What if Lee's Infamous Order Wasn't Lost?

TFSmith121

Banned
Fair enough...

Actually, I'd argue that Joe Johnston was a pretty good cat herder, all things considered.

The problem was that the only way he would herd was defensively, and he'd never ever bother to tell the boss or anyone else how he was herding them, or where. And by the time he was put in charge, it was really too late. I don't see how anyone could have reasonably defeated Bill Sherman and his three army commanders leading a force half their strength, given the technology and logistical restrictions that the Army of Tennessee was forced to work with. Sherman's army was one of the most remarkable ever assembled in military history, and well led and provisioned.

But Jeff Davis was rather blinded by Bobby Lee's success against a string of incompetent or absurdly cautious Army of the Potomac commanders, and spoiled by Lee's ability and willingness to actually keep him informed of what he and his army were up to.

Fair enough... but ultimately, even the defensive cat herder was undermined by a candidate who promised Operation OFFENSIVE CAT/SCREAM AND LEAP/THIS TIME ITS PERSONAL.

Against Cump et al.

Didn't work out well.;)

Best,
 
Fair enough... but ultimately, even the defensive cat herder was undermined by a candidate who promised Operation OFFENSIVE CAT/SCREAM AND LEAP/THIS TIME ITS PERSONAL.

Against Cump et al.

Didn't work out well.;)

Best,


Well you have to admit he kept his promise of being a Scream and Leap commander! :D
 
Fair enough... but ultimately, even the defensive cat herder was undermined by a candidate who promised Operation OFFENSIVE CAT/SCREAM AND LEAP/THIS TIME ITS PERSONAL.

And in fairness to General SCREAM AND LEAP, he was an outstanding brigade commander, a very good divisional commander, a mediocre corps commander and a disastrous army commander - in short, the classic case of a man (a very young one at at that) promoted beyond his level of competency, thanks to the CSA's horrific attrition rate among general officers. But he at least had some competency to be promoted beyond, which is not something I think I can say for Bishop Polk...

It is also not as if cats, er, generals didn't try to undermine Lee. Some did (including his best corps commander); but by the time he had established a track record of success, he was untouchable (not that it would have mattered; he knew how to keep Jeff Davis in good humor, and any man who could do that had bulletproof job security - see Polk, Bishop). Joe Johnston had no such benefit.

All of which is a roundabout way of saying that Joe Johnston was a good cat herder, but lacked certain other necessary traits in a successful army commander. Whereas his predecessors could neither herd cats, nor do much of anything else of critical military value, and by the time they were finished, not even Bobby Lee and Pete Longstreet and Stonewall Jackson put together on their best day could have salvaged the West, no matter how good their cat strokes were - let alone poor Joe Johnston.
 
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