1) SCENARIO/SUMMARY: It is November 1861. You are Confederate president Jefferson Davis. The 1861 campaign season is coming to a close. It is your responsibility to plan/lead the war effort for the oncoming year. You need to appoint/transfer commanders to new departments, plan offensives and defenses, manage the war economy, supply your armies, and improve foreign relations. In the area below, put a in depth plan as to what you would do.
2) RULES FOR THE THREAD: Please keep the following in mind:
- If you want to constructively criticize someone's plan, that is fine, just don't be rude.
- ABSOLUTELY NO "I'd surrender to the North because I have no hope of winning" plans. There's no point to that kind of talk in this thread. The goal is to come up with personal plans for how the confederacy can achieve a military victory. If its not possible, that's fine, but were still going to try to make it possible.
- Anyone can write their own plan. I would prefer something in depth though, not a one liner.
- Anyone with the rank of Brigadier general or lower in November 1861 can be made a army commander for 1862.
- You are limited by the resources/technological/and internal political issues that the South had in otl. No asb plans.
so here we go.....
My Personal Plan
A) ATL Commander Changes:
- Albert Sidney Johnston will be put in charge of the Trans-Mississippi Department (said department will be created earlier).
- Pierre Beauregard will be put in command of the Gulf Coast Department, and more specifically, the defense of New Orleans and creation of the Gulf Fleet.
- Stonewall Jackson will retain his command of the Army of the Shenandoah. Joseph Johnston will retain his command of the Army of Northern Virginia.
- Robert E. Lee will command the Atlantic Department (From Petersburg to Savannah).
- William Hardee will command the Army of Tennessee and be overall commander of the Department of the West (Mississippi to Appalachians).
B) Campaign Strategies for 1862:
- Albert Sidney Johnston will combine most of his forces in Arkansas/Kansas/Indian Territory/and Eastern Texas and invade Missouri and attempt to destroy the Union army and retake Jefferson City. From there he will recruit pro Southern Missourians to his cause and form defensive positions west of St. Louis. Meanwhile most of his cavalry will launch raids into Iowa to further divert Union troops and prevent Iowa from mobilizing more men. There will be no New Mexico campaign and the south will stay on the defensive at El Paso. Some troops from there will be sent to raid in Kansas. Johnston will also be in charge of establishing relations with Mexico and improving overland smuggling operations.
- Beauregard will improve the defenses of New Orleans, Mobile, and other gulf ports still in Confederate hands. He will also hurry the production of the Confederate Ironclads in New Orleans, that will be used to break the blockade of the city. He will also be responsible for setting up smuggling operations along the gulf and western Florida, while establishing contacts in Cuba and the Bahamas to acquire foreign aid. Merchant vessels will be turned into blockade runners and privateers.
- Johnston and Jackson will invade Western/Central Maryland. If they cannot recruit Maryland to their cause, they are to raid the countryside for supplies, keep McClellan occupied, and try to defeat the Union Army on grounds of their own choosing. A small yet substantial force under Magrudrer will stay to guard Richmond.
- Hardee is to have Polk order McCown to fortify Island number ten. The rest of Polk's force to abandon Columbus and march east with his men and assume command of the forces already at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. After both forts are reinforced with Polk's men, he is to improve the defenses and have Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry act as a flying column meant to assist either fort if they come under assault. Hardee with his main force is to march on Lexington and Frankfort, recruit as many southern sympathizers he can, and then fall back to defensive positions at Bowling Green in Southern Kentucky. Afterwards, he is to send a raiding force in West Virginia to prevent Union forces there from attacking the Shedandoah Valley during Jackson's invasion of Western Maryland.
- Lee will improve the fortifications along the Atlantic Coast (especially North Carolina) and create two small field armies at Suffolk and Charleston that are supposed to March where they are needed. He is in charge of defending Norfolk, building ironclads, and defending the James River.
C) War Economy/Logistics
- Idk enough about this to come up with anything reasonable. Maybe force plantations to grow more food and less cotton in the short term? Also keep selling some cotton to European powers. No embargo.
2) RULES FOR THE THREAD: Please keep the following in mind:
- If you want to constructively criticize someone's plan, that is fine, just don't be rude.
- ABSOLUTELY NO "I'd surrender to the North because I have no hope of winning" plans. There's no point to that kind of talk in this thread. The goal is to come up with personal plans for how the confederacy can achieve a military victory. If its not possible, that's fine, but were still going to try to make it possible.
- Anyone can write their own plan. I would prefer something in depth though, not a one liner.
- Anyone with the rank of Brigadier general or lower in November 1861 can be made a army commander for 1862.
- You are limited by the resources/technological/and internal political issues that the South had in otl. No asb plans.
so here we go.....
My Personal Plan
A) ATL Commander Changes:
- Albert Sidney Johnston will be put in charge of the Trans-Mississippi Department (said department will be created earlier).
- Pierre Beauregard will be put in command of the Gulf Coast Department, and more specifically, the defense of New Orleans and creation of the Gulf Fleet.
- Stonewall Jackson will retain his command of the Army of the Shenandoah. Joseph Johnston will retain his command of the Army of Northern Virginia.
- Robert E. Lee will command the Atlantic Department (From Petersburg to Savannah).
- William Hardee will command the Army of Tennessee and be overall commander of the Department of the West (Mississippi to Appalachians).
B) Campaign Strategies for 1862:
- Albert Sidney Johnston will combine most of his forces in Arkansas/Kansas/Indian Territory/and Eastern Texas and invade Missouri and attempt to destroy the Union army and retake Jefferson City. From there he will recruit pro Southern Missourians to his cause and form defensive positions west of St. Louis. Meanwhile most of his cavalry will launch raids into Iowa to further divert Union troops and prevent Iowa from mobilizing more men. There will be no New Mexico campaign and the south will stay on the defensive at El Paso. Some troops from there will be sent to raid in Kansas. Johnston will also be in charge of establishing relations with Mexico and improving overland smuggling operations.
- Beauregard will improve the defenses of New Orleans, Mobile, and other gulf ports still in Confederate hands. He will also hurry the production of the Confederate Ironclads in New Orleans, that will be used to break the blockade of the city. He will also be responsible for setting up smuggling operations along the gulf and western Florida, while establishing contacts in Cuba and the Bahamas to acquire foreign aid. Merchant vessels will be turned into blockade runners and privateers.
- Johnston and Jackson will invade Western/Central Maryland. If they cannot recruit Maryland to their cause, they are to raid the countryside for supplies, keep McClellan occupied, and try to defeat the Union Army on grounds of their own choosing. A small yet substantial force under Magrudrer will stay to guard Richmond.
- Hardee is to have Polk order McCown to fortify Island number ten. The rest of Polk's force to abandon Columbus and march east with his men and assume command of the forces already at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. After both forts are reinforced with Polk's men, he is to improve the defenses and have Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry act as a flying column meant to assist either fort if they come under assault. Hardee with his main force is to march on Lexington and Frankfort, recruit as many southern sympathizers he can, and then fall back to defensive positions at Bowling Green in Southern Kentucky. Afterwards, he is to send a raiding force in West Virginia to prevent Union forces there from attacking the Shedandoah Valley during Jackson's invasion of Western Maryland.
- Lee will improve the fortifications along the Atlantic Coast (especially North Carolina) and create two small field armies at Suffolk and Charleston that are supposed to March where they are needed. He is in charge of defending Norfolk, building ironclads, and defending the James River.
C) War Economy/Logistics
- Idk enough about this to come up with anything reasonable. Maybe force plantations to grow more food and less cotton in the short term? Also keep selling some cotton to European powers. No embargo.
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