Recent Changes

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 #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:
{Western_and_Eastern_Theater_3-3-12.png}

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.

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.

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.
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.
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 #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.
James Lueken #3
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 #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.

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.

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
of Gettysburg.
{250px-Bloody-bill-anderson.jpg} 250px-Bloody-bill-anderson.jpg
eastern events.
Andy
Andy Roy Post totally biased.
{vicksburg-battle-map.jpg} vicksburg-battle-map.jpg
The Siege of Vicksburg
Bloody Bill Anderson
to ignore.
{nathan-bedford-forrest-head-of-kkk.jpg} nathan-bedford-forrest-head-of-kkk.jpg
WESTERN THEATRE
{Sherman's_march.jpg} Sherman's_march.jpg
east or
west.
west. This episode 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

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
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} 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.
{vicksburg-battle-map.jpg} vicksburg-battle-map.jpg
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.
{nathan-bedford-forrest-head-of-kkk.jpg} nathan-bedford-forrest-head-of-kkk.jpg
htmldiff1YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS: A SONG SUNG ABOUT THE WESTERN THEATRE
{Sherman's_march.jpg} Sherman's_march.jpg
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