During the first week of August 1864 Federal forces lead by Rear-Admiral David Farrugut assaulted the Confederate Naval forces at Mobile Bay commanded by Admiral Franklin Buchanan. Mobile bay was important for being the last major Confederate port in the Gulf of Mexico. The loss of its capture by Union cut off the supply line from it the lead to the ANV and some believe that its capture along with that of Atlanta's helped Lincoln win his reelection.
IOTL all the people involved said that it was a hard earned victory. So with the high chance of failure that the Union faced I'd like to ask what kinds of outcomes could be expected if they had not captured Mobile Bay and allowed it to stay under Confederate control. What battle plans would the Union have changed if they hadn't had Mobile Bay? Would Lincoln have still been reelected? What changes made by the Confederates to their war plans after the bay's loss in OTL might be avoided? What other butterflies could occur?
IOTL all the people involved said that it was a hard earned victory. So with the high chance of failure that the Union faced I'd like to ask what kinds of outcomes could be expected if they had not captured Mobile Bay and allowed it to stay under Confederate control. What battle plans would the Union have changed if they hadn't had Mobile Bay? Would Lincoln have still been reelected? What changes made by the Confederates to their war plans after the bay's loss in OTL might be avoided? What other butterflies could occur?