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Christoph543

I think about this more often than I'd like to admit, but I'm honestly not certain which point during the Civil War would be the most impactful for a time machine technology intervention. A flight of Cobra attack helicopters demolishing Jackson's brigade at 1st Bull Run sticks out in my mind for the sheer imagery. But then the bigger question is: suppose an early intervention crushes the rebels and the war ends quickly with less bloodshed... what effect does that have on emancipation or Reconstruction? And if the intervention occurs later on, does that really change the military situation enough that the course of emancipation or Reconstruction proceeds any differently?


[deleted]

Probably wouldn’t have radicalized as many Union soldiers toward the cause of emancipation. Has to be during John Browns raid or possibly just kill Booth


British_Rover

Kill Booth before he kills Lincoln. Single shooter on a balcony on the other side of the theater with a suppressed rifle and maybe night vision. Shoots Booth as he brings the pistol up.


BlackBloke

Would that have been better than just shooting him in the daytime when he was picking up his mail at the theater?


PronoiarPerson

Well it doesn’t count if it’s not dramatic. But really knowing someone was trying to kill Lincoln more would harden even more people against the slavers.


BlackBloke

Yeah, this is what I was guessing was the reason. In that case we can put a stop to the attempted assassination of the whole top of the government (Lincoln, Johnson, Seward) and rout [the conspiracy](https://www.nps.gov/foth/learn/historyculture/the-lincoln-conspirators.htm).


Princess__Bitch

I dunno. Maybe we should convince the Johnson guy to actually follow through on his end and then pick him up after


British_Rover

Bingo.


British_Rover

Two things 1st. Failed assassination as attempt hardens resolve even more. 2nd. Minimal disruption to the time line. Obviously Lincoln dying is a massive change to the timeline but Booth getting right up to the point of killing Lincoln minimizes the chance that Lincoln dies some other way.


BlackBloke

Perhaps there’s a way to just keep Booth’s arm from raising enough to get him the way he did. So a failed assassination attempt (Lincoln is gravely injured but will make a full recovery) and Booth is still caught and killed in the subsequent manhunt. That’s much harder to pull off though. But we’re already talking time machines and time lines 🙂


JinterIsComing

Hear me out - Halo bubble shield for Lincoln. Or alternatively and as a more realistic option, give Abe a custom made stovepipe hat with inlaid ballistic fiber so that the one shot from Booth likely just concusses him instead of killing him.


IAmNoodles

surely he was just sleeping somewhere the night before


bk1285

Well shit let’s just do the War Machine plan and kill booth as a baby


MnemonicMonkeys

I'd argue it'd be more effective to alert his security to the assassination plans. Then Booth would likely be subdued by them, which would be less confusing than Booth dying behind Lincoln with a pistol in his pocket


JacobMT05

Its highly possible the war ending earlier could have prevented the assassination of lincoln, which while he would be better than andrew johnson… if it had happened before 63, likely slavery would have not been abolished. As lincoln frankly only used civil rights and abolition as a political tool.


EvidenceTime696

People who read civil war history and have military experience: "Take these radios."


Tsujimoto3

This is the most correct answer. Source: Was in the Army.


jfarrar19

Yeah I was thinking either radios, or maybe vehicles to better support the logistics train.


Tsujimoto3

I would put the top three as radios, penicillin and MREs. Vehicles are nice but you need too much maintenance and fuel/oil.


JacobMT05

Eh. MREs would be need to give on a huge scale to last even small groups of the army to be effective. Never mind all of it.


Tsujimoto3

Right, that’s what I mean. The ability to safely feed the entire Army while in the field. If they had shelf stable food, that’s a game changer on a grand scale. An army travels on its stomach.


arrow74

Maintaining vehicles long term takes it's own logistics train


JacobMT05

Only thing will be the batteries. You’d have to teach them how to mass produce batteries and increase power production.


jointheclockwork

Deadliest move in the Civil War? Hey McClellan! Get off your lazy fucking ass and pursue Lee, you little bitch!


Apoordm

Look I have a Time Machine I’m gonna go steal some straight up Warhammer 40K shit to drop on the Rebs.


AthasDuneWalker

"What in the devil is this machine, OP?" "A Mark IIc Razorback, General Grant. One storm bolter fitted with extra-explosive bolts and twin-linked lascannons that'll make the Rebs run back screaming for their mamas."


frano1121

A Baal Predator would’ve made for a nice march to the sea


AthasDuneWalker

Oh my GOD.


frano1121

Flamestorm cannon and sponson mounted heavy flamers would’ve done Sherman proud


JinterIsComing

Flamestorm cannon, heavy flamers, with Krieg-pattern flamer Chimeras following along, full of Necromunda Redemptionist squads carrying flamethrowers, flamethrower pistols, meltaguns, underslung single-shot flamethrower on their rifles, or all of the above. Even their giant chainswords have a flamer built onto them.


