1/23/2007

Civil War flash cards

I was looking at the counterinsurgency bullet points in this posting by John Robb and mapping Civil War equivalents to each one, treating the Rebels as insurgents. Done sort of like flash cards - quick as you can - it's fun.

If you want to try it, click on the link above before reading any further, otherwise I may contaminate some of your own ideas.

Here's what I came up with on the QT:

"Attack critical nodes" - I thought of G-inC McClellan's Nov. 1861 strategy to advance on Southern rail lines both East and West, seizing, garrisoning, and holding rail junctions while moving downline to the next set. Kind of an internal Anaconda plan rarely analyzed in ACW histories and a foretaste of what was to come.

"Attack the insurgency's weakness in political cohesion by forcing it to respond to issues that are beyond its scope" - This correlates to emancipation or the gambit of making the war about slavery rather than independence.

"Reduce ... sources of funding" - Here I thought of the strategy of protracted war flattening the Southern economy and ruining the currency.

"Attack the ... technology infrastructure of the network" - Sherman's destruction of all war making property in Atlanta and beyond occurred to me; the blockade was intended to keep technology and war materiel out of the South, as well.

Even if you read these spoilers, have a go at it yourself.

And the point? One has to wonder if these four recommendations for fighting modern guerillas are drawn too broadly if they cover the case of the ACW.