heaters of War:Is the Eastern War vs. Western War represented more? Give examples of time, images, content, etc.
James Lueken
3-3-12
The Theaters of the Civil War refers to the two main areas in which the battles were fought- the Western Front and the Eastern Front. The Western Front consisted of the general area of Mississippi, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. The Eastern Front consisted of the places along the Atlantic Coast, specifically the Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wes
t Virginia and North Carolina area. Although the Western Front covered a much larger expanse of land, the Eastern Front contained much more of the warfare. Decisive battles were fought in each theater- Bull Run and Gettysburg in the East, and Shiloh and Vicksburg in the West to name a few. Along with these battles came generals that made a name for themselves (positive or negative) in each theater.
2/25/12. Alex Idarraga The theaters of the Civil war were highly influenced by the distribution of power in the country at the time. The weight of almost all political entities were focused on the Easter Seaboard i.e. Washington and eventually Richmond (The Eastern Theater being primarily West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, D.C., and The Carolinas.). Furthermore, almost all of established society lives in the vicinity of the original thirteen colonies, and therefore the economic and industrial powerhouses are focused there as well. Therefore it is understandable that the first battles break out there, Ft. Sumter absolutely being significant in the sense that it marked the destruction of a source of Union strength in the heart of the Southern rebellion, Charleston Harbor.
(A Reenactment at Charleston Harbor of Beauregard's Shelling of Fort Sumter) Battle Hymn of the Republic
the Anaconda Plan
In addition, the First Battle of Bull run will be an indicator of the direction much of the fighting will take; attempts at securing strategic cities and emplacements along the Eastern Coast. While the Anaconda Plan proposed by Winfield Scott was almost a more potent military strategy than a direct run on Richmond, it did not and still does not glean as much press because of its lack of flair; it is much more glorious to charge down the enemies doors than to starve him into surrender.
Therefore it makes perfect sense, at least in the first episode or so of the series, for Burns to cover the eastern theater heavily, yet many decisive battles were fought in the Western theater which do not receive proper recognition in the general national memory as turning points of the war.
2/27/12 Alex Idarraga Of all the Battles which occurred in the Western Theater, Shiloh may be the most infamous. Aptly, Burns includes this under his section "A Very Bloody Affair" as it was bloodshed on an unheard of scale from a global perspective. Close to 100,000 Combatants fought with a gruesome 23,000 casualties, made all the more worse by the fact that such atrocities would be repeated again and again throughout the course of the War. Despite the terrible cost of American life which was expended to ascertain a Union victory, the gained territory was crucial to the War in the West. Up and to and including Shiloh, the captures of Fort Donnelson and Fort Henry in addition to the securing of the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers marked a tremendous success for the Federal war effort as a whole.
Battle of Shiloh
It can be said that the American Civil War was won by supply, and such land victories in the Western Theater were essential for the Union in realizing that victory. With the Navy preventing CSA resupply in the East, it fell to the Army to cut off supply lines coming over land and through some of the South's largest arteries, rivers. Already much of Southern transportation was centered around rivers, especially due to their effective use as waterways for transporting cotton during peacetime. Thus, captures such as those of the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers stood as critical blows in hindering the Souths war mobilization and supply capabilities, staunching the already too thin trickle of outside support and serving to decide the outcome of the war. Burns' devotion of time to the Western Theater is fairly even when viewed from a minute to minute standpoint, but in terms of political value and weight the Eastern Theater receives much more attention, more likely than not due the fact that it was a focal point of its time.
3/03/12 Alex Idarraga Ken Burns devotes a significant amount of time not just to the Eastern Theater, but to the campaign against Richmond specifically is highly indicative of the value of the prize that the capture of the Confederate Capitol offered. McClellan himself (despite his indecisive and misguided meandering) was obsessed with its capture, as it would have made him a hero. Burns large placement of emphasis on the Peninsular Campaign in particular does not n
McClellan's Penninsular Campaign
necessarily reflect his own disposition towards the war itself; conversely, that so much time was devoted the acquiring of the large tactical and political targets marks a failing point of the Military Command of the time. Northern infrastructure, industry, and overall wartime production capabilities were ultimately what won the civil war. This was compounded by strikes at the South's weak point of poor supply, by actions such as Sherman's march to the sea, the bolstering of Atlantic Blockades, and the securing of River supply routes. That Burns spends the amount of time he does on events such as those of the battles which were fought to secure Richmond are indicative of the importance which the city held psychologically and politically to the CSA, a significance which Union brass felt merited the grand sweeping attack which McClellan made upon it.Again, that such well known battles as Antietam, Bull Run, 2nd Bull Run, and Gettysburg all occurred more or less in the Eastern Theater (Gettysburg is somewhat debatable) serves to add to the famous War in the East, while the somewhat less glorious events in the West deserve to garner as much attention.
Perhaps among the most famous battles of the Western theater of the Civil War was Vicksburg. Ulysses S. Grant's driving blows to attack the "nail that held the South together" likely won the war, and the eventual capture of Vicksburg was possibly the most strategically important turning point of the War. Certainly it was a masterfully well planned move with the calculated recklessness of General Lee (Grant cut off his supply lines to increase mobility, a risky move).
4/30/12 Alex Idarraga The arrival of Grant in the Eastern Theatre in 1864 essentially spells the end of the militarily significant Western Theater. Burns does not follw the West after the Battle of Vicksburg, and devotes almost the entire last two episodes in the series to Grant's overland campaing which was baptised by fire in the Battle of the Wilderness. Indeed, the Wilderness spelt the beginning of the end for the Confederacy. Although Grant sustained heavier casualties he could afford to do so based on the simple fact that his army was twice as massive as Lee's, and his resistance to outmaneuvering proved that he could not be defeated like his counterparts. Indeed, it became apparent that the war of attrition which Grant intended to wage would be succesful.
5/03/12 Alex Idarraga Many consider Grant's costly fighting in the battle to be a defeat, especially given the three to one casualty ratios that he sustained. While tactically Grant may have lost, he was merely employing the strategy suited for the resources he was afforded, men being among them. Grant's ability for detatchment was what dealt the final blow to the Lee in the long run, and Burns seems to share the same perspective. His abillity to regard men as material and to utilize them was, however inhumane, the most efficient way to win the war. Indeed, Burns focus on Grant is not to be taken lightly, as his progress is tracked in areas that do not recieve any att
Battle of Lookout Mountain, Chatanooga
ention after he has left i.e. the far West and Tennesee, where the Battle of Chattanooga was fought. Burns focus on each of the Theaters is shifted by Grant's presence, and the definitive shift to the Eastern Theatre effectively seals the deal.
4/30/12 Idarraga The Overland Campaign itself began with the some of the only truly ceaseless fighting of the war, battles being fought almost every day from the Wilderness to Cold Harbor, the latter being amongst the bloodiest of the war. Cold Harbor's brutal casualties, which Grant admitted was a mistake, nonetheless earned 'Unconditional surrender" Grant the alternate nickname of "Butcher" . Burns accompanies this marked shift in the momentum of the war with a comparable change of pace in his films, and leaves the west almost entirely behind.
4/20/12 Alex Idarraga
Throughout his films burns recognizes the two key strategic points of the Mississipi and of the East Coast. Setting aside the importance of the Theaters themselves, these entities commandeered war strategy from its inception. If one examines the incursions into the south it becomes clear that the ultimate objective of the Union in the Western Theater was to divide the South. Almost every battle lead to the culminating point which was the capture of Vicksburg, and subsequently a significant amount of generalcy, manpower, and equipment was diverted to the Eastern Theater once the objective was accomplished. The fight in the East dragged on with a multitude of bloody campaigns and battles, such as Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg, where as the West was won at no less cost but in a considerably quicker manner. As could be expected, as the war progresses Burns demonstrates a clear tendency to show events in the East.
4/23/12 Alex Idarraga
In some episodes, however, Burns demonstrates a clearer bias than in others. In Most Hallowed Ground for example, Burns devotes only several minutes to the Western Theatre when he notes Bloody Bill Anderson and Jesse James. Both were notorious Bushwackers, notorious outlaw guerilla fighters who pillaged and burned the border between Missouri and Kansas. Although an important part of the Western War, Burns skates over the equally as important Franklin-Nashville Campaign, although he does touch on the Atlanta Campaign. It has also been noted by some historians that a reasonable way to explain the heavy focus on the East both during and after the war is the heavy concentration of newspapers in the area. In the Eastern States newspapers were able to get stories to press and distributed much faster than a reporter could when he needed to travel back from the Western front.
5/03/12 Alex Idarraga Overall Burns presents a good portrayal of all the different aspects of the war. Almost every major event and key idea is touched by his series, which is impressive given the amount of material to cover. Given that the civil war is one of the most written-about wars in history, Burns certainly offered a fair comparison between the Theater's of War given the volume of campaigning and conflict that occurred. The Eastern Theater is more heavily discussed, but Burns is justified in that respect given the cultural, economic, and military vitality of the region.
