Decision in the Heartland
The Civil War in the West
Bison Books · Print & ebook · July 1, 2011
The verdict is in: the Civil War was won in the West, that is, in the nation’s heartland, between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- Woodworth argues that campaigns in the western theater decided the Civil War.
- Genres
- Civil War Era, Civil Wars, U.S. Military History
- Published
- Bison Books, July 1, 2011
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved. Most of these share its genres: Civil War Era and Civil Wars.
This Great StruggleSteven E. Woodworth64% match
The Civil War in the Western TerritoriesRay C. Colton63% match
The Civil WarGeoffrey C. Ward, Ric Burns57% matchAlso shares U.S. Military History
Confederates in the AtticTony Horwitz57% match
Vicksburg, 1863Winston Groom57% matchAlso shares U.S. Military History
Battle Cry of FreedomJames M. McPherson57% match
The Civil WarBruce Catton56% match
Hymns of the RepublicS. C. Gwynne, Robert Petkoff56% matchAlso shares U.S. Military History
For younger readers: Battles of the American Civil War, Gettysburg, What Was America's Deadliest War?
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
The verdict is in: the Civil War was won in the West, that is, in the nation’s heartland, between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. Contrary to much popular literature, serious scholars have determined in one careful study after another the pivotal importance of what was, at the time of the Civil War, the western United States. In this fast-paced overview, Steven E. Woodworth presents his case for the decisiveness of that theater.
Continue reading
Overwhelming evidence now indicates that western campaigns cost the Confederacy vast territories, the manufacturing center of Nashville, the financial center of New Orleans, communications hubs such as Corinth, Chattanooga, and Atlanta, along with the agricultural produce of the breadbasket of the Confederacy. They sapped the morale of Confederates and buoyed the spirits of Unionists, ultimately sealing the Northern electorate’s decision to return Lincoln to the presidency for a second term and to see the war through to final victory. Detailing the “western” clashes (Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Chattanooga, and Atlanta) that proved so significant, Woodworth contends that it was there alone that the Civil War could be—and was—decided.
Western Campaigns
Woodworth argues that campaigns in the western theater decided the Civil War.
Come here for
- The western theater’s role in the war’s outcome
- Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Chattanooga, and Atlanta
Expect
- How campaigns cost the Confederacy territory and resources
- The effects on morale and the 1864 presidential election
Where it sits
| Civil War Era | 89% |
|---|---|
| Civil Wars | 49% |
| U.S. Military History | 39% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Civil War Era
- Authors
- Steven E. Woodworth
- Publisher
- Bison Books
- Published
- July 1, 2011
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- Civil War Era