Civil War History: The War in the West

Some historians claim that the American Civil War was won in the West. However, most accounts of the war, whether it be in textbooks or in the movies, focus almost exclusively on the Eastern Theater and large battles such as Chancellorsville, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Bull Run. 

In this class we will examine why the West has been overlooked, both during the conflict and today.   Each day, we will learn about 2 major Western battles/campaigns.  Learners will get an overview of the events leading up to the battle, key events that occurred during in the battle, and how the outcome impacted the ultimate success of the Union strategy.   We will also learn about three Generals (2 Union and 1 Confederate) who made their mark in the war in the west: Ulysses. S Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, and James Longstreet. The class is lecture based with group discussion throughout.  Each day, learners will end the class with a short multiple-choice quiz that we will complete as a group to review the key information presented that day. 

** PLEASE NOTE: Most classes meet one time per week for four weeks, but there are also some classes that meet two times per week over two weeks. **

Day 1: The Forgotten Theater and Early Battles

We will define what was considered the Western Theater of the war - you may be surprised at its size and which states were included - and how the Union successfully executed the Anaconda Plan in this theater to win the war. We will also learn why the Western battles are often overshadowed by what happened in the Eastern theater.  In Day 1, we will learn about 2 important early Union victories: Fort Henry and Fort Donelson.  

Day 2: The Rise of Grant, Shiloh and Vicksburg

We will begin by learning about who Union General Ulysses S. Grant was – his early life and career, his rapid rise from an obscure General to General-in-Chief in command of all armies, and what he did after the war.  Then we will learn about 2 of his victories that caught Abraham Lincoln’s attention, accelerating his career, and gave control of the Mississippi River to the Union:  Shiloh and the Vicksburg Campaign.   

Day 3: Longstreet, and the Capture of Chattanooga

We will begin by learning about who Confederate General James Longstreet was – his early life and career, his ‘banishment’ to the West, and his life after the war. Although he did not have the leading role in the battles covered in this course, Longstreet understood the importance of the West and advocated for concentrating troops there but was met with opposition from General Lee and President Davis.  We will then shift gears and learn about the two events that “Opened the Gateway to the Lower South”: the Battle of Chickamauga and the Chattanooga Campaign. 

Day 4: Sherman and Hard War

We will begin by learning about Union Major General Sherman – his early life and career, his role as Grant’s right hand man, and his life and contributions after the war.  Sherman brought the war out of the west to the southeast.  He would crush the South by marching through Georgia and the Carolinas enacting hard war.  We will end by learning about the Atlanta Campaign, Sherman’s March to the Sea and back through the Carolinas.