James Lueken
3-7-12
Shiloh was the sight of the one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. History. This came as a surprise; many people thought this was going to be a few fired shots and then a victory by one side (similar to how people thought the war would last about three months as opposed to 5 years). People showed up with picnic baskets and their families as if they were preparing to watch a play. Somehow, things got out of hand at Shiloh, Tennessee, and soon enough, those same people that came ready to enjoy a “show” witnessed more men die than all of the American casualties of previous wars. This was the moment that many realized how awful this war could be- mass murder of countrymen against countrymen. People soon realized that watching/living through whatever was going to come from this war would be devastating. Shiloh was a prime example of how the South’s honorable, respectable view of warfare was cast away.
James Lueken
3-7-12
The Battle of Vicksburg was one of the most important battles in the war. It took place in Mississippi over the summer of 1863. Abraham Lincoln, president of the Union, saw Vicksburg as the key to winning the war- once Vicksburg broke down/was captured, everything else was supposed to fall into place for the Union Army. Let’s take a look at Vicksburg. Why was this place so important to the Confederacy? More appropriately, why was it imperative for the Union to take control of it? Location, Location, Location. Vicksburg sat right on the Mississippi River, a key feature in moving goods and personnel up and down the land. Vicksburg was the main porthole for using the Mississippi. Control of this fort meant control of major usage of the river. It was seen as the heartbeat of the Southern Army. Here we have a small little place on the Western Front representing a great deal of power in that theater.
Here is a website with much information concerning the Battle (Siege) of Vicksburg:
Dan Smetek 3/10/12:
In general I think the war in the east definitely remembered today as the major theater during the Civil War. But I believe that the Western front was just as important as the eastern front. The siege of Vicksburg and Atlanta were major turning points in the war. The North was losing support for the war and the two Union victories boosted Northern citizens' morale and thought that the war could be coming to and end. Vicksburg was also the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi making it impossible for the South to resupply its army.
Picture for the siege of Vicksburg
Dan Smetek 3/10/12:
Many believe the Battle of Gettysburg to be the turning point of the war. Fought in the Eastern Theater of the war for three days in 1863, Americans lost more men in that battle than they would in any other battle throughout the rest of the civil war. The Union victory gained support for Lincoln who had, 7 months earlier, emancipated all slaves in rebellious states. The victory gave him justification for emancipating slaves. The war had now become about abolition.
Battle map of Gettysburg battle_of_gettysburg.jpg
Dan Smetek 3/10/12:
The Western front really was the beginning of the end of the civil war as well. Sherman's march started in the western front at Atlanta. HIs utter destruction Georgia and South Carolina (more Eastern front) depleted the South of all of its resources. It was faced with no other option than to surrender. Sherman's relentless campaign of making war on civilians for the first time during the war was what killed the Confederacy. He destroyed everyone's homes and livestock and burned much of the cotton on his way to the sea. Slaves also flocked to him by the thousands. The war ended in the west and moved to where the first secession took place (South Carolina) while gutting the interior of the Confederacy and forcing a Union victory in the Civil War.
Map of Sherman's March sherman_north.jpg
James Lueken
3-10-12
The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought in the Western Theater of the Civil War. Although this battle is not overly conversed about, in the context of the time, the outcome of the battle had a great deal of importance. In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned how the Union’s siege of Vicksburg allowed them near complete access to the Mississippi River. Fort Donelson was the same deal, but on a smaller scale. Fort Donelson sat on the Cumberland River, which weaves in and out of the West Virginia/Tennessee border line. Control of the fort meant control of the river. Having control over the Cumberland River meant control of the top of the Southern Border. This would have set the stage for an invasion in the South by the Union, and would gradually lead them to victories down through the Western Theater.
Dan Smetek 3/11/12:
What I thought was interesting in the Ken Burns film is how much they paid attention to the Battle of the Wilderness. He considered it to be a decisive battle. Although no one was really considered the victor (some do claim the Confederacy won) it was the beginning of Grant's plan to outlast Lee's army with his superior manpower and more readily available supplies. Each side inflicted heavy casualties on one another but Grant still had the upper hand. After the battle he continued his pursuit of Lee rather than retreat to Washington which all of the other generals before him did after withdrawing from a battle.
Dan Smetek 3/11/12:
Antietam was the bloodiest day of the war. Many men were lost and the battle was indecisive. This was McClellan's biggest blunder. He inflicted heavy casualties and had the opportunity to strike a fatal blow to Lee's army. Lee even was ready for another assault, but it never came. McClellan returned to Washington while Lee moved back into Virginia. Many believe the war would have been over a lot quicker if McClellan had attacked that day. The Confederacy lost 31% of its army and if the Union attacked it would have spelled the end for the Confederacy at least on the Eastern front because there would nothing to stop them from moving on to Richmond.
Confederate dead at Antietam:
Dan Smetek 3/11/12:
It's hard to debate which theater of war had more effect on the war. I believe that the Western Front definitely had more effect on the war's outcome. But I will still make a case for the Eastern Front. Obviously the Battle of Gettysburg is largely considered the turning point of the war. Sherman's March ended where the Confederacy started, in South Carolina. The countless number of Union generals took on Lee's army in Antietam, Gettysburg, and 1st and 2nd Bull Run. Major battles were fought there many of them could have destroyed Lee's army, but hesitant generals failed to take him out which is why the western front, in my mind, is more important.
United States during the Civil War:
Dan Losiniecki 3/11/12
The Cause: Burns touches upon the importance of the West to the start of the war. One of the most direct causes, Bleeding Kansas, gets only a quick mention. This event deserves more time and explanation in any discussion of the war for several reasons. One, it was essentially a proxy war between the die hard factions of the time: militant abolitionists and southerners. The conflict shows the tensions between the two groups at the time very well. Two important factors also come out of Bleeding Kansas:
John Brown and the Republican Party. John Brown's major attack at Harper's Ferry really got the country on the track to war, but he got his battle experience and fervor for the cause in Kansas. The Republican Party, Abraham Lincoln included, formed in reaction to the popular sovereignty decision. Both Lincoln and Brown got the momentum to make country-wide impacts from Kansas. Now, the west did not have a major influence on the early war, as the major political and economic strongholds of both side existed on the east coast. The most strategic piece of the west, the Mississippi River, became a chokehold, and part of the anaconda plan to destroy the South's logistics.
Dan Losiniecki 3/11/12
A Very Bloody Affair: Here we see Shiloh, the bloodiest battle of the war, and all wars before it. A combination of confusion and inexperienced men caused much bloodshed on both lines. The Hornets Nest shows the determination of both sides to achieve their goals. The Union line held after 12 Confederate charges. Part of the amount of the bloodshed resulted from the use of outdated Napoleonic tactics with the advanced technology of the war. The amount of dead forced the seriousness of the war into the mindset of the Northern and Southern peoples, along with commanders on both sides. This victory, along with the gains of the Anaconda Plan, form the beginning of the end for the Confederacy, as their main logistical line had been severed.
Dan Losiniecki 3/11/12
Forever Free: Burns is accurate when he says that the failures of McClellan in the east overshadowed Grant's victories in the west. Taking the Mississippi was key, but your general has an army, larger and better equipped than the opponent's, miles from the enemy capital, and he refuses to act. That failure frustrates the North more than their successes can help. However, a capture of Vicksburg could really spell the demise of the South. Vicksburg survived the first wave of Union conquest due to its easily defended position atop of a cliff face. If Grant's superior tactics won out in the end, and the Confederacy would be split in two on the western front. If the Union would have these successes in the west, the Confederate army would be sufficiently weakened in the east, leaving that theater open to capture.
Dan Losiniecki 3/11/12
Simply Murder: As I have said, the capture of Vicksburg led to the final turn in the war. General Grant realized this, so he sent his men on an extremely risky path towards the city, with no reinforcements or easy resupply. General Lee recognized how close the Confederacy was to total defeat after Vicksburg, so he hatched a desperate plan to get Lincoln to the negotiating table by pressuring Washington D.C. The battle for Vicksburg was not easy. The citizens realized that they were a speck of Rebel gray in a sea of Union blue, and any vulnerability would lead to the possible destruction of their home. These Confederates were not joking around.
-The Siege of Vicksburg
But eventually Grant held the day, and effectively cut the Confederacy in two. The west was won for the Union, and the South awaited its final battle for life.
Patrick Pierson 3/11/12
The battle of Fredericksburg and the battle of Vicksburg appeared to me to be the two most significant battles mentioned so far. Shiloh and Antietam were both as bloody, but they were made out to be just very bloody battles. Fredericksburg, fought in Virginia was an embarrassment for the Union. they took on nearly three times more casualties than the south had and General Lee even felt Pity for them (though he admired their courage and Valor). After the Loss, Lincoln heard of it and knew he needed a new general. At Vicksburg, his "New" general had finally captured the city, forcing Lee to try to go into northern territory, where he would eventually lose both battles he fought there (although none of that is mentioned yet in the video.
Patrick Pierson 3/11/12
Ken Burns touches on the importance that the Western Theatre had with regards to the start of the War. For how important this event was to the War, he really doesn't give it much credit.
