The Civil War in the West: Victory and Defeat from the Appalachians to the Mississippi

by Earl J. Hess

Overview

The Western theater of the Civil War, rich in agricultural resources and manpower and home to a large number of slaves, stretched 600 miles north to south and 450 miles east to west from the Appalachians to the Mississippi. If the South lost the West, there would be little hope of preserving the Confederacy. Earl J. Hess's comprehensive study of how Federal forces conquered and held the West examines the geographical difficulties of conducting campaigns in a vast land, as well as the toll irregular warfare took on soldiers and civilians alike. Hess balances a thorough knowledge of the battle lines with a deep understanding of what was happening within the occupied territories.
In addition to a mastery of logistics, Union victory hinged on making use of black manpower and developing policies for controlling constant unrest while winning campaigns. Effective use of technology, superior resource management, and an aggressive confidence went hand in hand with Federal success on the battlefield. In the end, Confederates did not have the manpower, supplies, transportation potential, or leadership to counter Union initiatives in this critical arena.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807872314
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	03/12/2012
Series:	Littlefield History of the Civil War Era
Edition description:	Large Print
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	1,045,976
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.80(d)

About the Author

Earl J. Hess is Stewart W. McClelland Chair in history at Lincoln Memorial University and has written many books on Civil War history, including In the Trenches at Petersburg: Field Fortifications and Confederate Defeat and Kennesaw Mountain: Sherman, Johnston, and the Atlanta Campaign.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

An excellent overview of the Civil War in the western theater. Covering all significant campaigns and incorporating subjects either ignored or only lightly touched on in other operational histories, this is a book of unusual breadth and depth.—William Shea, University of Arkansas at Monticello



In The Civil War in the West, Earl J. Hess offers a through account and compelling analysis of the challenges those in charge of the Union war effort faced in the West and how they overcame them. Impressively researched and informative, this is an outstanding addition to the Littlefield History of the Civil War Era.—Ethan S. Rafuse, author of McClellan's War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union and Robert E. Lee and the Fall of the Confederacy, 1863–1865



No historian is better equipped than Earl Hess to tell the important story of the Civil War in the West and none does a better job of explaining why it was important and how it decided the outcome of the broader conflict.—Steven E. Woodworth, author of Manifest Destinies: America's Westward Expansion and the Road to the Civil War

Editorial Reviews

The rich Civil War historiography of the western theater has needed a much-updated and comprehensive examination. . . . Recommended. All academic levels/libraries.—Choice

A well-researched and intelligent narrative that is essential to understanding America's bloodiest conflict.—The Annals of Iowa

A notable book that stands out in the crowded field of Civil War scholarship. Scholars and general readers alike will find it useful and accessible. Hess is to be commended especially for his ability to weave together the military narrative and the administrative difficulties faced by Federal commanders in occupied territory.—Journal of Southern History

Recommended to both the casual reader and the serious historian . . . essential for understanding the war in the West.—Army History

Concisely and judiciously examines the military campaigns and battles and weaves them into a seamless narrative accessible to both novice and expert. . . . Thought-provoking, well-argued, engagingly written, and thoroughly enjoyable. . . . By far one of the best general accounts of the war in the West.—Indiana Magazine of History

This excellent and suitably broad summary work should serve as a valuable introduction to the western war for a wide reading audience. With The Civil War in the West, it's safe to say we have in our hands the subject's new standard single volume history.—Civil War Books and Authors blog

Hess's book should be lauded for its crisply effective prose, sweeping but well-paced narrative, command of both primary sources and the relevant historiography, and well-reasoned arguments." —Louisiana History

In one volume, Earl Hess has given readers as complete a study as can be found of this theater of battle.—New York Journal of Books

This is another outstanding book by Hess. This book is a great addition to the libraries of enthusiasts of the Western Theater, and those interested in the Eastern Theater will find it an intriguing contrast to the war in that region.—Blue & Gray Magazine

Hess has done it again. He has delivered a wonderfully researched and elegantly written volume that reveals his mastery of military history west of the Appalachians. Students and scholars are sure to profit from his insightful analysis and bold assertions, making for a better understanding of this complicated conflict.—Journal of American History

A sure-handed and detailed overview of military operations in the western theatre.—Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains

Everyone interested in learning about the war beyond the Appalachians should start with Hess's work. It is an outstanding overview of the Civil War in the West.—The Charleston Post and Courier

A comprehensive and thought-provoking history of the Civil War in the western theater. . . . A valuable asset to anyone hoping to make sense out of a complex subject and place it within the larger story in a meaningful way.—Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society

This book will define the study of the Civil War's western theater for the foreseeable future and is highly recommended.—The Historian

Earl Hess has produced another fine study, this one long needed and much anticipated.—Civil War Book Review

Asserts a primacy to the war's western theater, establishes operations as a vital aspect of warfare, and defines mastery of logistics as a critical component of Union victory.—West Virginia History

From the Publisher