninsula campaign, and deny crucial intelligence gained on this raid to Lee, the Army of Northern Virginia would likely have ended up besieged in Richmond rather than pulling off the Seven Days victory which forced McClellan to retreat.

Stuart brought back no useful intelligence, and Lee's plan was unchanged.

The best book on the matter is Harsh's Confederate Tide Rising.
 
Or possibly it was a function of the fact that there were so many brilliant Confederate cavalry leaders in the West...Nathan Bedford Forrest, John Hunt Morgan, Joseph Wheeler, Earl Van Dorn, Tom Green...that the Union leadership looked pitiful in comparison.

I'm dissapointed in you. You included Joseph Wheeler in a list of "brilliant" Confederate Cavalry leaders but left out John A. Wharton. I know Wharton is the forgotten man of Confederate Cavalrymen but he was one of the best of them.
 
I'm dissapointed in you. You included Joseph Wheeler in a list of "brilliant" Confederate Cavalry leaders but left out John A. Wharton. I know Wharton is the forgotten man of Confederate Cavalrymen but he was one of the best of them.

That's true. But in any list, it's inevitable that somebody will be left out who perhaps deserves to be included.
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
And a lot of good that did Stoneman when he tangled with Wheeler in 1864. :D

True enough. But right after that Wheeler disgraced himself during his raid on Sherman's supply line, when he completely lost control of his own command, inflicted next to no damage to the railroad, then rode off without orders into East Tennessee (where no good could possibly be done), all the while sending back reports to Hood that he had devastated Sherman's supply line and no supply trains would be able to reach Sherman for weeks!
 
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