Some historians say that it was Because of bleeding Kansa that the south ended up seceeding. There was too much hatred between die hard abolitionists and southern slaveowners to be contained in just one state, and in my opinion, this hatred spread throughout the south and south Carolina was just the first one to admit that they did not belong in the union. The western
theatre also did not deserve some of the publicity it didn't recieve. Grant was winning in the west, but frankly, those battles were just numbers. The battles in the east that McClellan was
losing held more of a significance overall.
Interpretation of Bleeding kansas from paper during the War.
Patrick Pierson 3/11/12
The dispute of whether or not the eastern theatre had more of a representation that the western theatre differs depending on the period of the War (ex. Bleeding Kansas, Vicksburg, Fredericksburg) but also depends on who was commanding armies in battles that we learn about today. since the history has already been made, we have formed the memory of the different battles and therefore, the different theatres of the war. For example, we don't give Grant prominant attention until his seige of Vicksburg. that doesn't mean that he was not highly regarded during the time of the war. Today we hold the western theatre before Gettysburg as slightly inferior the the eastern theatre, becaue if we held them in equal regard, then when Chatanooga and Chickamauga came, the shift of the importance of teh east and west would be totally different.
John Misiewicz 3/12/12
In the Civil War the eastern theater of the war included the states of Virginia, West Virginia(once it became seperate from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.
The most crucial Battle in the east was Gettysburg(Gettysburg Map)
In Gettysburg, it was General Lee (accompanied by Lt. Gen. Longstreet) vs. General Meade
This is commonly refered to as the turning point in the war
With this victory The Union was able to drive Lee's disabled army all the way to Appotmatox
There is very heavy focus on the eastern front mainly because most of the battles with significant importance were fought in the east.
-Bull Run 1 and 2
-Antietam
-Gettysburg
-The Shenandoah
-And of corse the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse
John Misiewicz 3/12/12 Western Theater
The west was defined as the are between the Mississippi River and The Appalachian Mts.
The most crucial battle in the west was the siege of Vicksburg
In Vicksburg, "the nail that holds the Confederacy togethe, it was General Grant vs. General John C. Pemberton
This along with Gettysburg is considered the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy"
With this victory The Union was able to take the Confeds last major holding on the Mississippi
Also with this the previously shown Anaconda Plan was nearly complete
Although the Western Theater is mentioned in the video it is considerably less focused upon tan the north this is because there were only three major "battles" in the west.
- The Battle of Shiloh (Battle of Shiloh)
- The Siege of Vicksburg
-and Sherman's March(Map)
3/12/12
Before the war most of the verbal and political dispute over the west was handeled in the east while most of the physical disputes prior to the war occured in the west.
Also the west was the source of many debates over the spread and expansion of slavery
Antislavery and Abolitionists from the north felt that slavery had no place in the newfound western territories while the Southernd Democrats felt that since slavery _ had been allowed it should be allowed now
The term popular sovereignty also grew it roots in the west with the congressional decision to let these places be decided, slave or no slave, by this
3/12/12
A major reason the East was considered more important than the west was because both Richmond and Washington were both there.
There has never been any doubt that if you take the capitol city you win a serious military victory but also a major morale victory.
the debate is that if the North had lost DC the south would have received aid from the Anti-American European Countries.
Another reason for the eastern importance was that there was the idea that this is where it all started.
Back on July 4th 1776 and again on June 21st 1788 in Philadelphia, PA(Eastern Theater) the nation was changed and shaped with the idea of slavery embedded into it's fabric. This lead to the controversy over the next 72 years about the system of slavery until finally in 1861 Fort Sumpter was attacked.
3/12/12
In the Civil War the tactic of the armies was to outflank the opposing armies.
This is the main reason the west was involved in the war.
The north felt that if they could take the Mississippi they would be able to cut off the south from is's major source of resources and a large number of soldiers on the west side of the Mississippi
Similarly, The south felt that if they could control the mississippi they would be able to continue it's economic processes which would allow them to fund their war effort.
Other than the two capitols the Mississippi was the most important part of the country for control.
3/12/12
Depiction of the Battle of Vicksburg
Notice the Heavy Xing in the east as opposed to the widespread Xing in the West
Dan Smetek 5/12/12
In terms of the Western front towards the end of the war the major campaign was Sherman's March to the Sea where he took Atlanta. The documentary states that Sherman waged a brutal form of warfare called total war. Sherman destroyed everything that the South could use while freeing slaves that stayed with the army. Sherman's war was unrelenting and heartless. Southerners were forced to leave thier homes when Sherman came thorugh thier towns. Sherman was truly as brutal on his march as Grant was on his campaign in the east. The Western front really started to fall after Sherman took Atlanta which really sealed up the victory for the Union now that they could focus on Lee and his army.
Dan Smetek 5/12/12
The Eastern front was really looked at hard by the documentary. Grant's Overland campagin took heavy tolls on his army. He followed Lee wherever he went and his just threw men at Lee and finally wore him down just as the North was starting to get sick of the war. Lincoln got re-elected and Grant had beaten Lee and his great Army of Northern Virginia. The fighting was especially bloody between these two sides. Battles like Wilderness, Cold Harbor, and others saw the heaviest casualties in the later years of the war other than Gettysburg. Ken Burns really puts an emphasis on the amount of death during the Overland campaign.
Patrick Pierson 5/13/12
Gettysburg is often called the turning point of the war, which it was, but until i took this class on the Civil War, i thought it was a landslide union victory. Both sides had endured about the same number of casualties. Gettysburg has a similar story to Grant's chase of Lee in the West. Grant was relentless in his pursuits of Lee and because of the relentless pursuits of Grant and his generals, Lee eventually surrendered at Appomattox. The battles Grant and his generals had with Lee were not landslide victories. most of them resulted in a similar number of devastating casualties and then Lee went back on the run. Lee actually won about as many has he lost but he basically ran out of men before Grant could.
Patrick Pierson 5/13/12
The western theatre, after gettysburg, Was particularly visious and unforgiving. A combination of three Generals -Grant, Sherman and Sheridan- tore apart the south. They would not let up on Lee's forces and attacked several times a week. Lee's army was losing numbers and losing numbers fast. Grant was also losing about the same amount, but he had more troops coming in while Lee did not. Apart from the battlefield, Sherman and Sheridan (namely Sherman) tore through towns, pillaging them, lighting them on fire and then leaving as if they had never been there. Sherman even made his own terms for surrender when he won in North Carolina. These generals were particularly ruthless in the west and bought themselves fear amongst the south.
Patrick Pierson 5/13/12
After Lincoln gave command over all the army to Grant is when, to me, there was no more dispute over eastern vs western theatre of war. Grant followed Lee wherever he went, and if he had gone east, Grant would follow east and attack, and if lee went west, Grant would follow west and attack. Of course, there was a combined effort between Union generals to surround Lee, which led to his surrender at Appomattox. near the whole overland campaign took place in the western theatre Because Lee was in the western theatre. So were most of his generals.
Patrick Pierson 5/14/12
I believe that overall, the Behavior of generals in the western theatre defined who they were more than the battles of the East, at least in our eyes today. The big battles that grant won were nearly all in the western theatre. Cold harbor nad vicksburg for example, even fort Donelson. These three especially show how Grant would do whatever it took to get a victory and that after he got that victory, the surrender of the enemy were according to his terms, which always meant unconditional surrender of the enemy.
Patrick Pierson 5/14/12
Something that just occurred to me that i can't believe i didn't think of yet. There were between 380 and 400 official encounters officially recognized as battles in the civil war. there is only so much that can be taught in a semester, much less a documentary, and frankly nearly 400 battles could not be taught on in either amount of time. we learn of famous battles such as Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Cold Harbor, Gettysburg, Antietam, and Manassas but what about the hundreds that we don't hear about. this all sort of comes back to the importance of the battles fought and their relevance to the rest of the civil war. Small battles such a the Battle of Blue Mills Landing aren't talked about very often because of their insignificance to the war.
Dan Smetek 5/13/12
Sheman's March was one of the most brutal campaigns thorughout the war. Sherman waged total war in which he destryoed anything and everything in his path that the South could use for supplies. It also took a heavy toll on his men. After marching through Georgia and up through South Carolina, his men were tired. Thay had marched almost every day with little to no rest, tearing down the towns and cities and even resorting to looting some people's abandoned homes. It wasn't as glamorus as most people think it to be.
Dan Smetek 5/14/12
Although the Westrern front is very important, I believe the East had way more to do with the war than the West did even though the eastern front consisted of a smaller amount of land. Many more imporatant battles were fought on the eastern front. After 1863, the Union had all but secured the west which would soon be done by Sherman. The east, however, had much more intense fighting. It was also a lot more bloody. Thousands of people died because of Grnat's battle plan in the east.
Dan Smetek 5/14/12
Coming back to the point about Grant. I think that the East was more imporatant becuse Lee was there and we could never find a general to defeat him. When the Union finally got Grant, they had a fearless leader who would pursue Lee with endles fervor, no matter how many lives it cost him. I think that the east would not have been as important as it was if Grant did not go over to the east. the Union was starting to lose support for the war and any other failed attempts to destroy Lee might have swung the 1864 election differently and there would have been a Confederate States of America.
