More successful Great Locomotive Raid leads to specialised Union elite raiders...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Locomotive_Chase

OK, if the Andrews locomotive raid in Nth Ga in 1862 had been more successful, could the War Dept have authorised the formation of more such small raider units to conduct far-reaching strategic raids into the CS ? If such raiders were more numerous & successful, could a 19th C proto-Delta Force- style outfit have been created by the US Army for further such covert warfare, & with what impact in future wars ?
 
An interesting idea, though if that OTL raid is anything to go by, the 100% fatality rate on the part of the raiders might put people off.
 
My bad, I skimmed the article.

I like the idea as I say, but I don't know enough about the ACW era to say whether this is feasible, sorry.
 
You could take a lead from Turtledove's TL-191 and have more organized Union raid groups trained to be disguised as Confederates. Of course, Confederates might very well do likewise in response...
 
You could take a lead from Turtledove's TL-191 and have more organized Union raid groups trained to be disguised as Confederates. Of course, Confederates might very well do likewise in response...

mate, that actually did happen to some extent OTL- in Missouri, there were Confederate bushwhackers who wore Union blue as a means of perfidy & deception (as depicted in RIDE WITH THE DEVIL). I also read in an ACW book last yr bout 1 South Carolina-born cavalry Maj- I think- who however stayed loyal to the Union, &, using his Southern accent, bluffed the way past a Confederate patrol in Virginia for his entire outfit, late 1 night...
 
Close run thing...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Locomotive_Chase

OK, if the Andrews locomotive raid in Nth Ga in 1862 had been more successful, could the War Dept have authorised the formation of more such small raider units to conduct far-reaching strategic raids into the CS ? If such raiders were more numerous & successful, could a 19th C proto-Delta Force- style outfit have been created by the US Army for further such covert warfare, & with what impact in future wars ?

The raid could have been a dramatic success, I'd think. Better weather--so flamable bridges burning nicely--would work. So would Conductor Fuller not chasing his train ON FOOT, or the raiders stopping to wreck the old locomotive that he first commandeered, a wreck as the Rebels find a ripped up piece of track the hard way..all sorts of possibilities.

That could have inspired the war department for sure!
 
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