What if: Garibaldi took control of the United States' army in the American Civil War?

[Acco]

I recently read an article which posited that Giuseppe Garibaldi, the red-shirted Italian revolutionary who played a fundamental role in establishing the Kingdom of Italy, had received an offer by President Abraham Lincoln to lead the Union's armies in their conflict versus the Confederacy. Presuming this is true, how do you think the war would have been played out with Garibaldi as the Union's military head?

[Ace_General]

Do you really think that the U.S. would let their troops be lead by a foreigner, much less a catholic

[Pious Agnost]

Well he received an offer for it, so that kind of lends credibility to it...

[★Bandiera Rossa☭]

Garibaldi was an excellent general, so I would expect the union would be in the same or better circumstances as they ended up being in historically.

[motiv-8]

Do you really think that the U.S. would let their troops be lead by a foreigner, much less a catholic

Well, the US let a huge portion of their troops be foreigners, even (gasp!) Cathoilcs, so it's hard to say exactly.

[Farnan]

And one of our Corps. Commanders was a German.

[conon394]

I not very well versed on Garibaldi but as far as I know he had zero experience with the size of army and scope of operations involved in ACW. Now he does seem to have been competent and as the main commander on the ground of say the Army of the Potomac he might well have lent some needed elan and aggressiveness and is not likely to have always credited the CSA with more men than they had.

So overall I as far as I know he might not have been a suitable commander in chief of all the Union armies but at least in the East his record suggests he might not have made things so easy for Lee in the first years of the war. But Its hard to thing a foreign 'mercenary' commander would survive a signifact defeat.

[lordoftheT]

If I recall I correctly he was offer a high command position by Lincoln but said he would only accept a position a as general of all the armies which was politically unacceptable as having the army commanded by any foreigner would have dealt a massive blow to national prestige.

That said I think he likely would have made a very capable general for one of the individual armies simply for his drive if nothing else.

[Trax]

He was also only willing to accept on the condition of immediate abolition of slavery.

At the outbreak of the American Civil War (in 1861), Garibaldi volunteered his services to President Abraham Lincoln. Garibaldi was offered a Major General's commission in the U. S. Army through the letter from Secretary of State William H. Seward to H. S. Sanford, the U. S. Minister at Brussels, July 17, 1861.[8] On September 18, 1861, Sanford sent the following reply to Seward:

He [Garibaldi] said that the only way in which he could render service, as he ardently desired to do, to the cause of the United States, was as Commander-in-chief of its forces, that he would only go as such, and with the additional contingent power - to be governed by events - of declaring the abolition of slavery; that he would be of little use without the first, and without the second it would appear like a civil war in which the world at large could have little interest or sympathy.[9]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garibaldi

[Jaketh]

Well, the US let a huge portion of their troops be foreigners, even (gasp!) Cathoilcs, so it's hard to say exactly.

Irish immigrants fresh off the boats fought each other from both sides

[Dodge]

And one of our Corps. Commanders was a German.

There were many Germans, especially as observers, making notes for 1870.

[Sphere]

To be frank, it would be hard for Garibaldi to do any worse then the initial crop of Union commanders. Though as mentioned before, the ACW was on a completely different scale, and the troubles with communication, intelligence and supply would probably have tested Garibaldi's abilities. McClellan had the same type of magnetic personality and report with the troops, but especially during the Peninsular Campaign McClellan was never able to keep in touch with what was going on so as to really absorb the situation, and so he turtled up despite having the initiative and superior forces.

It really took a new type of thinking using the military approach of attrition rather than battlefield victory that really turned the Union effort around. Whether Garibaldi would have gotten to that point or not is debatable.

[Ex Tenebris Lux]

Do you really think that the U.S. would let their troops be lead by a foreigner, much less a catholic

OMG! LOL! Without debating the merits or lack thereof, speaking as an American with a healthy sense of humor and the ability to laugh at himself, this is comedic GOLD!

[Ace_General]

OMG! LOL! Without debating the merits or lack thereof, speaking as an American with a healthy sense of humor and the ability to laugh at himself, this is comedic GOLD!

Well, at least it would of made the southerners fight harder by the same token and perhaps there would of been more foreign intervention

[Ex Tenebris Lux]

Well, at least it would of made the southerners fight harder by the same token and perhaps there would of been more foreign intervention

Makes sense... Sadly. Says a lot about our southerners doesn't it? lol

[lordoftheT]

OMG! LOL! Without debating the merits or lack thereof, speaking as an American with a healthy sense of humor and the ability to laugh at himself, this is comedic GOLD!

Keep in mind that there was a pretty strong anti-catholic moment in America at the time. While there was little issue with appointing foreign born generals theres a major difference in the psychological impact of having a few division and corps commanders who are foreign born and having the commanders of your armies being a foreigner.

[Ex Tenebris Lux]

Keep in mind that there was a pretty strong anti-catholic moment in America at the time. While there was little issue with appointing foreign born generals theres a major difference in the psychological impact of having a few division and corps commanders who are foreign born and having the commanders of your armies being a foreigner.

you're preaching to the choir. I was laughing because it was true.

[Trax]

What's with all this catholic talk?

Garibaldi was the mortal enemy of the Papacy after all.

[Ex Tenebris Lux]

What's with all this catholic talk?

Garibaldi was the mortal enemy of the Papacy after all.

the point was that your common American circa 1861 wouldn't understand that and would just think "Italian means Catholic."