The Bazaar of War

Warfare, past and present.

Read 'Saladin the Strategist': writing:

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

The Tullahoma Campaign is famous for not being famous, ending the same day that Vicksburg fell and Lee retreated from Gettysburg.

Although less decisive, this mostly bloodless campaign—won through maneuver in difficult weather/terrain—makes a great study in operational art.
🧵

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

New Dispatch, on a nearly bloodless campaign of maneuver during the Civil War, amidst difficult geography and a once-in-lifetime period of rain.

Maneuver in the Mud: The Tullahoma Campaign
https://t.co/2qghHKNlPK

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

@marvingardns Thank you, will do!

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

The Tullahoma Campaign is famous for not being famous, ending the same day that Vicksburg fell and Lee retreated from Gettysburg.

Although less decisive, this mostly bloodless campaign—won through maneuver in difficult weather/terrain—makes a great study in operational art.
🧵

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

New Dispatch, on a nearly bloodless campaign of maneuver during the Civil War, amidst difficult geography and a once-in-lifetime period of rain.

Maneuver in the Mud: The Tullahoma Campaign
https://t.co/2qghHKNlPK

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

@KIA_WarGame Thank you!

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

I noticed a lot of accounts, even contemporary ones, seem to describe everything southeast of the Horse Mountains as part of the Rim itself—odd, given the elevations of Shelbyville and Wartrace. But in retrospect, guess that makes Bragg's reasons to defend forward even stronger.

Really beautiful region, drove through from Chattanooga a few years ago, but want to explore the backroads next time I'm in the area. In the meantime, will be covering Chickamauga next.

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

@marvingardns Great information, thanks—I take it that forward line of hills breaks up the escarpment in front of Tullahoma. I saw Horse Mountain referring to a single formation northeast of Shelbyville, does that refer to the whole line of hills running back from there?

[Artamesh @Telos_of_War]

A detailed write up (with great maps!) of an American Civil War campaign that really hit some operational art key notes. This is excellent stuff, I wish we'd see more books written with this structure!

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

The Tullahoma Campaign is famous for not being famous, ending the same day that Vicksburg fell and Lee retreated from Gettysburg.

Although less decisive, this mostly bloodless campaign—won through maneuver in difficult weather/terrain—makes a great study in operational art.
🧵

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

@jclearsighted You flatter me.

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

Just as we learn more from our own mistakes than our successes, there is often more to learn from the imperfect brilliance of a Tullahoma than the masterstrokes of Austerlitz or Fall Gelb. Read about it in much more detail here:
https://t.co/2qghHKNlPK

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

Yet for all the imperfections of Rosecrans’—and especially Bragg’s—performance, Tullahoma makes an extremely interesting study. The staff work alone is impressive for how it coordinated extremely complex movements over bad country roads, especially in such adverse weather.

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

With the most difficult obstacles surmounted, this presented an ideal opportunity to press ahead, to destroy one of Bragg’s two infantry corps at a more than 2-to-1 advantage, and cut off the other’s rail link to Tullahoma. Instead, he waited, consistent with his original plan.

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

Nevertheless, it was an important accomplishment for Rosecrans. But his execution was not flawless: even considering the weather, he missed two chances to destroy Bragg’s army outright. The first came on the 25th, after he succeeded in breaking through the two main gaps.

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

Confederate cavalry effectively screened the withdrawal, and the last rearguard action was fought on 4 July—later experience would show just how difficult it is to cut off an army retreating in good order with a rail line to its rear.
https://t.co/yIBN50WC4J

[The Bazaar of War @bazaarofwar]

As in the Greco-Turkish War two years earlier, both major fronts followed the rail lines. Without rail, an attacker could rarely succeed. With rail, a defender could at least withdraw in good order.
https://t.co/NwqBvJW9H8