6/02/2004

Dixie Victorious: Chapter 7, Longstreet replaces Bragg

SYNOPSIS | Just for the fun of it, we're going through the scenarios in Stackpole's new offering, Dixie Victorious: An Alternate History of the Civil War (Peter G. Tsouras, ed.). I'll compile my comments on the scenarios and post them Sunday. (Note that the title of this post is a link to the book description on Amazon.)

Chapter 7. "Moves to Great Advantage"

Bragg is wounded at Chickamauga and Longstreet takes command. During the siege of Chattanooga, before Rosecrans is reinforced, Longstreet uses McLaws to cut the Union supply line at Bridgeport while the cavalry crosses over and burns 800 Union wagons. Believing he faces 130,000 enemy, Rosecrans evacuates the city in an exhausting march. He is relieved, Thomas taking over and Grant coming to supervise the concerted operations. Longstreet goes into winter quarters. Grant remains in the West. Longstreet opens a pre-emptive offensive that upsets Grant's spring plans. When Grant is able to get going, in June, Longstreet fights him to a stalemate near Murfreesboro with high losses. Meanwhile, the AoP executes an overland campaign with no Bermuda Hundred landing. Meade's and Grant's losses exceed 80,000. Lincoln loses the election to McClellan. He allows McClellan to immediately take command of "the country and the army" (ahead of any inauguration date). McClellan vetoes emancipation which allows Davis to come to the negotiating table and the two sides agree to reunion.