How the period ended
The promise of summer
By the summer of 1863, the war in the
Western Theater had produced significant
changes. Thousands of soldiers had fought
several major battles in the Upper South
states, which ultimately kept Missouri and
Kentucky in the Union. The North could
boast of a series of military successes,
including the fall of Forts Henry and
Donelson, the victories at Shiloh. Perryville.
Iuka. and Stone's Riser, and the capture and
occupation of Nashville. Corinth, Memphis,
New Orleans, Port Hudson, and Vicksburg.
The cumulative effect of these victories
brought tremendous economic hardships to
many Confederates and transformed the
character of the war.
The Confederate war effort in the west
was trapped in a tumultuous cycle that only
got worse as the war continued. To be
successful against the Union armies in the
west, the Confederate government had to
resort to coercive measures that centralized
its authority over the states. These measures.
however, became counterproductive and
increased discontent among Southerners,
which eroded the morale and strength of the
very armies that the controls were designed
to benefit. Some soldiers began to feel that
the danger in the rear was worse than the
danger in the front. Southern soldiers.
particularly those in the Army of the
Tennessee such as John Magee, were weary of
the war. 'This news [Vickshurg] causes a
depression of spirits in the whole army,'
wrote Magee in July.
The campaigns in the Western Theater in
the first two years of the conflict proved
invaluable for both armies. With tremendous
military experience that few officers on
either side could boast of. Albert Sidney
Johnston emerged early as the savior of the
west, a hero of the republic of Texas, the
United States, and the Confederacy, Jefferson
Davis referred to him as the 'great pillar of
the Confederacy.' In many respects he had
been a military idol, and his death at Shiloh
left a significant send in the Confederate
high command. Braxton Bragg said at the
time that 'No one cause probably
contributed so greatly to our loss of time,
which was the loss of success, as the fall of
the commanding general.' Whether the
outcome of the battle would have been
different had Johnston lived, his death was a
turning point in the war in the west. 'Death
on the battlefield, after taking Grant by
surprise made him a martyred genius in
Southern eyes.' argued one scholar; it
placed a halo around his head,'
complained Beauregard.
Thanks to an effective use of combined
military operations, the Union held a
distinct advantage in the Western Theater,
and the experience of war produced an
invaluable lesson for conducting the war.
Not only had the Union combined army and
naval operations successfully, but also it
learned that conducting half-hearted
campaigns designed to achieve a harmonious
peace was losing them the war. At a time
when policy makers were beginning to see
the advantages of expanding the war.
Lincoln and the North found in Grant the
military hero they had been seeking to wage
a more vigorous war. Though an 'awesomely
common man,' as some characterized him,
after Vickshurg the commander's star
rose rapidly.
Grant also found in William T. Sherman a
commander in whom he placed much
confidence in carrying out the same kind of
war. The two commanders had proven that
they could learn from the experience of war,
and they supported the total commitment to
bringing defeat to the Confederacy. Both
were now willing to have their men make