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Could the South have won the Civil War with 100 AK-47s?

Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:31 am
Posted by ClientNumber9
Member since Feb 2009
9653 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:31 am
This is loosely lifted on an already written book called Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove, but it raises an interesting proposition:

Could the Confederacy, in the late stages of the war (1864) have won the Civil War with 100 AK-47s and a million rounds of ammunition?

How could Lee best unveil them on the battlefield to make the biggest difference? And how could he keep them from falling into Union hands?
Posted by The Boat
Member since Oct 2008
171575 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:32 am to
What they really needed was nukes
Posted by TexasTiger89
Houston, TX
Member since Feb 2005
25634 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:34 am to
Yes
Posted by LRB1967
Tennessee
Member since Dec 2020
21117 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:35 am to
Probably
Posted by TigerTitleHunter
Red Stick
Member since Jan 2008
488 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:36 am to
Questions like this are why I come to the OT.
Posted by pankReb
Defending National Champs Fan
Member since Mar 2009
69173 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:37 am to
Posted by The Torch
DFW The Dub
Member since Aug 2014
23349 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:37 am to
What about 100 30-06's with 12 power scopes, we could have picked the Yanks off from 250-300 yards.

Posted by EZE Tiger Fan
Member since Jul 2004
54257 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:38 am to
Could deez new yawk giants beat a team full of midget Ditkas if theyz had one hundreds AK 47s?

I say it would be a close one...

Mini Ditkas 70
Giants - Tree

They would run out of ammo after da first drive
Posted by DownshiftAndFloorIt
Here
Member since Jan 2011
69047 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:38 am to
I don't think so. Its still short range small arms. Its still ineffective against entrenced enemy. All the other caveats still apply like needing horses and supply lines and artillery and all that stuff. The gulf and the river are still blockaded. Zinging a million more rounds over the unions head wouldn't have mattered. The south lost an industrial war of attrition. A few modern small arms wouldn't have changed that.
Posted by Koach K
Member since Nov 2016
4566 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:39 am to
Would they be riding pterodactyls while using them?

This post was edited on 2/24/25 at 7:40 am
Posted by texag7
College Station
Member since Apr 2014
39519 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:39 am to
100%
Posted by FightinTigersDammit
Louisiana North
Member since Mar 2006
41145 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:40 am to
Who gets the AKs? Cavalry or infantry?
Posted by Fat and Happy
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2013
18532 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:41 am to
Easily.

Formations would have been easy to put multiple soldiers down quickly
Posted by AUFANATL
Member since Dec 2007
4622 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:42 am to

The North probably would have just changed their battle tactics to something a little more un-gentlemanly than marching single file into some deserted field and lining up in tight column formations.

It was always going to be a war of attrition.

And this post reminded me of the opening scene from the classic Jean Claude Van Damme movie, Timecop.

Posted by No Colors
Sandbar
Member since Sep 2010
12022 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:42 am to
quote:

What about 100 30-06's with 12 power scopes, we could have picked the Yanks off from 250-300 yards.



The south had hundreds of English made .32 caliber octagon barrel sniper rifles with 3x scopes. They routinely killed officers and other high value targets at ranges of 500 plus yards. Those weapons weren't war winners.
Posted by BigBinBR
Baton Rouge
Member since Mar 2023
7315 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:43 am to
The south lost the war due to infrastructure and logistics. The south likely would have won if England and France hadn't backed out of assisting the Confederacy in destroying the blockade and providing the south with supplies.

So no, 100 AKs likely wouldn't have helped.
Posted by The Boat
Member since Oct 2008
171575 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:44 am to
quote:

The south had hundreds of English made .32 caliber octagon barrel sniper rifles with 3x scopes. They routinely killed officers and other high value targets at ranges of 500 plus yards.

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." Whoops
Posted by BigBinBR
Baton Rouge
Member since Mar 2023
7315 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:49 am to
quote:

Easily.

Formations would have been easy to put multiple soldiers down quickly


Line formation was largely abandoned by the end of the civil war. And that is just with the causalities from the Minié ball. if one side had AKs then the line formation would have been abandoned much sooner in the war.
Posted by IAmNERD
Member since May 2017
21647 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:49 am to
I doubt it. The Confederacy's issue wasn't really firepower. It was the lack of being able to properly supply their troops. Once the blockade was in place and the manufacturing/transportation infrastructure took some damage, it was pretty much a wrap.
Posted by tide06
Member since Oct 2011
16546 posts
Posted on 2/24/25 at 7:50 am to
Harry Turtledove is that you?

The answer is probably.

There’s no way the Union wins at Gettysburg (1863) if the south has AK47s and they could’ve broken the siege of Vicksburg with them by using mounted strikes to interdict the federal supply lines as well. If those two are southern victories the Union sues for peace and Lincoln isn’t re-elected.

1864 is harder. They definitely win at Chattanooga, but can they open up the Mississippi again? I’m not sure.

They would’ve won outright at the Wilderness so the overland campaign would’ve never happened so it’s a stalemate, but I’m not sure they could’ve invaded the North again given their supply situation. Likely it would’ve been mounted raids to destroy Union cities and I don’t think Grant could’ve forced Lee out of a fixed position so I’d argue you’re looking at a stalemate most likely.
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