DBWI: Robert E. Lee joins the CSA

The brilliant mind behind southren pacification campaign actually defect to the Enslavers side?

One thing is sure, the Enslavers` side just avoid their total defeat at the first month of hostility, but without the northern industrial capacities, it will be hard fought battles upon battles, especially with Lee's defection, but the Union will win through attritions in some years time rather than a quick victory in a month time.

Honestly, this is one of the worst thing possible, especially since the great man himself did admit he has a morale problem between fighting his home or fighting for the Enslavers, luckily for us he decides that the slavery must end first.
 
While President Lee may have been one of our greatest generals, I'm not sure if his defection would have given Dixieland enough of a leg up to turn the war into a war of attrition. The Union had huge advantages in manpower, industrial capacity and numbers of trained military officers. I'm sure that war wouldn't last the year. After all, Richmond wasn't all too far away from the front-lines. The Union would have been able to crush the nascent slaveowner capital and send its government into disarray within the year.
 
One thing is sure, the Enslavers` side just avoid their total defeat at the first month of hostility, but without the northern industrial capacities, it will be hard fought battles upon battles, especially with Lee's defection, but the Union will win through attritions in some years time rather than a quick victory in a month time.

Correction, a month from the beginning of the campaign saw the Co federally effectively broken, not hostilities. Lee was tied up commanding the defenses around. Washington until his superiors decided the other commanders had bungled the first year and a half of the war.

Ultimately whether Lee was successful comes down to when he gets overall command, if he can take control of the Army of Virginia in the first year he has a good chance of winning a large enough victory to end the war early. However, the longer this takes the more chance the Union finds someone (either Thomas or Grant are the most likely given their service records during the War) who can do what Lee managed OTL and use the superior resources of the North to their full effectiveness.
 
The thing is the whole CSA was a pipe dream. The rebel states lacked any ability to meet the Union with martial force. At best with the early start the rebels had Lee could earn a few victories. As soon as the Union organizes though the war is basically over. Lee was a great general but he was only one man. He couldn't act on the whole front. Especially since the South had fewer rail roads and telegraph lines. If he chose to fight to the bitter end the Virginian Rebels would simply be the last to surrender. Given Lee's tactical prowess though he would likely realize the fight would simple waste lives. Which is sort of what happened in history.
 
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