General Jackson lives

Exactly. Longstreet understood the power of the defense and the necessity to fight, so he's the most dangerous opponent for the USA. Jackson's a Sherman-analogue who's a bit more willing to mix it up with the enemy and about as good at actually doing it. Longstreet has more independent command, Grant's job is a lot harder. Longstreet, Lee, and Jackson are still around and the CSA *starts* with a greater penchant to attack, which is only going to benefit Grant. The elephant in the room, of course, is Gettysburg and whether or not the POD involves Jackson getting wounded at Chancellorsville. If he's wounded, survives, but is out of action during the Gettysburg campaign and with his return Lee starts acting recklessly and stupidly in 1864 thinking the Golden Trio can't lose *then* then the result's going to be even worse than Jackson, Lee, and Longstreet stomped in the summer of 1863.

Not sure Longstreet in independent command would go better than the OTL examples of it, but Longstreet as commander of 1st Corps is still better than Dick Anderson.

On Lee acting like a man with an incurable case of Victory Disease in 1864:

This might be a handy way to get something like what your Up with the Star suggests in terms of an ANV curbstomp, as well as the POD you picked.

Honestly I think the question ought to be "What would Lee really do differently with Jackson?"

The assumption that Lee reorganizes needs to be looked at more carefully if this is a serious question on what could have been, because the reason Lee gave for reorganizing still applies...on the other hand, the reason reorganization happened didn't.

So the question is: Does Lee regard the recent campaign (Chancellorsville) as a sign that even his right arm can't manage 30,000+ troops in this kind of terrain? Or does he see it as a sign that his right arm very much can?
 
Not sure Longstreet in independent command would go better than the OTL examples of it, but Longstreet as commander of 1st Corps is still better than Dick Anderson.

On Lee acting like a man with an incurable case of Victory Disease in 1864:

This might be a handy way to get something like what your Up with the Star suggests in terms of an ANV curbstomp, as well as the POD you picked.

Honestly I think the question ought to be "What would Lee really do differently with Jackson?"

The assumption that Lee reorganizes needs to be looked at more carefully if this is a serious question on what could have been, because the reason Lee gave for reorganizing still applies...on the other hand, the reason reorganization happened didn't.

So the question is: Does Lee regard the recent campaign (Chancellorsville) as a sign that even his right arm can't manage 30,000+ troops in this kind of terrain? Or does he see it as a sign that his right arm very much can?

Not exactly like it, there the reason Lee moves is because there's a real possibility that while he's off blunting two Yankee armies a third will get Richmond. Here, Lee behaves as OTL, dismisses Grant's tenacity.....and finds out that Grant has been *wanting* that open-field battle and all Jackson's strategic abilities ain't worth jack against the master of More Dakka. I think Lee's if anything likely to *really* refight Chancellorsville and ignoring that IATL even with Jackson living he didn't get half of what he wanted from it.

In this case the losses from that battle in May 1864 may cause Lee to start stripping Beauregard of forces until Butler and company start barging onto Richmond. By 1864 the CSA can only win if it follows the Joe Johnston strategy and seeks to deny the USA any overt victories to strengthen Lincoln's claims for re-election. Trying for a decisive victory works in the USA's favor, not the CSA's, and with the Golden Trio that's just what Lee would do.
 
Not exactly like it, there the reason Lee moves is because there's a real possibility that while he's off blunting two Yankee armies a third will get Richmond. Here, Lee behaves as OTL, dismisses Grant's tenacity.....and finds out that Grant has been *wanting* that open-field battle and all Jackson's strategic abilities ain't worth jack against the master of More Dakka. I think Lee's if anything likely to *really* refight Chancellorsville and ignoring that IATL even with Jackson living he didn't get half of what he wanted from it.

But Lee stumbling into Just What I Wanted You To Do (If that's not a trope, it should be) would, if differing in details, possibly end as painfully for the reasons you said.

In this case the losses from that battle in May 1864 may cause Lee to start stripping Beauregard of forces until Butler and company start barging onto Richmond. By 1864 the CSA can only win if it follows the Joe Johnston strategy and seeks to deny the USA any overt victories to strengthen Lincoln's claims for re-election. Trying for a decisive victory works in the USA's favor, not the CSA's, and with the Golden Trio that's just what Lee would do.
Yeah. It might work in Georgia ironically - to some extent.

Not going to happen in Virginia unless Grant gets his brains turned into a gas by a lucky artillery shell, however.

Others: Your thoughts desired, please. If I want to work Snake up into a frenzy of Grant praising love, I can do this via PM.

:p

No offense intended, Snake. :D
 
Top