Dan Smetek 5/15/12
I do believe that the east was far more important at the end of the war than the East. Grant's over land campaign sealed the victory for the Union and much of his attention was focused on taking down Lee and moving on to Richmond to end the war. he accomplished his plan and even Sherman ended up joining Grant in the east after he marched through Georgia. So most of the battles were constituted in the east at the end of the war and that is why the east was vital for the Union's victory.
John Misiewicz 5/16/2012
After Gettysburg/Vicksburg there was one major battle left to be fought in the west. Shermans brutal march to the sea (where he drove through the geographical heart of the south, freeing slaves and absolutely destroying the southern institutions) finally closed the western theater of the war and helped seal the anaconda plan and therefore seal the fate of the south. Sherman utalized the tactic that won the war for the union in both fronts, total war. This method utalized the norths numbers advantage by out bloodying the south.
John Misiewicz May 16th 2012
Shermans march was one of the most devastating and brutal blows during the whole war. It focused of total destruction of the western cities(Atlanta, Savannah, Colombia) as a means of crippling the south. This brutal warfare led to the hate durring the reconstruction period not only in the west but all the way from northeast virginia to southeast Mississippi. When Sherman drove his troops on this march not only was he destroying the west he was destroying hope in the east as well. By taking(and absolutly destroying it) Atlanta, the major industrial city in the west, the South reached its breaking point. This is an exert from Peter Cetale's Diary of Genreal Lee, "Today, The Union has finally won the Civil War. I am very disappointed; but I realized what went wrong. The Unions Strategy of the "Anaconda" Plan succeeded because it embargoed our already short resources. The Union sent a general named Sherman who used an uncivilized tactic called "Total War" He used this plan correctly. http://www.old-picture.com/civil-war/pictures/Destruction-Shermans-Atlanta.jpg
John Misiewicz May 16th 2012
The east was not much different than Sherman in the west. Grant also used the tactic of total war relentlessly chasing lee through the south. Whether Grant won or lost he would still continue to chase Lee because he had so many more men. The same hate that was seeded in in the west is also felt in the east with Grant's unrelenting pressure on Lee. The only reason the war in the east at the end of the war was defferent from the west was one reason, General Robert E. Lee, without lee's knowledge of both the terrain and the strategies the South would have been subdued much earlier but with Lee they stood a fighting chance no mater what the odds are.
John Misiewicz May 16th 2012
The final straw in the east, and the war, was at Appomattox Station. After Ewell had been cut off and surrendered to the Union at Saylers Creek Lee and his remaining soldiers hoped to reach the supply depot at Appomattox Station but George Custer and his calvary arrived before Lee and burned the supplies. This effectively ended the war as Lee was forced to surrender.
John Misiewicz May 16th 2012
In the west, the victories at Tullahoma, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga set up Shermans March to the Sea. With all other major supply centers and town destroyed the focus of the west shifted to Atlanta, Savannah, and other major depots east of Atlanta. After Sherman"s crushing blow to the west he, along with the others in the west could rejoin their old friend Grant and help to stamp out the south.
John Misiewicz may 16th 2012
Although the East is considered the most important part of the war the success in the east never could have been acheived without the dominance in the west. Had the Union not been able to defeat the south at Vicksburg, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Shiloh, Ft. Donleson, New Orleans, and all the other major battles in the west there would probably be a different outcome. Had grant failed at Vicksburg he may not have been promoted to the ranks that he was and the total warfare that helped to defeat Lee after Gettysburg would have never been. Also had the south won just one major battle in the west this could have slowed, stopped, or in the best case repelled the Anaconda plan. Also had the South been able to hold it's own on the Mississippi the plentiful resources of Texas could have been used. I'm not saying that overall the West was more important than the east but had the west been a more successful campaign for the South (or just a less successful campaign for the north) the battles in the east such as Gettysburg, Antietam, and Appomattox, which are considered turning points, may have never been.
(to get some second opinions on the east west argument feel free to visit this website )LINK
Andy Roy Post 1: In the fifth, episode, I believe that there is a slight emphasis on the Eastern theater. In this episode, there is an emphasis on Gettysburg. Burns talks about Gettysburg for much of the time. He does speak about Vicksburg and Chattanooga but I think there is more of an emphasis on Gettysburg, which is in the East. I particularly do not think that it is a biased point of view at this point but just because of the importance of Gettysburg.
250px-Bloody-bill-anderson.jpg
Andy Roy Post 2: In the sixth episode, I believe that once again, there is more of an emphasis on the Eastern Theater. There is a major emphasis on Grant's Overland Campaign. It talks about the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. Once again, I don't think that it is necessarily biased. But, the overland campaign was possibly the most significant campaign of the war; it would be foolish not to cover it in depth. The majority of the last part of the war was fought in the East and not that much happened in the West of as much significance. Burns talks about Bloody Bill Anderson, a western-based cavalryman who was infamous for his brutality towards Union soldiers. This shows that Burns didn’t limit himself to major eastern events.
Andy Roy Post 3: In the seventh episode, I think there is a focus on the East again. This episode talks about more than the war itself and battles. It talks about the election and more of the details of what’s going on in the background. Burns talks about Petersburg some more and mentions Atlanta. This is a focus on the east. He does mention Tennessee but does not go into great detail. I think that episode seven is another emphasis on the east, and again, I don' t think it is totally biased.
Andy Roy Post 4: In the eighth episode, there is a slight emphasis on the East. The episode does talk about Nashville but it talks more about Appomattox, Atlanta, Petersburg, and Savannah, which are all in the Eastern Theater. Once again, I don't think it is because of a bias at this point, but just because the war was wrapping up now and much of the focus was in the East. However, Burns mentions the Fort Pillow Massacre and Vicksburg which were western events, and then goes on to discuss the exploits of rogue Nathan Bedford Forest, and how his actions effected the entire nation. The Fort Pillow massacre drastically changed opinions on the war, so it was impossible to ignore.
Andy Roy Post 5: In the last episode of the series, episode nine, I don't think that there is a focus on the east or
west. This episode pretty much sums up the consequences of the war and what happened with Lincoln. It does talk about the east, but only because that is where the assassination occurred and where Booth was captured. I don't think there is a biased viewpoint in this episode. This episode just wraps up the series.
Andy Roy Post 6: I feel Burns does a very good job of following the action of the war but remains unbiased. In the beginning when all of the action was in the east, Burns broke down the battles into great details adding images and videos where possible. But once things started heating up out west he did a magnificent job of splitting the video time between the two depending on the battles. Finally, when the war was coming to an end and Sherman was marching to the sea and Grant was doing damage, Burns moved back towards that side of the action
James Lueken #1
Sherman’s March to the Sea is one of the most popular campaigns of the Western Theater in the American Civil War. The idea of the campaign was for the Union Army to travel from Atlanta to Savannah in the state of George, destroying everything in their path. The goal was to completely obliterate the South’s infrastructure, crops, livestock, etc. in order to completely weaken the economy.
James Lueken #2
The Battle of the Crater was part of the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, fought in the Eastern Theater of the War. This is one of the most shifted battles of the war; that is, the outcome was completely the opposite of what the attackers expected to happen to the battle. In this case, the Union soldiers built a tunnel in the ground leading right up to where the Confederate soldiers were stationed in the trenches that they had built. The Union forces set up explosives that could be detonated when they returned to the beginning of the tunnel. When the bombs were detonated, the Union army rushed into the area that had formed- a large crater in the ground. Filling into the area like a river does into an ocean, the Union forces soon realized that the hole was extremely deep and they were not able to escape from rebel fire from the small cliffs above. It was widely known as being similar to “shooting fish in a barrel”. This battle is significant because it gave the Union a sense of shame in their campaign and gave the Confederacy the upper hand.
Appomatox Courthouse was not only the site of the surrender of General Lee, but was also the sight a battle that morning. This was Lee’s last chance to hold of the Union army and avoid a forced surrender. It was inevitable, however, so procrastinating anymore still would have led to a surrender. This was a great example of Lee’s determination to exemplify honor and chivalry. The surrender and battle at Appomatox was a representation of how the Eastern Theater of the war was ultimately more important.
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought in the summer of 1864. It is one of most tilted battles of the war; that is, the outcome was opposite of what was expected. It was also one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War, up there with Antietam and Gettysburg. Union soldiers attempted to swing around and flank Lee’s army with a huge close combat assault, resulting in many casualties. However, this attack was feudal, and many casualties were suffered. This battle was important because yet again it was an example of how The confederacy one many of the battles of Grant’s overland campaign, but all the while their men were depleted and eventually could not hold the Union forces anymore.
James Lueken #5
Sherman’s March to the Sea was a physical representation of how the two Theaters of war finally merged together at the end of the war. Sherman brought the success that he had had in the West into the East, all the while exemplifying total warfare. The Theaters had never actually been brought together in a way like this before. All the battles before this had been classified as either in the Eastern Theater or Western Theater, but this was an exception, and turned out to be one of the most storied campaigns in the War.
