re: Napoleon was the Best General Ever, and the Math Proves it.

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Lee still would have had most of his force with which to defend Richmond.

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After the losses his army incurred at Chancellorsville, Lee would have had 48,000 men to defend Richmond from a force of 116,000 Union soldiers. Winning Chancellorsville took audacity and a shite ton of luck. The audacious part of that equation (Stonewall Jackson) was now dead. And there was no guarantee Lee would get so lucky again.

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Remember, Longstreet took much of his corps with him to the Chattanooga theater in 1863.

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And remember...the Union responded by transferring 30,000 men from the Army of the Potomac to the Chattanooga theater. Who's to say they wouldn't have sent Grant similar reinforcements if Lee decided to transfer a large part of his army to Vicksburg in the spring of 1863?

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That many fewer facing Lee then.

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Not necessarily. The Army of the Potomac had more soldiers to draw from in the Shenandoah Valley, Fortress Monroe on the Virginia peninsula, as well as the defenses around Washington if they were truly looking to strike a blow against Lee while he was vulnerable.

Lincoln believed the capture of Vicksburg was of the upmost importance and would have done anything to make sure Grant had what he needed to deal with the city.

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They had to hold the Mississippi. Break Grant and they do so. Defeat Grant and perhaps the way to Memphis and Nashville opens. Take Nashville, you force the Union out of Chattanooga.

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It wasn't going to happen. Even with Longstreet. Grant handled him quite easily during the Knoxville campaign when he was prevented from taking the city by Burnside of all generals.

Grant had nearly 80,000 men with him at the height of his strength during the Siege of Vicksburg. Pemberton had 30,000 men with him and Johnston had around half that. Add in Longstreet's 20,000 and the total Confederate force in Mississippi would have added up to around 65,000 men.

In this scenario, given that Johnston is the ranking general, he ends up in command of this Army of Mississippi. Given his reputation and history, there isn't anyway Johnston attempts to fight Grant in the open. And so he will allow Vicksburg and Pemberton's 30,000 men to fall. He would then argue that the best course of action would be to fall back into Tennessee, link up with Bragg, and launch a counteroffensive against Rosecrans before he and Grant can link up. Then he would propose hitting Grant, defeating him, and taking back Vicksburg.

Jefferson Davis would call him a fool for even suggesting they give up Pemberton's army and the city of Vicksburg, the two would argue back and forth via the telegraph, and all the while Grant would end up taking the city anyway.

There just wasn't a commander good enough in the Western Theater to take on Grant and defeat him outright. The only way your hypothesis succeeds is if Jefferson Davis sends Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia to Mississippi.

Big fan of Hannibal and what he pulled off against the Romans but then ultimately he could not match Scipio for sheer cruelty for effectiveness.

Caesar though is pretty damned effective. The Battle of Alesia was money...think Sonny in a Bronx Tale ..." now youse can't leave."

The South was fricked once Farragut takes New Orleans and effectively shuts down the Mississippi. Grant then delivers the death blow at Vicksburg. The stuff in NOVA was essentially a waste of time after that.

1. Union lands 60,000 men at Shiloh in heart of Confederacy and cuts up Southern army

2. Farragut takes New Orleans thereby controlling the mouth of the Mississippi.....nothing gets out.....or in.

3. Grant takes Vicksburg ....River is now a union stream nothing moves unless the Union says it can

4. Grant goes to Chattanooga and kicks a Confederate army off a mountain....that ain't easy.

Game set and match . Grant has his fingerprints all over 3 of the 4....Jefferson Davis should have sued for peace after that . He was in a no win position. After that it's just Grant exerting and asserting his will.

Vicksburg was the key. The stuff up north was a waste.Grant was tied down and not making much progress, Somehow Davis and Lee had to relieve it, and defeat Grant.

Subedei was the greatest general ever imo