My possibly abandoned ACW Timeline - Vicksburg Campaign POD

These are the basics of a Timeline I was writing but cannot get into and will probably never write.

The situation in the West, on a grand scale, is the same as it was OTL with this exception.

Joseph E. Johnston declares himself fit to return to command in February 1863 rather than December 1862 and is actually fit and healty enough to command an Army but gets put in Department Command in stead.

Now for Mississippi, everything progresses in Mississippi as OTL up until the aftermath of the Battle of Port Gibson.

Bowen loses the battle of Port Gibson and is forced to withdraw, blowing up the Confederate stronghold at Grand Gulf as he went, with more success in TTL than OTL.

Grant is prevented from launching automatically into the Vicksburg Campaign due to Nathaniel P. Banks calling for reinforcements so he can assault Port Hudson. Grant is forced by political masters to send reinforcements to Banks only to learn two days after his forces have begun to march South that Banks has been delayed by operations on the Red River - operations that he will not be finished with until the month of May is almost over. Grant is forced to waste about a week restoring his Army to full strenght.

Meanwhile Davis has caved into political pressure from the Confederate Congress to appoint Joe Johnston to command in Mississippi and he arrives at Jackson, Mississippi May 4th. Learning that Grant has not moved since his crossing of the Mississippi, though not knowing why, Johnston orders all Confederate forces in Mississippi not already deployed in garrison work to join him at Jackson.

Pemberton initially refused but when Johnston wont be swayed he marches to Jackson with 16,000 men and reports to Johnston. He leaves 7,000 men under William W. Loring at Edwards Station to continue the defense of Vicksburg believing this will be enough to hold the Federals at least long enough for reinfrocements to arrive.

Johnston isn't happy about 7,000 men being kept behind as he believes the 8,000 man militia in Vicksburg itself is enough to hold the city but he lets it go. By May 12th he has a force of about 31,000 under his command at Jackson - 16,000 men from the Army of Mississippi, 6,000 men of John Gregg's division and the Jackson Garrison and 9,000 men from the other Confederate States as reinforcements. He is drastically short of Cavalry however and his only real Cavalry unit is William Wirt Adams cavalry brigade of a couple of hundred. He has requested more Cavalry be sent but until such a time he is forced to rely on Wirt Adams to scout.

Grant finally gets his campaign under way on May 14th. Looking to make up for lost time he deployed his Army in three different direction with his Corps acting almost independently. John A. McClernand's Corps is sent towards Edward's Station, William T. Sherman's Corps is sent towards Midway Station and James B. McPherson's Corps is sent off towards Clinton.

Grant doesn't know Johnston is in Mississippi or that there is a relatively large Confederate Army being built at Jackson or he certainly wouldn't split his Army like that.

Wirt Adams' Cavalry encounter McPherson's Corps around Raymond and engage briefly before breaking off and riding back to Johnston at Jackson with news of McPherson's Corps approaching. Johnston, despite not thinking his Army is ready, recognizes the opportunity presented to him and plans to strike at McPherson's Corps near Clinton and has high hopes of destroying it.

Johnston's plan would be to use Pemberton's 16,000 men to check the advance of McPherson's Corp's while using John Gregg's 6,000 men to succor his right flank then using the final 9,000 men(preferably under John S. Bowen but maybe under Carter L. Stevenson) of his Army to strike at McPherson's right flank, do serious damage to that corps and thus win the battle.

The potential battle of/near Clinton would be only the second time in the War that a Confederate Army outnumbered a Federal force in a major battle (the first time being Pea Ridge) but this is where my attempt to write this breaks down.

I dont know enough about the terrain around Clinton, Jackson, Raymond or the rest of Mississippi to know where a battle would take place and there are probably other factors I have overlooked. I have no idea where TTL would go after this but I felt the idea for the battle very Johston-like and presenting a good chance for Confederate victory in Mississippi against Grant - something that could really effect the War in the long run.

While this Timeline may never be written I'd like to know what other people - anyone at all really - think of this.
 
[I've done a bit of thinking on this and, without going into specifics, this is what I came up with as a basic timeline (its not quite finished though)]

April 29th 1862 - Battle of Grand Gulf: Attempted crossing at Grand Gulf prevented by John S. Bowen. Ulysses S. Grant moves further south and crosses the Mississippi River at Bruinsburg.

April 29th ~ May 1st - Battle of Snyders Bluff: Operations by William T. Sherman distract Pemberton from Grant's crossing.

May 1st - Battle of Port Gibson: Grant succors his Bridgehead on the Eastern bank of the Mississippi. Bowen falls back and destroys Grand Gulf and the artilley present there.

May 2nd - Joseph E. Johnston appointed to command all Confederate forces in Mississippi

May 3rd - Grant forced to send McClernand and McPherson's Corps South towards Port Hudson.

May 4th - Johnston arrives at Jackson Mississippi and begins corispondence with Pemberton.

May 5th - Dispatch reaches Grant from Nathaniel P. Banks informing him that the Army of the Gulf will be busy on the Red Rivier for at least three weeks. Grant sends orders to McClernand and McPherson to return to Grand Gulf.

