Comments by "chaosXpert" (@chaosXP3RT) on "Battle of Gettysburg: Bird's-Eye Perspective | Animated History" video.
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1) A war between the Union Army and the French could've been possible as General U.S. Grant was very keen to seen France pushed out of Mexico at the end of the Civil War, but besides sending some weapons to the rebels, the US never needed to send soldiers.
2) Withdrawing without pursuing the enemy immediately was common for the time. Even immediate pursuit took time as once armies deployed for battle, they had to pack up their equipment, kitchens, tents, horses, mules, etc. and transition to marching. This is why cavalry and skirmishers were so important. Even if Cavalry couldn't win a battle on their own, they could harass the enemy and provide recon. American Cavalry of the time period was different than that on Europe as they functioned much more like mounted infantry. Pistols, carbines and repeating rifles were much more common than swords and there were no lances.
3) In 1870, General Sheridan was given permission by President U.S. Grant to observe the Franco-Prussian War. Sheridan was very impressed by the Prussians, however he did make the comment that if he "had a U.S. Cavalry Corps, I should stop them in their tracks." Granted, this is just one man's perspective, but as a decorated Civil War veteran and general, I wouldn't dismiss his opinion entirely.
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