Keith, Patrick AMH2010
What if the South had just quickly mustered up and sacked Washington D.C. The strategy would be to allow the Union to go ahead and invade the South. After the Union forces enter the South, the massed Confederate forces invade just north of the border of Virginia and sack Washington D.C. Confederate forces could then easily destroy supply lines and communication to the Union army.
This strategy would totally demoralize the North. The Confederate army is not faced with the logistical problems of invasion and controlling the North. After they are done with Washington D.C. they could sack any exposed flanks in the Northern defense and/or assault the Union army in the south. Meanwhile the Union army would invade a southern territory abandoned like the attrition tactics implemented by the Russians against Napoleon and later Germany Russian.
The effect mainly would be, like I said, to quickly dishearten the Northern resolve.
2 comments:
If the south did flank the north and won the war. What do you think would be different? Lee Guerra
AMH 2010
Lawrence Hill
The demoralization of the North had already come before the South actually had the chance to take D.C. Since a majority of battles fought in the South in the beginning of the war had been won by the South. The reason why Robert E. Lee did not take D.C. was that he would string out the Northern army and create a massive flank on their side. Remember the South did not have enough troops to totally control every flank and extend themselves like the Northern armies did. Taking D.C. would result in the siege of D.C. locking the confederate northern army in a poor spot. However, the siege would be unlike any Napoleonic war since the greatest winter of all time can not possibly ensue the District of Columbia. Also a shift in moral is a very fickle thing in war. Even if they did assume D.C. and created a stronghold on Northern soil the fact that the North would be too demoralized too early on and cause them to lose the war is too much of a stretch. The south was right to reserve themselves in that situation.
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