May 6th - Johnston orders all Confederate forces in Mississippi svae those already deployed in garrison work to join him at Jackson. 7,000 reinforcements have arrived in Jackson from differnt Eastern departments 13,000 men present at Jackson. Johnston requests Van Dorn's 8,000 man Cavalry be assigned to Mississippi.

May 7th - John C. Pemberton argues against shifting strenght from Vicksburg. 2,000 more reinforcement arrive at Jackson, 15,000 men present.

May 8th - Johnston reaffirms his orders to Pemberton.

May 9th - Pemberton sets out for Jackson with 16,000 men. William W. Loring left behind wit 7,000 men to keep up the defense of Vicksburg.

May 10th - Davis send news of Van Dorn's death to Johnston but accepts the request for that cavalry to be sent to Mississippi. Asks for suggestion for a new Cavalry commander. Bragg also consulted on this matter.

May 11th - Pemberton arrives at Jackson with his force. McPherson's Corps arrives back at Grand Gulf. 31,000 men present.

May 12th - William Wirt Adams Cavalry regiment deployed to scout the region between Jackson, Edward's Station and Grand Gulf. McClernand's Corps arrives back at Grand Gulf.

May 14th - Grant begins his operations against Vicksburg. McClernand sent towards Edward Station, Sherman sent towards Midway Station and McPherson sent towards Clinton. Johnston's first pick for Cavalry commander JEB Stuart turned down and his second suggestion Nathan Bedford Forrest turned down. Bragg's suggeston John A. Wharton considered and sent to Johnston for approval.

May 15th - Johnston's Army organized into three Corps. Pembertons 12,000 man Corp, Stevenson's 10,000 man Corps and John S. Bowen's 9,000 man Corps.

May 16th - Elements of Wirt Adams Cavalry encounter McClernands Corps near Bakers Creek and fall back to Edwards Station. News of this will reach Johston two days later.

May 17th - Johnton approves of Wharton as a Cavalry commander. Elements of Wirt Adams Cavalry encounter Shermans Corps near Dillon and fall back towards Raymond. News of this will reach Johnston in two days.

May 18th - Elements of Wirt Adam's Cavalry encounter McPherson's Corps marching towards Raymond and fall back to Raymond. News of this will reach Johnston in two day.

May 19th - Sherman's Corps turns West and begins to head towards Edwards' Station. Wharton appointed to Command Van Dorn's old Cavalry. Johnston begins to deploy his Army to Clinton.

May 21st - Battle of Clinton: Confederate Victory. McPherson's Corps loses about 6,000 men killed, wounded or captured (McPherson captured) Johnston's Army loses about 1,200 killed and 3,500 wounded (of which about 2,300 would return to service within weeks).

May 22nd - Sherman encounters the remnants of McPherson's Corps and falls back towards Grant's HQ 5 miles south of Edwards Station.

May 23rd - Loring, worried about the build up of Federals at his front send a request from reinforcement to Johnston. Loring also calls 5,000 men to Edwards Station from Vicksburg.

May 24th - Sherman's Corps and the remnants of McPherson's Corps joined up with McClernands Corps. Grant learns of Johnston's Army and attempts to discover if the Confederate force at Edwards Station is the entire Army of Mississippi and if Johnston's Army is an entirely different one.

May 25th - Johnston begins to deploy his Army towards Edwards Station.

May 26th - Grant, happy that Loring's force is weak, prepares to attack at Edwards Station before Johnston can arrive.

May 27th ~ May 30th - Battle of Edwards Station: Defensive Confederate Victory but strategically inconclusive. Grant loses about 12,600 killed, wounded or captured while Johnston loses about 4,500 killed and about 7,400 wounded (of which about 2,500 would return to service within weeks).

June 2nd ~ June 17th - Whartons Raid. John A. Wharton's Cavalry sent on a raid to the rear of Grant's Army. It prevents reinforcement and the bulk of supplies from reaching the Army of the Tennessee.

June 7th - Battle of Bakers Creek: Tactically inconclusive but strategical Confederate Victory. Grant loses about 4,400 killed, wounded or Captured while Johnston loses about 1,200 killed and 2,600 wounded (of which about 1,300 would return to service withing weeks)


[Current strength Johnston's Army follow the Battle of Bakers Creek is 22,600 men (this is assuming that Johnston would join Loring's 7,000 men and the 5,000 men from the Vicksburg Garrison at Edwards Station to his Army) while Wharton Cavalry would have about 5,600 following his Raid.

Grant's force has been driven down to about 21,000.

Federal reinforcement in the area are under around 20,000 men Cadwaller C. Washburn and John Parke but they have been deployed mostly against Wharton and to protect the supply lines and thus are dispursed.

Confederate reinforcement in the Area are 10,000 men in Arkansas under Thoephilius H. Holmes but he is reluctant to bring them into the State. 10,000 men in Louisiana under John George Walker but he may be needed to defend the Red River. Johnston can also concievably call on about 20,000 more men from the Deep South but they will be slow in coming to him.]
 
Top