WI Ulysses S Grant killed during battles for Forts Henry and Donelson

BigDave1967

Banned
What if General Grant was killed during the battles for Fort Henry and Donelson(February 6-16 1862)? That would have been a huge blow for the Union army and might have prolonged the Civil War for a year or two with the poor leadership that the Army of the Potomac had before Grant. General Sherman(IMO) might very well have achieved the prominence that Grant wound up having during the Civil War.
 
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What if General Grant was killed during the battles for Fort Henry and Donelson(February 6-16 1862)? That would have been a huge blow for the Union army and might have prolonged the Civil War for a year or two with the poor leadership that the Army of the Potomac had before Grant. General Sherman(IMO) might very well have achieved the prominence that Grant would up having during the Civil War.

Wrong. The chap who would have achieved prominence is more likely to have been Charles Ferguson Smith. Both Grant and Sherman thought he would have been better than them in command. But for his infected wounded from a boat accident before Shiloh who knows...
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
General Sherman(IMO) might very well have achieved the prominence that Grant wound up having during the Civil War.

The opposite is much more likely, methinks. It was Grant's sponsorship that brought Sherman up through the ranks. Before Grant took Sherman under his wing at Shiloh, Sherman was seen as a complete failure who had been relieved of his command in Kentucky under suspicion of insanity. No Grant basically means no Sherman. Moreover, Sherman's performance in the war was marginal at best and he would not have been promoted without Grant's support.

The man who would benefit most from Grant's removal from the scene is George Thomas.
 
Wrong. The chap who would have achieved prominence is more likely to have been Charles Ferguson Smith. Both Grant and Sherman thought he would have been better than them in command. But for his infected wounded from a boat accident before Shiloh who knows...

Given that Smith was the senior officer on the ground after Grant at Donelson, he'd certainly be the most immediate beneficiary. Depending on when Grant was killed, the battle might proceed as it did in the OTL with Smith receiving Buckner's note asking for terms. Since Smith originally advised Grant to ask for an unconditional surrender, he'd definitely make the same demand himself.

What happens afterward would largely depend on whether Smith's injury is butterflied away. If it is, then you could easily end up with a replay of Shiloh, just with Smith in command instead of Grant. If Smith's injury still occurs, then it's up in the air who might end up in command. Given that Lew Wallace performed well at Donelson, he might be a possibility as a replacement for Smith if the injury isn't butterflied away.
 
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