Having devoted the last two Substack newsletters to bemoaning the West’s lack of preparedness for a war that I think may well be coming, this week I return to history. The British army has always been fascinated by the American Civil War in which she had accredited observers on both sides. Many accounts refer to it as the first of the modern wars. I prefer to consider as the last of the Napoleonic-type wars, fought with increasingly modern weapons. I suggest that the tipping point of the war was the battle for Atlanta - if it had gone the other way, which it very easily could have, then the course of history would have changed dramatically. My American subscribers may feel differently, but I hope they will forgive a limey for poking his nose into their history.
I think you make a very valid point. I also think that the very heavy casualties on both sides were to an extent caused by the shift by both armies from smooth bore muskets to rifles, but retaining close order manoeuvring.
Having come at serious study of the American Civil War via reenactment after long years studying the British wars I came to the conclusion that Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was the last Napoleonic army and the Union Army especially under Grant was the first modern industrial age army, especially because of their differences in management style.
I think you make a very valid point. I also think that the very heavy casualties on both sides were to an extent caused by the shift by both armies from smooth bore muskets to rifles, but retaining close order manoeuvring.
Having come at serious study of the American Civil War via reenactment after long years studying the British wars I came to the conclusion that Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was the last Napoleonic army and the Union Army especially under Grant was the first modern industrial age army, especially because of their differences in management style.