Decision in the Heartland: The Civil War in the West

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Decision in the Heartland: The Civil War in the West (eBook) Pub. Date: 1/30/2008 Publisher: ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
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Decision in the Heartland: The Civil War in the West Pub. Date: 7/1/2011 Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
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Decision in the Heartland: The Civil War in the West (New Edition) Pub. Date: 1/30/2008 Publisher: ABC-CLIO, Incorporated

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Overview

The verdict is in: the Civil War was won in the "West"--that is, in the nation's heartland, between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. Yet, a person who follows the literature on the war might still think that it was the conflict in Virginia that ultimately decided the outcome. Each year sees the appearance of new books aimed at the popular market that simply assume that it was in the East, often at Gettysburg, that the decisive clashes of war the took place. For decades, serious historians of the Civil War have completed one careful study after another, nearly all tending to indicate the pivotal importance of what people during the war referred to as "the West." In this fast paced overview, Woodworth presents his case for the decisiveness of the theater.

Overwhelming evidence now indicates that it was battles like Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Chattanooga, and Atlanta that sealed the fate of the Confederacy-not the nearly legendary clashes at Bull Run or Chancellorsville or the mythical "high-water mark" at Gettysburg. The western campaigns cost the Confederacy vast territories, the manufacturing center of Nashville, the financial center of New Orleans, communications hubs such as Corinth, Chattanooga, and Atlanta, along with the agricultural produce of the breadbasket of the Confederacy. They sapped the morale of Confederates and buoyed the spirits of Unionists, ultimately sealing the northern electorate's decision to return Lincoln to the presidency for a second term and thus to see the war through to final victory. Detailing the "Western" clashes that proved so significant, Woodworth contends that it was there alone that the Civil War could be--and was--decided.

Editorial Reviews

Civil War Times

“Civil War historiography has been dominated by Eastern theater historians, generals and battles ever since the war ended. Fortunately, there has been a rethinking of such one sided bias in the past few decades. There is no more important historian in this revisionist movement than Steven E. Woodworth. . . . Woodworth should be thanked for focusing on such an important topic.”—Timothy B. Smith, Civil War Times

— Timothy B. Smith

Journal of American History

“Woodworth presents with precision and clarity a comprehensive overview of the war in the West. Penned with a unique level of intimacy and a highly focused perspective based on years of tenacious, painstaking, and thorough research and analysis, the book weaves a captivating narrative and is a delightfully good read.”—Journal of American History

More Reviews (3) Fewer Reviews

Journal of Southern History

“Woodworth does his usual excellent job of examining the conflicts among commanders and the politics of war that infiltrated the western theater much more so than the eastern. . . . [Decision in the Heartland] would be an excellent addition to syllabi in higher education classrooms, especially those in the East.”—Michael B. Ballard, Journal of Southern History

— Michael B. Ballard

Reference & Research Book News

“Woodworth’s account is accessible and fast-paced, and the maps and period photographs are both useful and interesting.”—Reference & Research Book News

War in History

“The Army of the Potomac, Steven Woodworth claims, ‘faced futility,’ but Union armies in the West were able to take advantage of more fruitful opportunities. ‘The decision would come in the heartland.’ This enjoyable, brief work pursues this theme stylishly, and presents accessible accounts of the western campaigns.”—Brian Holden Reid, War in History

— Brian Holden Reid

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780803236264
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Publication date: 7/1/2011
Pages: 202
Sales rank: 834,262
Product dimensions: 6.00 (w) x 9.00 (h) x 0.60 (d)

Meet the Author

Steven E. Woodworth is a professor of history at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of thirty-one books, including Six Armies in Tennessee and Chickamauga, both available in Bison Books editions, as well as Jefferson Davis and His Generals, winner of the 1990 Fletcher Pratt Award.

Series Foreword     vii
Acknowledgments     ix
Introduction     xi
Forts Henry and Donelson     1
The Confederacy Strikes Back     19
The Presidents Take a Hand     41
From Deadlock to Decision     55
From Tullahoma to Missionary Ridge     69
Winter Interlude, 1864     95
The Atlanta Campaign     103
To Durham Station     123
Notes     139
Bibliographical Essay     155
Index     159

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