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| Who Commanded the Union Army at the Wilderness? http://www.wargame.ch/board/acwgc/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=23471 |
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| Author: | Blake [ Thu Nov 02, 2023 12:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Who Commanded the Union Army at the Wilderness? |
This probably isn't as simple (or maybe it is?) as it seems. According to the Order of Battle in the WDS Wilderness game, it is Meade. Grant is a supernumerary and serves no purpose in the WDS scenario - he is an observer. His ratings do not factor into anything at all. Only Meade "matters." It's been a while since I read Gordon Rhea's Overland books, but I am fairly certain Grant was calling the shots. If that is a fair statement, shouldn't Grant, and not Meade, be the "leader" of the Army of the Potomac in the Wilderness scenario? Should Meade be moved to a supernumerary position? That way the Federal army enjoys Grant's higher command ratings for morale checks instead of Meade's. Or did Meade exercise enough control in the Wilderness battle to justify being deemed the "Commander" instead of Grant? |
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| Author: | Thomas Marshall [ Thu Nov 02, 2023 4:08 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Who Commanded the Union Army at the Wilderness? |
I have always thought this arrangement must have been supremely uncomfortable for everyone involved. I remember from Chris Mackowski's book on Mine Run that Washington wanted rid of Meade by the start of winter 1863-64 but couldn't do so because of his victory at Gettysburg. Meade's decision not to attack the Confederate works at Mine Run obviously endeared him to the rank & file but to his superiors, not so much. Regardless, I find it hard to believe either Grant or Meade were operating at the top of their game in the Wilderness. Effective organisations, in my experience, set clear lines of responsibility, and are staffed by experienced personnel with clearly defined roles. If it's hard to command when ultimate authority is unclear, then it's also hard to be commanded - should messengers from the likes of Warren or Sedgwick go to Meade, or direct to Grant? Is an order from Meade likely to stand, or will be it shortly be amended by Grant? If I send a message to Meade's HQ, should I also copy it to Grant's? And so on. |
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| Author: | Quaama [ Thu Nov 02, 2023 5:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Who Commanded the Union Army at the Wilderness? |
That's an odd one. I suspect it was done due the game engine having no provision for a leader above the level of Army Commander. The game ranks Grant as an Army Commander but with no army under his command and, as Blake says, "Grant is a supernumerary". Additionally, the game fixes Grant in a position near the Rapidan. Grant's actual headquarters was far closer to the action (probably near hex {75,68}). Although Grant's memoirs have him issuing orders to Meade on a few occasions a check of the Official Records reveals something different. The total of correspondence from Grant to Meade during the battle - one. Here it is (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077728289&view=1up&seq=617&q1=). Even that 'order' reads to me more like suggestions rather than specifically directing movements of the forces during the battle. The order frequently says things like: should; could; if; and may. Here's another complication for that battle. At the very least Burnside should be allocated under Grant's command. As Grant says, "Burnside at this time was not under Meade's command, and was his senior in rank." Also, Grant says: "Burnside, who was coming up with two divisions, was directed to get in between Warren and Wadsworth, and attack as soon as he could get in position to do so."; and "Burnside had three divisions, but one of them—a colored division—was sent to guard the wagon train, and he did not see it again until July." The game, and other OoBs, show four divisions under Burnside (including the "colored division"). Grant also seems very impressed with the Army of the Potomac's wagon-train. He devotes a substantial paragraph in describing it and how it operated saying it was "a wagon-train that would have extended from the Rapidan to Richmond". Keen to protect it, it was probably no surprise that he allocated a division to guard it. Still, Burnside's Corps didn't really do anything during the battle so it's probably correct for the scenario to have them 'arrive' and be fixed in a position out of the way. [Grant says Burnside was delayed moving beyond Wilderness Tavern due to the "difficulty of making a way through the dense forests".] |
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| Author: | Bill Peters [ Mon Nov 06, 2023 10:54 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Who Commanded the Union Army at the Wilderness? |
No Wing commander level in the ACW series, like we have in the Napoleonic series, to facilitate that extra level of command needed in these situations? I would make Meade the Wing Commander and Grant the Army commander. |
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