What kind of POD is needed to give George Thomas the command he deserved? Would it require the death or humiliation of Grant\Sherman?
George Thomas ascendant
- Thread starter cloistered scholar
- Start date
Fearless Leader
Donor
On October 7, 1862, Buell decided to lecture some of his soldiers in the Army of the Cumberland and inadvertently spooked his mount causing it to rear up and throw him to the ground. The result left him pretty banged up and largely ineffective for the Battle of Perryville the next day. George Thomas was his second in command, but Buell hated him and feared that he was gunning for his job. This fear wasn't totally unfounded, merely misdirected. As much as Thomas wanted his own command, he didn't want to gain one through political infighting and refused to take the job when politicians offered it to him earlier.
Now, if Buell were to fall off his horse in a slightly different manner and say strike his head...That puts Thomas in command right before the Battle of Perryville. Having been isolated for the entire march thus far, he'd likely spring into action to gain control over the entire situation and thus be far more capable of reacting when Bragg launches his attack the next day. In OTL Perryville was a pretty near run thing, but that was with 2 Union Corps basically sitting it out. If Thomas were in charge and a bit more on the ball, he could probably bring those corps into the fray. The result would have been nothing short of catastrophic for Bragg and the Confederacy and it would have likely served as a massive boon to the GOP in the 1862 mid-terms by creating similar domestic situations in the midwest to what happened in OTL after Stones' River.
Bragg's army likely gets mauled beyond recognition on it's way out of Kentucky, forcing the Confederacy to strip the cupboards bare to scrape together something in Tennessee. Joe Johnston meanwhile takes command earlier, setting up an interesting campaign between him and Thomas in Tennessee in 1863. How that goes is anyone's guess, but I'd give Thomas a slight edge. If Thomas can avoid Rosecrans' OTL blunders, he probably establishes himself enough to usurp Sherman's OTL position.
Now, if Buell were to fall off his horse in a slightly different manner and say strike his head...That puts Thomas in command right before the Battle of Perryville. Having been isolated for the entire march thus far, he'd likely spring into action to gain control over the entire situation and thus be far more capable of reacting when Bragg launches his attack the next day. In OTL Perryville was a pretty near run thing, but that was with 2 Union Corps basically sitting it out. If Thomas were in charge and a bit more on the ball, he could probably bring those corps into the fray. The result would have been nothing short of catastrophic for Bragg and the Confederacy and it would have likely served as a massive boon to the GOP in the 1862 mid-terms by creating similar domestic situations in the midwest to what happened in OTL after Stones' River.
Bragg's army likely gets mauled beyond recognition on it's way out of Kentucky, forcing the Confederacy to strip the cupboards bare to scrape together something in Tennessee. Joe Johnston meanwhile takes command earlier, setting up an interesting campaign between him and Thomas in Tennessee in 1863. How that goes is anyone's guess, but I'd give Thomas a slight edge. If Thomas can avoid Rosecrans' OTL blunders, he probably establishes himself enough to usurp Sherman's OTL position.
This is probably the best bet not only for Thomas, but also for the Union. Any other viable options would most likely have to come at the cost of Grant and/or Sherman, and while I do personally believe Thomas to be the best commander of the war, you can’t afford to be throwing away capable (or even competent really) commanders in this war. The other options I see either involving throwing Grant under the bus (by having Thomas receive a more permanent commander of the Army of the Tennessee following the Shiloh debacle, and possibly Grant’s relief) or Sherman literally biting the bullet in the Atlanta Campaign and command devolving to Thomas by merit of seniority and experience.
Fearless Leader
Donor
Speaking of not throwing away competent/capable commanders. My scenario also provides an intriguing opening for William Rosecrans who will of course not be commanding the Army of the Cumberland with Thomas in charge after a hypothetical decisive victory at Perryville. If Rosecrans remains with Grant, there's a good chance that might butterfly Colonel Robert Murphy's assignment to guard the critical supply depot at Holly Springs given his earlier lackluster performance. With a more competent commander it's plausible that Van Dorn's raid is beaten back or doesn't go nearly as well. A better logistical situation could in turn allow Grant to keep Pemberton's main force pinned at Grenada Mississippi and prevent it from reinforcing Vicksburg in time to beat back Sherman's attack at Chickasaw Bayou. Without Pemberton's army, it's likely that Sherman could use his superior numbers to outflank the defenders and take city in December 1862.