Civil War Special Ops

While Hoder's idea would be dramatic in its execution, I do not believe the fellows chosen to make up a special unit during the war would be able to commit such atrocities, unless the team was selected from prison or possibly Indians or Indian Fighters, but even then, I think it would be a stretch. I might go with a demolition crew, bouncing from state to state to hit railroads, banks, shipyards and ports. This unit would be well served with a crack intelligence gathering arm, ie, locate paymasters, routes and schedules, train and ship schedules, to include a list of contents, and banks throughout the North. Hit the North in the pocket and their logistical lines would be a minor irritant, which could draw forces from critical areas to try and tie up the bandits. The men of the units would be able to blend in if they were all of northern extract with southern sympathies.

City Point VA, supply depot of AotP. Confederate secret service agent John Maxwell tried, and succeeded in doing some damage there on August 9th, 1864, that could give some frame to your fiction..?

Thank you very much, David. This is very helpful! I had not thought along those lines before.

Any time. Maybe I can come up with something better, if so I will be happy to share.

Cool, thanks!

Set up alliances with copperheads in Southern Ill and Irish street gangs in NYC.

Leftyhunter

I like the Irish Street gangs idea, Infiltrate Southern Irish agents into New York, stir up anti draft sentiment to a fevered pitch, a little bomb tossing anarchy and slip out to visit Boston rinse and repeat. Better yet, two groups of agents, both deployed simultaneously to Boston and New York with the same mission. Throw in your Heart land Heathens, Pennsylvania Pirates, Maryland Marauders and DC Destroyers and you have chaos cropping up everywhere in the north. Nothing to win the war, but certainly something to draw troops from badly needed positions in both the Eastern and Western Theaters. A relatively small cadre of rabble rousers could really show dividends.

Could you work in Bragg as the inventor of the team? ( Bragg being the home of Spceial forces).

Heh. Clever, but no. The inventor is a fictional character. I might be able to work in some type of nod toward that somehow, though.

Bragg survived a shell under his bed, perhaps he disaproved of the unit, it being so iregular and he being a martinet, and this was them showing how efectiv ethey could be.

Could be an idea. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...=bragg survived a shell under his bed&f=false

Real life events, maybe you can work it in somehow.

Thanks, Peach!

If it's union spec ops forget kidnapping Davis, by midpoint of the war even the confederacy did not want him.

heh. good point, Dan. Its Confederate Spec ops, though.