James Lueken #6
The Theaters of war brought about by the Civil War almost divided the Country into fourths. Obviously, it had been divided into halves with the secession of the Confederacy from the Union. But on a less recognized scale, the war was split yet another time into NW, SW, NE, and SE regions with the rise of Eastern and Western Theaters. It is interesting to see that these splits are no longer thought about in today’s society. People today will sometimes associate themselves with the South or the North, depending on their views or ancestry, but no one separates themselves into Theater categories.
heaters of War: Is the Eastern War vs. Western War represented more? Give examples of time, images, content, etc.
James Lueken3-3-12
The Theaters of the Civil War refers to the two main areas in which the battles were fought- the Western Front and the Eastern Front. The Western Front consisted of the general area of Mississippi, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. The Eastern Front consisted of the places along the Atlantic Coast, specifically the Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wes
t Virginia and North Carolina area. Although the Western Front covered a much larger expanse of land, the Eastern Front contained much more of the warfare. Decisive battles were fought in each theater- Bull Run and Gettysburg in the East, and Shiloh and Vicksburg in the West to name a few. Along with these battles came generals that made a name for themselves (positive or negative) in each theater.
Link to information on the Western Theater:
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/civilwar/a/AmCvWarWest1.htm
Link to information on the Eastern Theater:
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/civilwar/a/amcvlwareast2.htm
2/25/12. Alex Idarraga The theaters of the Civil war were highly influenced by the distribution of power in the country at the time. The weight of almost all political entities were focused on the Easter Seaboard i.e. Washington and eventually Richmond (The Eastern Theater being primarily West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, D.C., and The Carolinas.). Furthermore, almost all of established society lives in the vicinity of the original thirteen colonies, and therefore the economic and industrial powerhouses are focused there as well. Therefore it is understandable that the first battles break out there, Ft. Sumter absolutely being significant in the sense that it marked the destruction of a source of Union strength in the heart of the Southern rebellion, Charleston Harbor.
(A Reenactment at Charleston Harbor of Beauregard's Shelling of Fort Sumter) Battle Hymn of the Republic
In addition, the First Battle of Bull run will be an indicator of the direction much of the fighting will take; attempts at securing strategic cities and emplacements along the Eastern Coast. While the Anaconda Plan proposed by Winfield Scott was almost a more potent military strategy than a direct run on Richmond, it did not and still does not glean as much press because of its lack of flair; it is much more glorious to charge down the enemies doors than to starve him into surrender.
Therefore it makes perfect sense, at least in the first episode or so of the series, for Burns to cover the eastern theater heavily, yet many decisive battles were fought in the Western theater which do not receive proper recognition in the general national memory as turning points of the war.
2/27/12 Alex Idarraga Of all the Battles which occurred in the Western Theater, Shiloh may be the most infamous. Aptly, Burns includes this under his section "A Very Bloody Affair" as it was bloodshed on an unheard of scale from a global perspective. Close to 100,000 Combatants fought with a gruesome 23,000 casualties, made all the more worse by the fact that such atrocities would be repeated again and again throughout the course of the War. Despite the terrible cost of American life which was expended to ascertain a Union victory, the gained territory was crucial to the War in the West. Up and to and including Shiloh, the captures of Fort Donnelson and Fort Henry in addition to the securing of the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers marked a tremendous success for the Federal war effort as a whole.
It can be said that the American Civil War was won by supply, and such land victories in the Western Theater were essential for the Union in realizing that victory. With the Navy preventing CSA resupply in the East, it fell to the Army to cut off supply lines coming over land and through some of the South's largest arteries, rivers. Already much of Southern transportation was centered around rivers, especially due to their effective use as waterways for transporting cotton during peacetime. Thus, captures such as those of the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers stood as critical blows in hindering the Souths war mobilization and supply capabilities, staunching the already too thin trickle of outside support and serving to decide the outcome of the war. Burns' devotion of time to the Western Theater is fairly even when viewed from a minute to minute standpoint, but in terms of political value and weight the Eastern Theater receives much more attention, more likely than not due the fact that it was a focal point of its time.
3/03/12 Alex Idarraga Ken Burns devotes a significant amount of time not just to the Eastern Theater, but to the campaign against Richmond specifically is highly indicative of the value of the prize that the capture of the Confederate Capitol offered. McClellan himself (despite his indecisive and misguided meandering) was obsessed with its capture, as it would have made him a hero. Burns large placement of emphasis on the Peninsular Campaign in particular does not n
Perhaps among the most famous battles of the Western theater of the Civil War was Vicksburg. Ulysses S. Grant's driving blows to attack the "nail that held the South together" likely won the war, and the eventual capture of Vicksburg was possibly the most strategically important turning point of the War. Certainly it was a masterfully well planned move with the calculated recklessness of General Lee (Grant cut off his supply lines to increase mobility, a risky move).
4/30/12 Alex Idarraga The arrival of Grant in the Eastern Theatre in 1864 essentially spells the end of the militarily significant Western Theater. Burns does not follw the West after the Battle of Vicksburg, and devotes almost the entire last two episodes in the series to Grant's overland campaing which was baptised by fire in the Battle of the Wilderness. Indeed, the Wilderness spelt the beginning of the end for the Confederacy. Although Grant sustained heavier casualties he could afford to do so based on the simple fact that his army was twice as massive as Lee's, and his resistance to outmaneuvering proved that he could not be defeated like his counterparts. Indeed, it became apparent that the war of attrition which Grant intended to wage would be succesful.
5/03/12 Alex Idarraga Many consider Grant's costly fighting in the battle to be a defeat, especially given the three to one casualty ratios that he sustained. While tactically Grant may have lost, he was merely employing the strategy suited for the resources he was afforded, men being among them. Grant's ability for detatchment was what dealt the final blow to the Lee in the long run, and Burns seems to share the same perspective. His abillity to regard men as material and to utilize them was, however inhumane, the most efficient way to win the war. Indeed, Burns focus on Grant is not to be taken lightly, as his progress is tracked in areas that do not recieve any att
4/30/12 Idarraga The Overland Campaign itself began with the some of the only truly ceaseless fighting of the war, battles being fought almost every day from the Wilderness to Cold Harbor, the latter being amongst the bloodiest of the war. Cold Harbor's brutal casualties, which Grant admitted was a mistake, nonetheless earned 'Unconditional surrender" Grant the alternate nickname of "Butcher" . Burns accompanies this marked shift in the momentum of the war with a comparable change of pace in his films, and leaves the west almost entirely behind.
4/20/12 Alex Idarraga
Throughout his films burns recognizes the two key strategic points of the Mississipi and of the East Coast. Setting aside the importance of the Theaters themselves, these entities commandeered war strategy from its inception. If one examines the incursions into the south it becomes clear that the ultimate objective of the Union in the Western Theater was to divide the South. Almost every battle lead to the culminating point which was the capture of Vicksburg, and subsequently a significant amount of generalcy, manpower, and equipment was diverted to the Eastern Theater once the objective was accomplished. The fight in the East dragged on with a multitude of bloody campaigns and battles, such as Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg, where as the West was won at no less cost but in a considerably quicker manner. As could be expected, as the war progresses Burns demonstrates a clear tendency to show events in the East.
4/23/12 Alex Idarraga
In some episodes, however, Burns demonstrates a clearer bias than in others. In Most Hallowed Ground for example, Burns devotes only several minutes to the Western Theatre when he notes Bloody Bill Anderson and Jesse James. Both were notorious Bushwackers, notorious outlaw guerilla fighters who pillaged and burned the border between Missouri and Kansas. Although an important part of the Western War, Burns skates over the equally as important Franklin-Nashville Campaign, although he does touch on the Atlanta Campaign. It has also been noted by some historians that a reasonable way to explain the heavy focus on the East both during and after the war is the heavy concentration of newspapers in the area. In the Eastern States newspapers were able to get stories to press and distributed much faster than a reporter could when he needed to travel back from the Western front.
5/03/12 Alex Idarraga Overall Burns presents a good portrayal of all the different aspects of the war. Almost every major event and key idea is touched by his series, which is impressive given the amount of material to cover. Given that the civil war is one of the most written-about wars in history, Burns certainly offered a fair comparison between the Theater's of War given the volume of campaigning and conflict that occurred. The Eastern Theater is more heavily discussed, but Burns is justified in that respect given the cultural, economic, and military vitality of the region.
James Lueken
3-7-12
Shiloh was the sight of the one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. History. This came as a surprise; many people thought this was going to be a few fired shots and then a victory by one side (similar to how people thought the war would last about three months as opposed to 5 years). People showed up with picnic baskets and their families as if they were preparing to watch a play. Somehow, things got out of hand at Shiloh, Tennessee, and soon enough, those same people that came ready to enjoy a “show” witnessed more men die than all of the American casualties of previous wars. This was the moment that many realized how awful this war could be- mass murder of countrymen against countrymen. People soon realized that watching/living through whatever was going to come from this war would be devastating. Shiloh was a prime example of how the South’s honorable, respectable view of warfare was cast away.
