GDG- RE: GDG - Jackson Pushing Lee

[Margaret D. Blough]

Tom,

I have no doubt that the Confederates would have loved to interfere with the anthracite supply to the U.S. Navy, although I think that going after the railway system instead of the source probably would have made more sense. As the Confederacy learned the hard way in terms of food and other supplies to its own armies, supplies, no matter how ample they might seem, might as well not exist if they cannot reach the armies.  I'm not even sure how successful the railway alternative might have been, given the USMRR's success in rebuilding damaged rail lines.

Regards,

Margaret

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Tom Ryan" <pennmardel at mchsi.com> 

> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes: 
> 
> 
> <> coal mines, I'm kind of with Margaret on this one. But tongue in cheek I 
> would say, "Perhaps, after they finished burning Lancaster" which Jubal 
> Early claimed after the war was his objective if he got across the 
> Wrightsville Bridge. The question of what the Confederates would have 
> done next after capturing Harrisburg remains one of the intriguing what 
> if questions of the war.>> 
> 
> David, 
> 
> I suspect that the mines were far down on the list of Lee's objectives, if 
> they were on the list at all. One motivation for trying to destroy some of 
> them was the potential hindrance that would be to the blockading squadrons 
> that were fueled by coal. If the desire to reopen some of the Southern 
> ports was strong enough, the mines may have received a higher priority. The 
> pressure would conceivably come from the authorities in Richmond for Lee to 
> go after the mines, since they had to take the heat from the Southern 
> population for the lack of everyday necessities, not to mention the loss of 
> military arms and supplies, from overseas sources. 
> 
> Regards, Tom Ryan 
> 
> 
> - 
> 
> 
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