 Editor in Chief Bill   | 09 Mar 2019 8:04 p.m. PST |
Which battle would you say was the riskiest gamble for the Confederacy? |
| Lee494 | 09 Mar 2019 8:11 p.m. PST |
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| Musketballs | 09 Mar 2019 8:32 p.m. PST |
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| Pan Marek | 09 Mar 2019 8:50 p.m. PST |
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Shagnasty  | 09 Mar 2019 9:20 p.m. PST |
3rd Lee and unnecessary. Anderson was about to surrender. |
| Old Contemptibles | 09 Mar 2019 9:46 p.m. PST |
Secession
Fort Sumter
Maryland Campaign
Pickett's Charge |
| Lascaris | 09 Mar 2019 9:59 p.m. PST |
Chancellorsville. Dividing an inferior army into 3 parts and then defeating the other side. Almost insanely risky but it worked! |
| gamershs | 09 Mar 2019 10:24 p.m. PST |
Hoods advance north while Sherman was marching south through Georgia. |
| Texas Jack | 10 Mar 2019 1:09 a.m. PST |
I would agree with Chancellorsville, if Lee had been defeated we would be talking about what a fool he was. |
| ZULUPAUL | 10 Mar 2019 3:51 a.m. PST |
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| AussieAndy | 10 Mar 2019 3:54 a.m. PST |
If we are talking a single battle, then I agree that it has to be Chancellorsville. I've always struggled with the question of whether Lee's and Jackson's plan was (1) audacious genius; or (2) crazy risky. Of course, the Lee/Jackson supporters can say, "hey it worked", but should Lee and Jackson have had any reasonable expectation that it would work? |
ScottWashburn  | 10 Mar 2019 4:47 a.m. PST |
Tactically, then yes Chancellorsville. Lee didn't really have any choice but to fight a battle, but to fight it the way he did was risky indeed. Strategically, then it has to be the Gettysburg campaign. Vicksburg was under siege and rather than send troops west to to try and relieve the city, Lee gambled that an invasion of the north (and a victory there) would solve the problem. Didn't work. |
| Desert Fox | 10 Mar 2019 6:15 a.m. PST |
Lee remaining another day at Sharpsburg after the mauling his army received the first day. No advantage to stay at incredible risk. |
| Big Red | 10 Mar 2019 6:41 a.m. PST |
There's quite a few, starting with Secession, but by putting Pemberton in command and then launching the Gettysburg campaign while letting the Vicksburg garrison rot, turned out to be decisive. |
| d effinger | 10 Mar 2019 9:00 a.m. PST |
Starting the war. Pretty stupid. |
| pzivh43 | 10 Mar 2019 9:32 a.m. PST |
Saying starting the war was a big gamble is just 20/20 hindsight. And, not sure Confederacy even existed when the war started---didn't it form after Fort Sumter? |
| Texas Jack | 10 Mar 2019 10:18 a.m. PST |
Actually the whole war for both sides was pretty stupid, however Bill is asking about battles. |
| Corporal Fagen | 10 Mar 2019 11:46 a.m. PST |
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| Gunfreak | 10 Mar 2019 12:10 p.m. PST |
Wearing grey with those shoes. |
| von Schwartz | 10 Mar 2019 5:52 p.m. PST |
Gettysburg Gunfreak, back off with the shoes, remember, oberlindes is the one with the shoe fetish. |
| GROSSMAN | 11 Mar 2019 1:59 p.m. PST |
Gettysburg, more over Pickett's charge. |
| Trajanus | 11 Mar 2019 3:27 p.m. PST |
Franklin? I was going to say Nashville but I suppose it wasn't so much a gamble as just plain dumb! |
 Legion 4 | 12 Mar 2019 7:28 a.m. PST |
I'd have to go with Gettysburg … |
| Aethelflaeda was framed | 13 Mar 2019 7:37 p.m. PST |
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 McLaddie | 13 Mar 2019 10:43 p.m. PST |
Starting the war in the first place…After that gamble it was all down hill. The House* had the percentage with them. *i.e. The White House, Congress etc. |
| Old Contemptibles | 13 Mar 2019 11:13 p.m. PST |
I think Lee was trying to make a point when he stayed one more day at Sharpsburg. That he still knew what McClellan was all about. It was risky, but it was McClellan after all. One man's crazy is another man's audacity. |
| Old Contemptibles | 13 Mar 2019 11:20 p.m. PST |
Antietam. Splitting the army five ways with a superior enemy nearby. Lee barely got a way with it. But if those orders had not been lost, who knows what we would be talking about instead. Losing those orders is part of the risk you take. |
| donlowry | 15 Mar 2019 8:36 a.m. PST |
Grand strategically: Fort Sumter -- starting a shooting war just to get more states to join the Confederacy (which only half-worked since it only brought in 4 of the 8 remaining slave states) but also fired up the people of the free states with indignation over someone firing on the national flag. Strategically: Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania while Grant besieged Vicksburg instead of sending forces west to try to drive Grant away and/or gang up on Rosecrans. (Honorable -- or dishonorable -- mention to Bragg sending Longstreet against Knoxville while Grant brought Sherman to Chattanooga.) Grand-tactically: Chancellorsville, for reasons stated in posts above. Tactically: Hood's attack at Franklin. |
| WARGAMESBUFF | 11 May 2019 2:27 a.m. PST |
The confederate states would still be here if they had not fired on the fort Sumpter. Biggest mistake to start it. |
| donlowry | 11 May 2019 9:18 a.m. PST |
Two more to consider: 1. Choosing (not electing) Jeff Davis to be President (and commander-in-chief). 2. Seceding before finding out what Lincoln was really going to do. |
| Old Contemptibles | 12 May 2019 9:58 p.m. PST |
The extra day at Sharpsburg. If it had been anyone but McClellan, the war might have been over. Lee was really good at judging his opponents, so maybe it wasn't that big of a gamble. But you still needed a large pair of onions to pull off that one. |
| Old Contemptibles | 12 May 2019 10:01 p.m. PST |
I don't think anyone thought firing at Fort Sumpter was a gamble. I would characterize it as a mistake. |
| Old Contemptibles | 12 May 2019 10:02 p.m. PST |
Those first two posts are not mine. The bug strikes again. |
| Please delete me | 15 May 2019 11:21 a.m. PST |
Shooting on Ft. Sumpter. After that 7 pines |