James Lueken
3-7-12
The Battle of Vicksburg was one of the most important battles in the war. It took place in Mississippi over the summer of 1863. Abraham Lincoln, president of the Union, saw Vicksburg as the key to winning the war- once Vicksburg broke down/was captured, everything else was supposed to fall into place for the Union Army. Let’s take a look at Vicksburg. Why was this place so important to the Confederacy? More appropriately, why was it imperative for the Union to take control of it? Location, Location, Location. Vicksburg sat right on the Mississippi River, a key feature in moving goods and personnel up and down the land. Vicksburg was the main porthole for using the Mississippi. Control of this fort meant control of major usage of the river. It was seen as the heartbeat of the Southern Army. Here we have a small little place on the Western Front representing a great deal of power in that theater.
Here is a website with much information concerning the Battle (Siege) of Vicksburg:
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_vicksburg.html
Dan Smetek 3/10/12:
In general I think the war in the east definitely remembered today as the major theater during the Civil War. But I believe that the Western front was just as important as the eastern front. The siege of Vicksburg and Atlanta were major turning points in the war. The North was losing support for the war and the two Union victories boosted Northern citizens' morale and thought that the war could be coming to and end. Vicksburg was also the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi making it impossible for the South to resupply its army.
Picture for the siege of Vicksburg
Dan Smetek 3/10/12:
Many believe the Battle of Gettysburg to be the turning point of the war. Fought in the Eastern Theater of the war for three days in 1863, Americans lost more men in that battle than they would in any other battle throughout the rest of the civil war. The Union victory gained support for Lincoln who had, 7 months earlier, emancipated all slaves in rebellious states. The victory gave him justification for emancipating slaves. The war had now become about abolition.
Battle map of Gettysburg
battle_of_gettysburg.jpg
Dan Smetek 3/10/12:
The Western front really was the beginning of the end of the civil war as well. Sherman's march started in the western front at Atlanta. HIs utter destruction Georgia and South Carolina (more Eastern front) depleted the South of all of its resources. It was faced with no other option than to surrender. Sherman's relentless campaign of making war on civilians for the first time during the war was what killed the Confederacy. He destroyed everyone's homes and livestock and burned much of the cotton on his way to the sea. Slaves also flocked to him by the thousands. The war ended in the west and moved to where the first secession took place (South Carolina) while gutting the interior of the Confederacy and forcing a Union victory in the Civil War.
Map of Sherman's March
sherman_north.jpg
James Lueken
3-10-12
The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought in the Western Theater of the Civil War. Although this battle is not overly conversed about, in the context of the time, the outcome of the battle had a great deal of importance. In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned how the Union’s siege of Vicksburg allowed them near complete access to the Mississippi River. Fort Donelson was the same deal, but on a smaller scale. Fort Donelson sat on the Cumberland River, which weaves in and out of the West Virginia/Tennessee border line. Control of the fort meant control of the river. Having control over the Cumberland River meant control of the top of the Southern Border. This would have set the stage for an invasion in the South by the Union, and would gradually lead them to victories down through the Western Theater.
Dan Smetek 3/11/12:
What I thought was interesting in the Ken Burns film is how much they paid attention to the Battle of the Wilderness. He considered it to be a decisive battle. Although no one was really considered the victor (some do claim the Confederacy won) it was the beginning of Grant's plan to outlast Lee's army with his superior manpower and more readily available supplies. Each side inflicted heavy casualties on one another but Grant still had the upper hand. After the battle he continued his pursuit of Lee rather than retreat to Washington which all of the other generals before him did after withdrawing from a battle.
Dan Smetek 3/11/12:
Antietam was the bloodiest day of the war. Many men were lost and the battle was indecisive. This was McClellan's biggest blunder. He inflicted heavy casualties and had the opportunity to strike a fatal blow to Lee's army. Lee even was ready for another assault, but it never came. McClellan returned to Washington while Lee moved back into Virginia. Many believe the war would have been over a lot quicker if McClellan had attacked that day. The Confederacy lost 31% of its army and if the Union attacked it would have spelled the end for the Confederacy at least on the Eastern front because there would nothing to stop them from moving on to Richmond.
Confederate dead at Antietam:
Dan Smetek 3/11/12:
It's hard to debate which theater of war had more effect on the war. I believe that the Western Front definitely had more effect on the war's outcome. But I will still make a case for the Eastern Front. Obviously the Battle of Gettysburg is largely considered the turning point of the war. Sherman's March ended where the Confederacy started, in South Carolina. The countless number of Union generals took on Lee's army in Antietam, Gettysburg, and 1st and 2nd Bull Run. Major battles were fought there many of them could have destroyed Lee's army, but hesitant generals failed to take him out which is why the western front, in my mind, is more important.
United States during the Civil War:
Dan Losiniecki 3/11/12
The Cause: Burns touches upon the importance of the West to the start of the war. One of the most direct causes, Bleeding Kansas, gets only a quick mention. This event deserves more time and explanation in any discussion of the war for several reasons. One, it was essentially a proxy war between the die hard factions of the time: militant abolitionists and southerners. The conflict shows the tensions between the two groups at the time very well. Two important factors also come out of Bleeding Kansas:
John Brown and the Republican Party. John Brown's major attack at Harper's Ferry really got the country on the track to war, but he got his battle experience and fervor for the cause in Kansas. The Republican Party, Abraham Lincoln included, formed in reaction to the popular sovereignty decision. Both Lincoln and Brown got the momentum to make country-wide impacts from Kansas. Now, the west did not have a major influence on the early war, as the major political and economic strongholds of both side existed on the east coast. The most strategic piece of the west, the Mississippi River, became a chokehold, and part of the anaconda plan to destroy the South's logistics.
Dan Losiniecki 3/11/12
A Very Bloody Affair: Here we see Shiloh, the bloodiest battle of the war, and all wars before it. A combination of confusion and inexperienced men caused much bloodshed on both lines. The Hornets Nest shows the determination of both sides to achieve their goals. The Union line held after 12 Confederate charges. Part of the amount of the bloodshed resulted from the use of outdated Napoleonic tactics with the advanced technology of the war. The amount of dead forced the seriousness of the war into the mindset of the Northern and Southern peoples, along with commanders on both sides. This victory, along with the gains of the Anaconda Plan, form the beginning of the end for the Confederacy, as their main logistical line had been severed.
Dan Losiniecki 3/11/12
Forever Free: Burns is accurate when he says that the failures of McClellan in the east overshadowed Grant's victories in the west. Taking the Mississippi was key, but your general has an army, larger and better equipped than the opponent's, miles from the enemy capital, and he refuses to act. That failure frustrates the North more than their successes can help. However, a capture of Vicksburg could really spell the demise of the South. Vicksburg survived the first wave of Union conquest due to its easily defended position atop of a cliff face. If Grant's superior tactics won out in the end, and the Confederacy would be split in two on the western front. If the Union would have these successes in the west, the Confederate army would be sufficiently weakened in the east, leaving that theater open to capture.
Dan Losiniecki 3/11/12
Simply Murder: As I have said, the capture of Vicksburg led to the final turn in the war. General Grant realized this, so he sent his men on an extremely risky path towards the city, with no reinforcements or easy resupply. General Lee recognized how close the Confederacy was to total defeat after Vicksburg, so he hatched a desperate plan to get Lincoln to the negotiating table by pressuring Washington D.C. The battle for Vicksburg was not easy. The citizens realized that they were a speck of Rebel gray in a sea of Union blue, and any vulnerability would lead to the possible destruction of their home. These Confederates were not joking around.
-The Siege of Vicksburg
But eventually Grant held the day, and effectively cut the Confederacy in two. The west was won for the Union, and the South awaited its final battle for life.
Patrick Pierson 3/11/12
The battle of Fredericksburg and the battle of Vicksburg appeared to me to be the two most significant battles mentioned so far. Shiloh and Antietam were both as bloody, but they were made out to be just very bloody battles. Fredericksburg, fought in Virginia was an embarrassment for the Union. they took on nearly three times more casualties than the south had and General Lee even felt Pity for them (though he admired their courage and Valor). After the Loss, Lincoln heard of it and knew he needed a new general. At Vicksburg, his "New" general had finally captured the city, forcing Lee to try to go into northern territory, where he would eventually lose both battles he fought there (although none of that is mentioned yet in the video.
Patrick Pierson 3/11/12
Ken Burns touches on the importance that the Western Theatre had with regards to the start of the War. For how important this event was to the War, he really doesn't give it much credit.
Some historians say that it was Because of bleeding Kansa that the south ended up seceeding. There was too much hatred between die hard abolitionists and southern slaveowners to be contained in just one state, and in my opinion, this hatred spread throughout the south and south Carolina was just the first one to admit that they did not belong in the union. The western
theatre also did not deserve some of the publicity it didn't recieve. Grant was winning in the west, but frankly, those battles were just numbers. The battles in the east that McClellan was
losing held more of a significance overall.
