quote:

ORIGINAL: Mike Scholl
When the other side outnumbers you considerably, and you can only hold so much front before your line becomes so thin he can punch through it, you will eventually be outflanked. Joe Johnson kept his Army intact and in front of Sherman all Spring and Summer. Someone pointed out just a while ago that the South didn't seem to realize that it's Armies where it's most important asset..., yet here is a General who does and you are criticising him for it. J.E.Johnson may not have been R.E.Lee, but he gave Sherman a very tough campaign at minimal cost to Southern Manpower. "Cump" was more than happy to see Hood replace him.

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ORIGINAL: RERomine

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ORIGINAL: Grifman
The point was though if this had NOT happened. If Johnston had kept Sherman out of Altanta.

He wasn't that effective at that. Johnston would generally get in Sherman's way and Sherman would just go around. And Johnston didn't seem to do much about preventing this from happening.

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ORIGINAL: Grifman
I repeat again, the point was a HYPOTHETICAL one, IF Johnston had been able to keep Sherman out. Please don't make me repeat myself again [:-]

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ORIGINAL: RERomine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mike Scholl
When the other side outnumbers you considerably, and you can only hold so much front before your line becomes so thin he can punch through it, you will eventually be outflanked. Joe Johnson kept his Army intact and in front of Sherman all Spring and Summer. Someone pointed out just a while ago that the South didn't seem to realize that it's Armies where it's most important asset..., yet here is a General who does and you are criticising him for it. J.E.Johnson may not have been R.E.Lee, but he gave Sherman a very tough campaign at minimal cost to Southern Manpower. "Cump" was more than happy to see Hood replace him.

Lee was outnumbered very badly as well and was able to inflict heavy casualties on the Union. I was just pointing out that Johnston wasn't able to force an engagement. Maybe it was the terrain and maybe it was just Sherman's style. By 1864, the armies were much less a factor because the war was pretty much lost by then. Hope rested on the election and not the results in the field.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mike Scholl
Two reasons for this. Grant didn't have as much room to manuever..., and Grant was looking for a fight. Sherman had more room, and he was satisfied to "turn" Johnson out of positions. So Sherman's losses were much lower than Grants..., and Johnson's losses were much lower than Lee's. And Johnson dragged the "approach" out longer, even though both Rebel Armies wound up pinned at the citiy's they were defending in the end.

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ORIGINAL: RERomine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mike Scholl
Two reasons for this. Grant didn't have as much room to manuever..., and Grant was looking for a fight. Sherman had more room, and he was satisfied to "turn" Johnson out of positions. So Sherman's losses were much lower than Grants..., and Johnson's losses were much lower than Lee's. And Johnson dragged the "approach" out longer, even though both Rebel Armies wound up pinned at the citiy's they were defending in the end.

Grant didn't seem to have a problem getting by when he wanted to. That might be the personality difference between Grant and Sherman. Aside from the Wilderness, where Lee was on the offensive, Grant bounced Lee at both Spotsylvania Court House and Cold Harbor (one he wished he had passed on). Sherman just opted to maneuver when he could. Not sure who's approach was longer and don't feel like getting out the map. Off the top of my head, the distance seemed about the same.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mike Scholl
I meant that Johnson had held Sherman's approach to Atlanta off longer. And Grant was simply more willing to fight. He may have felt he needed to engage Lee to prevent him trying anything "tricky", or to encourage the other commanders ordered to advance that Spring, or just have been more belligerant than Sherman. He certainly proved able to "sidestep" Lee's position on the North Anna River when he wanted to. Have to agree he would have done well to "sidestep" Cold Harbor as well.