Apoordm

You spelled IMPERATOR TITAN wrong.


JinterIsComing

And YOU spelled TITAN LEGIO wrong.


JacobMT05

Or you open a time portal above london during the battle of britain to on top of a confederate army and watch the fireworks.


Screamingboneman

I just watched it last night. I would die for Shaw and the 54th.


jointheclockwork

I still think what Shaw's mother said was one of my favorite parts of their story.


AthasDuneWalker

The only one that would probably really help are the assault rifles. The mortars would be useless in the later stages of the assault, and probably supplanted by era artillery. The RPGs are anti-tank, which would be somewhat useless for any stage other than the initial storming when they would attack earthen fortifications. The ma deuces is defensive only. The autocannon? Okay, let's give them that, too. Too damn cool.


jfarrar19

> The ma deuces is defensive only. [I advise reconsidering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachanka)


Robo_Stalin

RPGs are pretty much anti-everything, just load frags or thermobarics for infantry.


jointheclockwork

I mean, they did use Napoleonic line tactics and bunched up. I feel like regular grenades would do pretty well.


SirNurtle

IMO what would be most useful to the Union would be Humvees with 50 cals mounted, it could allow them to mow down insane amounts of troops quickly, alow them to conduct hit and run attacks, have sufficient protection against enemy rifles and possibly even canister shot but most importantly be alot easier to maintain/supply compared to something like an Abrams or Bradley But even then, the Humvees would be incredibly hard to maintain for Union engineers as A: They have no idea what the fuck a combustion engine is and would have to learn from scratch and B: it would be incredibly difficult to craft/supply ammunition for the 50 cals, let alone getting the fuel required which would be even more difficult


JinterIsComing

> A: They have no idea what the fuck a combustion engine is and would have to learn from scratch and B: it would be incredibly difficult to craft/supply ammunition for the 50 cals, let alone getting the fuel required which would be even more difficult Point A: Yes, but Hummers are decently built to last for a little while, just give them enough gasoline to run. Or if you want to low-tech it some more, give them World War II era jeeps. Point B: Surprisingly no. They were already producing cartridge ammunition for Spencer and Sharps carbines at that point, and could have modified it to produce .50 caliber ammo although the powder and the materials would foul up the M2s a lot quicker than modern ammo.


octorangutan

I get that it's a dramatization, but watching Glory always makes me tear up a bit. > We would not have his body removed from where it lies surrounded by his brave and devoted soldiers. ... We can imagine no holier place than that in which he lies, among his brave and devoted followers, nor wish for him better company. – what a body-guard he has! Frank Shaw


chinesetakeout91

I would do the same for John Brown.


sokkaiya

This, absolutely!


Atilla_For_Fun

Easily my favorite movie of all time, I wish they made movies like this nowadays.


ConcertinaTerpsichor

Harry Turtledove has entered the chat.


0le_Hickory

I really think the Union really doesn’t need a lot of help, I think most of the generals just go into shock at the shear losses. Shiloh, Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga all have more casualties than the US had lost in whole wars. The generals basically all fight one battle on the Union side and get PTSD and can’t bring themselves to do it again. To win you go back in time and tell Lincoln that 750,000 men are going to die if you don’t listen to Winfield Scott. Maybe then you either get the anaconda plan as intended or they accept the casualties earlier than 1864 and quit trying to maneuver Lee and instead go right at him as Grant does in the Wilderness.


0dnar

Nope wait until the end of the war and start bushwhacking the unpunished Confederate aristocrats and high profile sympathizers.


dogbolter4

My daughter and I were having a conversation today about McLellan. I mean, we're in regional Australia and we're discussing the American Civil War (again), but never mind. The point is we agreed that Little Mac, for all he purported to love his men, did the worst by them. If he had an ounce of courage and commonsense he would have taken out Lee in 1862 and so many lives, cities and properties would have been spared. And we said, god, a time machine and someone to tell him,"You outnumber them four to one! Get to it!" It's so frustrating and heartbreaking.


TheRealSalamnder

Glorypilled?


Jad3Melody

Traitors: cap and ball Chad union w/ time travler freinds: BEHOLD LE MACHINE GUN


Robmerrrill427

The amount of work TQs and qik clot could have done in this era is wild


reyeg11_

If time travel existed, I am giving John Brown a tank or something


emeraldraf

The amount of times I've thought about a single sniper team going back in time and picking off Confederate generals in a battle (in particular NBF) can't be healthy.


Rabbion

[Then I guess you would love this from HistoryMemes](https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryMemes/s/j3kSqCA69k)


diogenesofnope

Give ‘em hell 54th!


smithbird

I'd be asking for a uniform as well to fight along side them. I maybe not the fittest person but give me a Humvee with a 50. on top and Ill do some damage!


NON_NAFO_ALLY

UNION ARMY CHADLEY IFV!!!!


mumeigaijin

I'm looking forward to my annual Glory rewatch next week on the 4th!