View single post by Don  Posted: Wed Dec 3rd, 2008 01:05 am
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Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado USA Posts: 111    back to
top   I agree with Ole.  Donelson and Henry started the dominoes
falling.  Happened to be Grant as commander, but I don't think
it would have mattered who did it.  Not that the two ddn't
significantly help him, because they did.  I believe Winfield
Scott actually gets credit for the overall concept, though, as
part of his Anaconda Plan.   As Izzy pointed out, the intial
defensive lines didn't make sense.  There was simply no way to
defend everything.  It's similar, but on a much larger scale, to
the problems the other Johnston faced in Virginia during the
winter/ spring of 1862.  Die-hards wanted to protect every foot
of "sacred Virginia soil," but he didn't have the troops or
terrain to do and realized it.  So he pulled back to the
Rappahannock, which made a good defensive line for over a year
and a half.  A.S. Johnston and his s