Grant also assassinated

So originally U.S. Grant and his wife were to accompany President Lincoln and Mary Lincoln to Ford's Theater. He, obviously, couldn't go. During the assassination, Major Rathbone was injured by Booth's hunting knife. Lets say Grant goes, and during the brief struggle right after shooting the President Booth manages to sink his knife into Grant's neck or other vulnerable place, leading the general to die as well.

How does this change things from this point forward? Can men like Sherman, Thomas and Sheridan do well enough without Grant post-War? Any likely contenders for president in Grant's stead?
 
I imagine there will be plenty of war heros willing to step into the political ring if Grant dies and perhaps they'll be better equipped for politics than he was. The question is more of how will the South be treated if both the President and the leading general are assassinated? I can easily see reconstruction being harsher with such a public display of "Southern treachery". In public memory Grant will probably be remembered just as well as Lincoln.

I also imagine its going to lead to comments along the lines of "Lee couldn't defeat Grant in battle so he had him assassinated."
 

TFSmith121

Banned
My bet is Grant kills Booth with a single icy glare...

I mean, look at them:

gal_overlandC_grant.jpg

Grant

booth210b.jpg

Booth

Best,
 
Also what if Grant died and Lincoln survived?



Actually it's far more likely that both would survive.

Iirc, there was supposed to be a sentry guarding the President's box, but he left his post. You could take such liberties with Lincoln, but not with Grant. The sentry would at the very least have announced Booth, if he let him in at all, so the element of surprise would be lost.
 

U.S David

Banned
Sherman would run in 1968, he lost two good friends. Plus he is a war hero. He was 2nd in command of the army, so now he is 1.
 
Sherman would run in 1968, he lost two good friends. Plus he is a war hero. He was 2nd in command of the army, so now he is 1.

Sherman was adamantly opposed to entering politics IOTL. I think the assassinations would only strengthen his disdain for public office.
 
It's hard to see Sherman entering politics, even in the wake of the assassination of his friend. He's smart enough to know his personal limitations in this regard. Which kind of leaves the field in 1868 wide open. I don't have a clue as to who will be the Republican candidate for president. It probably won't be Phil Sheridan. He's only 37 in 1868, rather young for a presidential candidate, and his war record hardly merits such an elevation in any event. Of course, reason and logic seldom enter into the selection of presidential candidates, so who knows?
 
It's hard to see Sherman entering politics, even in the wake of the assassination of his friend. He's smart enough to know his personal limitations in this regard. Which kind of leaves the field in 1868 wide open. I don't have a clue as to who will be the Republican candidate for president. It probably won't be Phil Sheridan. He's only 37 in 1868, rather young for a presidential candidate, and his war record hardly merits such an elevation in any event. Of course, reason and logic seldom enter into the selection of presidential candidates, so who knows?

Ben Wade wanted to run, but didn't with Grant as the likely candidate. Of course, he's not a military man, so the Republicans may draft someone else.
 
Sherman would run in 1968, he lost two good friends. Plus he is a war hero. He was 2nd in command of the army, so now he is 1.

You do have to consider whether he would actually want to do anything like that, and with Sherman I really doubt he ever would want. The guy legitimately seems to have just hated politics altogether.
 
I imagine there will be plenty of war heros willing to step into the political ring if Grant dies and perhaps they'll be better equipped for politics than he was. The question is more of how will the South be treated if both the President and the leading general are assassinated? I can easily see reconstruction being harsher with such a public display of "Southern treachery". In public memory Grant will probably be remembered just as well as Lincoln.

I also imagine its going to lead to comments along the lines of "Lee couldn't defeat Grant in battle so he had him assassinated."

Would this be a sufficient enough POD to have Confed generals and politicians hung, or is any scenario that leads to this ASB?
 
Pretty much. Lee and some others might have been seized, but there wouldn't have been a shred of evidence implicating them, any more than there was OTL against Jefferson Davis, whom Andrew Johnson hated and would have dearly loved to hang.

In the end the Republicans find another candidate (probably another army officer - maybe Sheridan jf Sherman refuses) and things go on much as OTL. People up north were already horrified by Lincoln's death, and you can't wet a river. Maybe Doctor Mudd is hanged rather than just getting prison, but that's about it.
 
Yeah, not seeing this one happen. But if, would you change the attack on Seward? He was getting a little old but was still a strong contender, second in 1860. Perhaps even a stronger candidate after surviving an attack? But his wife and daughter died not long after, leaving him personally devestated. Could Seward have risen from that? Chase was already Chief Justice. Monty Blair?
 
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