Patrick Pierson 3/11/12
The dispute of whether or not the eastern theatre had more of a representation that the western theatre differs depending on the period of the War (ex. Bleeding Kansas, Vicksburg, Fredericksburg) but also depends on who was commanding armies in battles that we learn about today. since the history has already been made, we have formed the memory of the different battles and therefore, the different theatres of the war. For example, we don't give Grant prominant attention until his seige of Vicksburg. that doesn't mean that he was not highly regarded during the time of the war. Today we hold the western theatre before Gettysburg as slightly inferior the the eastern theatre, becaue if we held them in equal regard, then when Chatanooga and Chickamauga came, the shift of the importance of teh east and west would be totally different.
John Misiewicz 3/12/12
In the Civil War the eastern theater of the war included the states of Virginia, West Virginia(once it became seperate from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.
The most crucial Battle in the east was Gettysburg(Gettysburg Map)
In Gettysburg, it was General Lee (accompanied by Lt. Gen. Longstreet) vs. General Meade
This is commonly refered to as the turning point in the war
With this victory The Union was able to drive Lee's disabled army all the way to Appotmatox
There is very heavy focus on the eastern front mainly because most of the battles with significant importance were fought in the east.
-Bull Run 1 and 2
-Antietam
-Gettysburg
-The Shenandoah
-And of corse the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse
John Misiewicz 3/12/12
Western Theater
The west was defined as the are between the Mississippi River and The Appalachian Mts.
The most crucial battle in the west was the siege of Vicksburg
In Vicksburg, "the nail that holds the Confederacy togethe, it was General Grant vs. General John C. Pemberton
This along with Gettysburg is considered the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy"
With this victory The Union was able to take the Confeds last major holding on the Mississippi
Also with this the previously shown Anaconda Plan was nearly complete
Although the Western Theater is mentioned in the video it is considerably less focused upon tan the north this is because there were only three major "battles" in the west.
- The Battle of Shiloh (Battle of Shiloh)
- The Siege of Vicksburg
-and Sherman's March(Map)
3/12/12
Before the war most of the verbal and political dispute over the west was handeled in the east while most of the physical disputes prior to the war occured in the west.
Also the west was the source of many debates over the spread and expansion of slavery
Antislavery and Abolitionists from the north felt that slavery had no place in the newfound western territories while the Southernd Democrats felt that since slavery _ had been allowed it should be allowed now
The term popular sovereignty also grew it roots in the west with the congressional decision to let these places be decided, slave or no slave, by this
3/12/12
A major reason the East was considered more important than the west was because both Richmond and Washington were both there.
There has never been any doubt that if you take the capitol city you win a serious military victory but also a major morale victory.
the debate is that if the North had lost DC the south would have received aid from the Anti-American European Countries.
Another reason for the eastern importance was that there was the idea that this is where it all started.
Back on July 4th 1776 and again on June 21st 1788 in Philadelphia, PA(Eastern Theater) the nation was changed and shaped with the idea of slavery embedded into it's fabric. This lead to the controversy over the next 72 years about the system of slavery until finally in 1861 Fort Sumpter was attacked.
3/12/12
In the Civil War the tactic of the armies was to outflank the opposing armies.
This is the main reason the west was involved in the war.
The north felt that if they could take the Mississippi they would be able to cut off the south from is's major source of resources and a large number of soldiers on the west side of the Mississippi
Similarly, The south felt that if they could control the mississippi they would be able to continue it's economic processes which would allow them to fund their war effort.
Other than the two capitols the Mississippi was the most important part of the country for control.
3/12/12
Dan Smetek 5/12/12
In terms of the Western front towards the end of the war the major campaign was Sherman's March to the Sea where he took Atlanta. The documentary states that Sherman waged a brutal form of warfare called total war. Sherman destroyed everything that the South could use while freeing slaves that stayed with the army. Sherman's war was unrelenting and heartless. Southerners were forced to leave thier homes when Sherman came thorugh thier towns. Sherman was truly as brutal on his march as Grant was on his campaign in the east. The Western front really started to fall after Sherman took Atlanta which really sealed up the victory for the Union now that they could focus on Lee and his army.
Dan Smetek 5/12/12
The Eastern front was really looked at hard by the documentary. Grant's Overland campagin took heavy tolls on his army. He followed Lee wherever he went and his just threw men at Lee and finally wore him down just as the North was starting to get sick of the war. Lincoln got re-elected and Grant had beaten Lee and his great Army of Northern Virginia. The fighting was especially bloody between these two sides. Battles like Wilderness, Cold Harbor, and others saw the heaviest casualties in the later years of the war other than Gettysburg. Ken Burns really puts an emphasis on the amount of death during the Overland campaign.
Patrick Pierson 5/13/12
Gettysburg is often called the turning point of the war, which it was, but until i took this class on the Civil War, i thought it was a landslide union victory. Both sides had endured about the same number of casualties. Gettysburg has a similar story to Grant's chase of Lee in the West. Grant was relentless in his pursuits of Lee and because of the relentless pursuits of Grant and his generals, Lee eventually surrendered at Appomattox. The battles Grant and his generals had with Lee were not landslide victories. most of them resulted in a similar number of devastating casualties and then Lee went back on the run. Lee actually won about as many has he lost but he basically ran out of men before Grant could.
Patrick Pierson 5/13/12
The western theatre, after gettysburg, Was particularly visious and unforgiving. A combination of three Generals -Grant, Sherman and Sheridan- tore apart the south. They would not let up on Lee's forces and attacked several times a week. Lee's army was losing numbers and losing numbers fast. Grant was also losing about the same amount, but he had more troops coming in while Lee did not. Apart from the battlefield, Sherman and Sheridan (namely Sherman) tore through towns, pillaging them, lighting them on fire and then leaving as if they had never been there. Sherman even made his own terms for surrender when he won in North Carolina. These generals were particularly ruthless in the west and bought themselves fear amongst the south.
Patrick Pierson 5/13/12
After Lincoln gave command over all the army to Grant is when, to me, there was no more dispute over eastern vs western theatre of war. Grant followed Lee wherever he went, and if he had gone east, Grant would follow east and attack, and if lee went west, Grant would follow west and attack. Of course, there was a combined effort between Union generals to surround Lee, which led to his surrender at Appomattox. near the whole overland campaign took place in the western theatre Because Lee was in the western theatre. So were most of his generals.
Patrick Pierson 5/14/12
I believe that overall, the Behavior of generals in the western theatre defined who they were more than the battles of the East, at least in our eyes today. The big battles that grant won were nearly all in the western theatre. Cold harbor nad vicksburg for example, even fort Donelson. These three especially show how Grant would do whatever it took to get a victory and that after he got that victory, the surrender of the enemy were according to his terms, which always meant unconditional surrender of the enemy.
Patrick Pierson 5/14/12
Something that just occurred to me that i can't believe i didn't think of yet. There were between 380 and 400 official encounters officially recognized as battles in the civil war. there is only so much that can be taught in a semester, much less a documentary, and frankly nearly 400 battles could not be taught on in either amount of time. we learn of famous battles such as Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Cold Harbor, Gettysburg, Antietam, and Manassas but what about the hundreds that we don't hear about. this all sort of comes back to the importance of the battles fought and their relevance to the rest of the civil war. Small battles such a the Battle of Blue Mills Landing aren't talked about very often because of their insignificance to the war.
Dan Smetek 5/13/12
Sheman's March was one of the most brutal campaigns thorughout the war. Sherman waged total war in which he destryoed anything and everything in his path that the South could use for supplies. It also took a heavy toll on his men. After marching through Georgia and up through South Carolina, his men were tired. Thay had marched almost every day with little to no rest, tearing down the towns and cities and even resorting to looting some people's abandoned homes. It wasn't as glamorus as most people think it to be.
Dan Smetek 5/14/12
Although the Westrern front is very important, I believe the East had way more to do with the war than the West did even though the eastern front consisted of a smaller amount of land. Many more imporatant battles were fought on the eastern front. After 1863, the Union had all but secured the west which would soon be done by Sherman. The east, however, had much more intense fighting. It was also a lot more bloody. Thousands of people died because of Grnat's battle plan in the east.
Dan Smetek 5/14/12
Coming back to the point about Grant. I think that the East was more imporatant becuse Lee was there and we could never find a general to defeat him. When the Union finally got Grant, they had a fearless leader who would pursue Lee with endles fervor, no matter how many lives it cost him. I think that the east would not have been as important as it was if Grant did not go over to the east. the Union was starting to lose support for the war and any other failed attempts to destroy Lee might have swung the 1864 election differently and there would have been a Confederate States of America.
Dan Smetek 5/15/12
I do believe that the east was far more important at the end of the war than the East. Grant's over land campaign sealed the victory for the Union and much of his attention was focused on taking down Lee and moving on to Richmond to end the war. he accomplished his plan and even Sherman ended up joining Grant in the east after he marched through Georgia. So most of the battles were constituted in the east at the end of the war and that is why the east was vital for the Union's victory.
John Misiewicz 5/16/2012
After Gettysburg/Vicksburg there was one major battle left to be fought in the west. Shermans brutal march to the sea (where he drove through the geographical heart of the south, freeing slaves and absolutely destroying the southern institutions) finally closed the western theater of the war and helped seal the anaconda plan and therefore seal the fate of the south. Sherman utalized the tactic that won the war for the union in both fronts, total war. This method utalized the norths numbers advantage by out bloodying the south.
