Corps Commander-led charges

[Albert Sidney Johnston]

Hey! So I was reading about the Battle of Shiloh, and one of my personal favorite generals (go figure), Albert Sidney Johnston.

So the Union forces were defending this peach orchard, and attack after attack by the Confederate forces was repulsed. Until, that is, General Albert Sidney Johnston personally rallied his troops, and led them into battle. Following his lead, the soldiers charged into the peach orchard and managed to force back the Yankees. Unfortunately, Johnston was wounded while he led the charge and died.

So, I was thinking it could be an interesting feature if mid-battle you could temporarily attach your corps commander to a unit, to "lead them". The unit would get amazing buffs, especially with moral, allowing them to spearhead charges and stuff. But you would also run the risk of your Corps Commander dying. His death would demoralize your army, causing corps-wide debuffs of all kinds.

Whadya think? Would it be a cool feature?

[CSA Watkins]

Well no,, Corps Cmdr(s) were valuable. A.S. Johnson, was one of the best Generals the South Had. Leading/rallying his men was Johnson being Johnson. As Gallant as it was leading that Charge.

A Corps Cmdr, getting Killed(as you mentioned) Has a very bad effect on you army as a whole, demoralizing. The South is Left with a Big hole in there Army's upper command. A good if not Great Commander was killed unnecessarily very early in the war ---- A.S. Johnson.

Great Battle Field leaders are a rarity, n need to be protected at all costs.

This was a hard lesson learnt by both sides. But lost on others. Good BG are always in the fray(losses are expected to a degree) (Franklin Nov.64 ~16 CSA General officers lost in 1 battle.(Killed/wounded/Captured.)

[Wright29]

1 hour ago, CSA Watkins said:

This was a hard lesson learnt by both sides. But lost on others. Good BG are always in the fray(losses are expected to a degree) (Franklin Nov.64 ~16 CSA General officers lost in 1 battle.(Killed/wounded/Captured.)

namely Pat Cleburne, probably the best divisional commander on either side. His one division held off Sherman's whole command at Chatanooga. Never rose above divisional command because he publicly suggested that the south free the slaves for the sake of winning the war. 

[Andre Bolkonsky]

3 hours ago, Albert Sidney Johnston said:

Hey! So I was reading about the Battle of Shiloh, and one of my personal favorite generals (go figure), Albert Sidney Johnston.

So the Union forces were defending this peach orchard, and attack after attack by the Confederate forces was repulsed. Until, that is, General Albert Sidney Johnston personally rallied his troops, and led them into battle. Following his lead, the soldiers charged into the peach orchard and managed to force back the Yankees. Unfortunately, Johnston was wounded while he led the charge and died.

So, I was thinking it could be an interesting feature if mid-battle you could temporarily attach your corps commander to a unit, to "lead them". The unit would get amazing buffs, especially with moral, allowing them to spearhead charges and stuff. But you would also run the risk of your Corps Commander dying. His death would demoralize your army, causing corps-wide debuffs of all kinds.

Whadya think? Would it be a cool feature?

Cool feature. Great idea. Hard to implement.

We should put this in that great big pile of brilliant ideas that sound great but are too manpower intensive to implement we keep down in a van by the river. 

I marched Shiloh a dozen times as a Boy Scout years ago, I know exactly what the tree under which he died looks like, and I know that the air there smells like in early November. IMHO, if he had lived, the battle would have had a far different outcome. When Forrest reported Buell crossing the river on the other side of the Indian Mounds, the Confederates would not have rolled over and gone back to sleep. 

And that one we can file under "Famous 'what-ifs' for a thousand, Alex". 

[Albert Sidney Johnston]

17 hours ago, Andre Bolkonsky said:

"Famous 'what-ifs' for a thousand, Alex". 

Are those in a van down by the river too?

But seriously, I whole-heatedly agree. JEB Stuart, Johnston... So many good generals died before their time in The South. If they had stayed alive, perhaps the war itself would have gone differently.

But Shiloh itself would have defenitely turned out differently if Johnston had survived. Beauregard was a decent commander, but certainly no replacement for the great military genius of Johnston.

[barrydylan]

5 minutes ago, Albert Sidney Johnston said:

perhaps the war itself would have gone differently.

It might have lasted longer but the end result would've been the same. 

[Andre Bolkonsky]

1 hour ago, barrydylan said:

It might have lasted longer but the end result would've been the same. 

The manpower/material advantages were hard to overcome. But, this involves the political will of the North. A few more well placed Confederate victories, and the Union would have lost the stomach for the fight. 

In August of 1863, Lincoln was fairly well convinced he would lose the election. His primary rival, McClellan, would immediately sue for peace and go back to setting up his army dioramas where no one gets hurt. Sherman's capture of Atlanta is generally regarded as the shift in perception that got Honest Abe re-elected. 

But, it is all speculation. I would like to say history is already written and carved in stone, but there are too many people who want to change the narrative for that to ever be the case. 

[barrydylan]

Well, history has always been a narrative we construct, even when the evidence is literally carved in stone. To indulge in a little more speculation:

Even if McClellan had won the election, I think war would have broken out again between the two sides over control of the West, and by that point Northern industrialization would almost certainly guarantee a victory for the USA. 

[Andre Bolkonsky]

1 hour ago, barrydylan said:

Well, history has always been a narrative we construct, even when the evidence is literally carved in stone. To indulge in a little more speculation:

Even if McClellan had won the election, I think war would have broken out again between the two sides over control of the West, and by that point Northern industrialization would almost certainly guarantee a victory for the USA. 

You might be right, but we will never know.