Useless Battles Cost Many Lives-Civil War

[HerbS]

By surviving Viet-Nam and teaching for 35 years.I have always wondered what were the Most Useless Battles of the Civil War?

[Craig Hipkins]

Herb,

I would have to go with Cold Harbor. That was a sad affair.

Craig

[Gene C]

I would say anything after the Battle of Atlanta and the Wilderness Campaign
specifically - Battle of Franklin-Nashville, TN

[HerbS]

How about St.Albans,Vermont?Where was Jeb Stuart at Gettysburg?Why didn't some General go after Lee's retreat line after Gettysburg?If we only knew more about Petersburg and the tunnel! Did Pickett really know that his "charge"would be a disaster?

[Gene C]

St Albans? Only because they couldn't keep the money.
Jeb Stuart? I think Lee was wondering where he was too.

Gettysburg?? Didn't Lincoln plead with Mead to go after Lee?
Petersburg?? I think we should give it back
Pickett's Charge....I think he knew it was going to be a disaster.

[Craig Hipkins]

(10-16-2012 03:33 PM)HerbS Wrote:  How about St.Albans,Vermont?Where was Jeb Stuart at Gettysburg?Why didn't some General go after Lee's retreat line after Gettysburg?If we only knew more about Petersburg and the tunnel! Did Pickett really know that his "charge"would be a disaster?

Herb,
The Crater was mismanaged from the get-go. It probably would have had some degree of success if the Union Commanders had coordinated things differently.

Craig

[LincolnMan]

Ten thousand four hundred and fifty-the number of military actions in the Civil War according E.B. Long's book: The Civil War Day By Day. Don't know which ones were useless, really. What comes to mind would be any that were fought after Lee's surrender-for sure. Is that what Booth was talking about when he said: "Useless, useless?"

[L Verge]

Bill beat me to the answer about those fought after Lee's surrender. Did the Battle of Palmito Ranch achieve anything? I think I read somewhere that its biggest distinction was having Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans all involved. Equal opportunity bloodshed?

[Gene C]

(10-16-2012 05:09 PM)LincolnMan Wrote:  What comes to mind would be any that were fought after Lee's surrender-for sure. Is that what Booth was talking about when he said: "Useless, useless?"

Sorry to inform you Bill, Booth's last words were "Lucy, Lucy" according to this highly questionable article
http://www.seacoastnh.com/History/As_I_P...kes_Booth/

[L Verge]

Oh no! Not that argument again, please.

[LincolnMan]

I've never heard that one before, Gene-but it sounds like Laurie sure has!

[Gene C]

I said it was highly ?? questionable

[LincolnMan]

Maybe "Lucy, Lucy" were the last words of Desi Arnaz.

[Laurie Verge]

I was intrigued with Gene's answer about the Battle of Franklin being useless because one of my docents at Surratt House is very well-versed on the Battle of Franklin. I posed the question to him as to why/if that battle was useless. Here's his response:

Sorry for the delay, we had computer access problems beginning last evening and so I am late catching up. I would concur with the responder about the Battle of Franklin; there was no need for the battle as the Union forces were retreating to Nashville and Hood's army had arrived too late to intercept them and prevent their retreat. But, apparently infuriated that the day previous the same Union force had eluded a trap he thought he had laid for them at Spring Hill, TN, Hood convinced himself he had a real opportunity to destroy them in Franklin before they crossed the Harpeth River en route to the TN capital. To do so, however, required his small army to launch massive frontal assaults against the dug-in Union troops, and across ground that greatly favored the defender. The attacks ultimately failed, at tremendous cost to the Confederates, although they did actually break into Federal lines and engage in fierce combat before being forced back; afterward the Union troops abandoned their earthworks and retreated unmolested to Nashville, while Hood lost over 6,000 out of a 27,000-man army in about 5 hours; six Confederate generals were among the casualties. Hood then went on to try to besiege a larger army than his own in Nashville, where the Union forces enjoyed plentiful supplies and warm housing while Hood's men starved in the trenches outside the city in the December sleet and ice, until George Thomas came out of the city and routed Hood in one of the most complete victories of the war (made possible by the debacle at Franklin).

In a broader sense Hood's entire Tennessee campaign of November-December 1864 was a useless endeavor, as Hood lacked a proper logistical base for such an operation. His decision to chase a fantasy in Tennessee moreover abandoned Georgia to Sherman's unopposed March to the Sea at the same time.

I was first introduced to the Battle of Franklin by reading that wonderful book, The Widow of the South, about the Carnton Plantation. I was too busy weeping through parts of it to learn much about what the battle was all about. My docent, Tim, filled in the blanks for me.

[Christine]

Laurie,

Widow of the South is a fascinating book. I've often thought it would make a great movie!

For those of you unfamiliar with the story; http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=2219925n