John Misiewicz May 16th 2012Shermans march was one of the most devastating and brutal blows during the whole war. It focused of total destruction of the western cities(Atlanta, Savannah, Colombia) as a means of crippling the south. This brutal warfare led to the hate durring the reconstruction period not only in the west but all the way from northeast virginia to southeast Mississippi. When Sherman drove his troops on this march not only was he destroying the west he was destroying hope in the east as well. By taking(and absolutly destroying it) Atlanta, the major industrial city in the west, the South reached its breaking point. This is an exert from Peter Cetale's Diary of Genreal Lee, "Today, The Union has finally won the Civil War. I am very disappointed; but I realized what went wrong. The Unions Strategy of the "Anaconda" Plan succeeded because it embargoed our already short resources. The Union sent a general named Sherman who used an uncivilized tactic called "Total War" He used this plan correctly.
http://www.old-picture.com/civil-war/pictures/Destruction-Shermans-Atlanta.jpg
John Misiewicz May 16th 2012
The east was not much different than Sherman in the west. Grant also used the tactic of total war relentlessly chasing lee through the south. Whether Grant won or lost he would still continue to chase Lee because he had so many more men. The same hate that was seeded in in the west is also felt in the east with Grant's unrelenting pressure on Lee. The only reason the war in the east at the end of the war was defferent from the west was one reason, General Robert E. Lee, without lee's knowledge of both the terrain and the strategies the South would have been subdued much earlier but with Lee they stood a fighting chance no mater what the odds are.
John Misiewicz May 16th 2012
The final straw in the east, and the war, was at Appomattox Station. After Ewell had been cut off and surrendered to the Union at Saylers Creek Lee and his remaining soldiers hoped to reach the supply depot at Appomattox Station but George Custer and his calvary arrived before Lee and burned the supplies. This effectively ended the war as Lee was forced to surrender.
John Misiewicz May 16th 2012
In the west, the victories at Tullahoma, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga set up Shermans March to the Sea. With all other major supply centers and town destroyed the focus of the west shifted to Atlanta, Savannah, and other major depots east of Atlanta. After Sherman"s crushing blow to the west he, along with the others in the west could rejoin their old friend Grant and help to stamp out the south.
John Misiewicz may 16th 2012
Although the East is considered the most important part of the war the success in the east never could have been acheived without the dominance in the west. Had the Union not been able to defeat the south at Vicksburg, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Shiloh, Ft. Donleson, New Orleans, and all the other major battles in the west there would probably be a different outcome. Had grant failed at Vicksburg he may not have been promoted to the ranks that he was and the total warfare that helped to defeat Lee after Gettysburg would have never been. Also had the south won just one major battle in the west this could have slowed, stopped, or in the best case repelled the Anaconda plan. Also had the South been able to hold it's own on the Mississippi the plentiful resources of Texas could have been used. I'm not saying that overall the West was more important than the east but had the west been a more successful campaign for the South (or just a less successful campaign for the north) the battles in the east such as Gettysburg, Antietam, and Appomattox, which are considered turning points, may have never been.
(to get some second opinions on the east west argument feel free to visit this website )LINK
Andy Roy Post 1: In the fifth, episode, I believe that there is a slight emphasis on the Eastern theater. In this episode, there is an emphasis on Gettysburg. Burns talks about Gettysburg for much of the time. He does speak about Vicksburg and Chattanooga but I think there is more of an emphasis on Gettysburg, which is in the East. I particularly do not think that it is a biased point of view at this point but just because of the importance of Gettysburg.
Andy Roy Post 2: In the sixth episode, I believe that once again, there is more of an emphasis on the Eastern Theater. There is a major emphasis on Grant's Overland Campaign. It talks about the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. Once again, I don't think that it is necessarily biased. But, the overland campaign was possibly the most significant campaign of the war; it would be foolish not to cover it in depth. The majority of the last part of the war was fought in the East and not that much happened in the West of as much significance. Burns talks about Bloody Bill Anderson, a western-based cavalryman who was infamous for his brutality towards Union soldiers. This shows that Burns didn’t limit himself to major eastern events.
Andy Roy Post 3: In the seventh episode, I think there is a focus on the East again. This episode talks about more than the war itself and battles. It talks about the election and more of the details of what’s going on in the background. Burns talks about Petersburg some more and mentions Atlanta. This is a focus on the east. He does mention Tennessee but does not go into great detail. I think that episode seven is another emphasis on the east, and again, I don' t think it is totally biased.
The Siege of Vicksburg
Bloody Bill Anderson
Andy Roy Post 4: In the eighth episode, there is a slight emphasis on the East. The episode does talk about Nashville but it talks more about Appomattox, Atlanta, Petersburg, and Savannah, which are all in the Eastern Theater. Once again, I don't think it is because of a bias at this point, but just because the war was wrapping up now and much of the focus was in the East. However, Burns mentions the Fort Pillow Massacre and Vicksburg which were western events, and then goes on to discuss the exploits of rogue Nathan Bedford Forest, and how his actions effected the entire nation. The Fort Pillow massacre drastically changed opinions on the war, so it was impossible to ignore.
YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS: A SONG SUNG ABOUT THE WESTERN THEATRE
Andy Roy Post 5: In the last episode of the series, episode nine, I don't think that there is a focus on the east or
west. This episode pretty much sums up the consequences of the war and what happened with Lincoln. It does talk about the east, but only because that is where the assassination occurred and where Booth was captured. I don't think there is a biased viewpoint in this episode. This episode just wraps up the series.
Andy Roy Post 6: I feel Burns does a very good job of following the action of the war but remains unbiased. In the beginning when all of the action was in the east, Burns broke down the battles into great details adding images and videos where possible. But once things started heating up out west he did a magnificent job of splitting the video time between the two depending on the battles. Finally, when the war was coming to an end and Sherman was marching to the sea and Grant was doing damage, Burns moved back towards that side of the action
James Lueken #1
Sherman’s March to the Sea is one of the most popular campaigns of the Western Theater in the American Civil War. The idea of the campaign was for the Union Army to travel from Atlanta to Savannah in the state of George, destroying everything in their path. The goal was to completely obliterate the South’s infrastructure, crops, livestock, etc. in order to completely weaken the economy.
James Lueken #2
The Battle of the Crater was part of the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, fought in the Eastern Theater of the War. This is one of the most shifted battles of the war; that is, the outcome was completely the opposite of what the attackers expected to happen to the battle. In this case, the Union soldiers built a tunnel in the ground leading right up to where the Confederate soldiers were stationed in the trenches that they had built. The Union forces set up explosives that could be detonated when they returned to the beginning of the tunnel. When the bombs were detonated, the Union army rushed into the area that had formed- a large crater in the ground. Filling into the area like a river does into an ocean, the Union forces soon realized that the hole was extremely deep and they were not able to escape from rebel fire from the small cliffs above. It was widely known as being similar to “shooting fish in a barrel”. This battle is significant because it gave the Union a sense of shame in their campaign and gave the Confederacy the upper hand.
More information on Cold Harbor:
http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-cold-harbor-the-folly-and-horror.htm
James Lueken #3
Appomatox Courthouse was not only the site of the surrender of General Lee, but was also the sight a battle that morning. This was Lee’s last chance to hold of the Union army and avoid a forced surrender. It was inevitable, however, so procrastinating anymore still would have led to a surrender. This was a great example of Lee’s determination to exemplify honor and chivalry. The surrender and battle at Appomatox was a representation of how the Eastern Theater of the war was ultimately more important.
Link to eyewitness account of the surrender:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/appomatx.htm
James Lueken #4
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought in the summer of 1864. It is one of most tilted battles of the war; that is, the outcome was opposite of what was expected. It was also one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War, up there with Antietam and Gettysburg. Union soldiers attempted to swing around and flank Lee’s army with a huge close combat assault, resulting in many casualties. However, this attack was feudal, and many casualties were suffered. This battle was important because yet again it was an example of how The confederacy one many of the battles of Grant’s overland campaign, but all the while their men were depleted and eventually could not hold the Union forces anymore.
James Lueken #5
Sherman’s March to the Sea was a physical representation of how the two Theaters of war finally merged together at the end of the war. Sherman brought the success that he had had in the West into the East, all the while exemplifying total warfare. The Theaters had never actually been brought together in a way like this before. All the battles before this had been classified as either in the Eastern Theater or Western Theater, but this was an exception, and turned out to be one of the most storied campaigns in the War.
James Lueken #6
The Theaters of war brought about by the Civil War almost divided the Country into fourths. Obviously, it had been divided into halves with the secession of the Confederacy from the Union. But on a less recognized scale, the war was split yet another time into NW, SW, NE, and SE regions with the rise of Eastern and Western Theaters. It is interesting to see that these splits are no longer thought about in today’s society. People today will sometimes associate themselves with the South or the North, depending on their views or ancestry, but no one separates themselves into Theater categories.
A second look at the Theater's of War: