[GonzoGOP]

At which point you would have had a guerilla war in the Appalachians & the Carolina's. It took basically 4 years of total war to convince the Confederates not to choose that option.

My gut instinct was that what prevented a lot of the guerrilla warfare was the idea that you either had to surrender to Grant, or deal with Sherman and Sheridan. Like you said after four years of war there wasn't much doubt about how the latter two would have approached pacification of the South had guerrilla warfare become widespread.

While Southerners still hate Sherman you have to admit they did fear him. Sometimes it is nice to have a monster on your side. A lot of people pledge to fight to the last man. But that feeling ebbs quickly when it becomes obvious that they other guy is quite happy oblige you and simply kill everybody.

One of the reason we get pushed around in the Middle East today is because there are no Shermans or Sheridans left. A phalanx of M1A2s and Bradleys burning a 60 mile wide path of destruction from Basra to Baghdad while looting every portable object between would be something that can crack the ideology of any jihadi. It is the sort of thing that makes you open to negotiation with someone like Grant who can order the one doing the burning to stop.

[Tallguy]

One of the reason we get pushed around in the Middle East today is because there are no Shermans or Sheridans left. A phalanx of M1A2s and Bradleys burning a 60 mile wide path of destruction from Basra to Baghdad while looting every portable object between would be something that can crack the ideology of any jihadi.

Which is one reason the US interlude in Iraq will be quickly forgotten & explained away, while the Mongol destruction of Baghdad will always be remembered by Muslims.