"Most Important Theater: The East!" Topic

You were asked – TMP link

ACW: The East Was the Most Important Theater?

54% said "yes, I agree"
30% said "no, I disagree"

Can you break the percentages down by respondents state of origin? 😉

Hadn't thought of that, 35th.

35thOVI…it's people like you wot cause unrest….LOL!!

Yes, I am bit of a rabble rouser. 😉

The West was certainly very important, but I can't help but notice that even after the North had captured almost every important point in the West, the war went on. But as soon as Richmond fell, things came to a pretty quick conclusion. Yes, there were a lot of other factors involved, but still…

My top three are #1 the northern home front, #2 the naval blockade and #3 the European diplomatic front.

On land I would agree it is the Virginia theatre. The U.S. can win the war if Farragut fails to capture New Orleans or Breckinridge or Taylor recaptures it. The U.S. can win the war if the Confederates manage to hold Vicksburg. If A.S. Johnston is holding Nashville and Memphis at the end of 1862 but the Confederates in the east have been driven out of Virginia and are now using Charlotte NC as their base of operations, the Confederacy is in a much weaker position that they were in the original timeline. The defeat at Chickamauga was survivable for the U.S. in part because it happened in north Georgia rather than in central Virginia.

I use to think the West was the most important but in the last couple of years, I have changed my mind. The East is more important for these reasons:

1. The two principal armies were engaged.

2. The national capitols were nearby.

3. The East was closer to Europe.

4. The principle newspapers were in the East.

5. Most of the industry and commerce for both sides is in the East.

6. In the Western Theater, New Orleans, Fort Donaldson Memphis, Nashville, Atlanta, Corinth, and Vicksburg all fell to the Union and yet the Confederacy fought on as long as Lee was in the field.

7. Lincoln commented that the Union could conquer thousands of miles of territory, and major cities and yet a small defeat in the East can have so much more impact on domestic, and foreign opinion and perception.

8. The South could lose everything west of the Mississippi River and yet as long as Lee was in the field there was hope for victory. Diaries, Journals, and newspapers both east and west bore this out. Even in the West with defeat after defeat the common refrain is that as long as Lee is in the field there is a chance for victory.

9. When Lee surrendered it ended the war. The Confederacy still had thousands of soldiers spread throughout the Confederacy and once Lee had surrendered, they all went back to their homes, the war was over. Even though there was some minor fighting at Bentonville and other places, they too surrender because Lee and his ANV surrendered.

10. The Southern public looked upon Lee as a latter-day George Washington. As long as the main Continental Army, with Washington in command existed and despite losses on other fronts, there was a chance for ultimate victory. Thus, it was with Lee and the ANV.

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The war was lost in the west. Once the confederate armies in the west were destroyed, Richmond was nothing more than a footnote. After Vicksburg and then Sherman's march to the sea, the confederacy was lost.

Gettysburg and Vicksburg were the death knell of the Confederacy.

Lee abandoned Richmond because Sherman was closing in from the south.

"The war was lost in the west."

Then why did the war continue? It continued because Lee had not given up. The CS would fight until the population would not support the war. As long as Lee and the ANV were fighting, there was hope despite the losses in the West. There is ample evidence to support this.

Every major western city and the Mississippi river fell to the Union and yet the war went on. After September 2, 1864 (the fall of Atlanta) the West was lost and yet the war went on. If the West was more important, then losing the West in 1864 would have ended the war.

The war did not end until Lee surrendered. The South still had thousands of soldiers across the South but when Lee surrendered it was over.

"Lee abandoned Richmond because Sherman was closing in from the south."

Grant broke Lee's lines around Petersburg and cut the railroad line. That is why he abandoned Richmond. Lee intended to move South to join Johnston and the Army of Tennessee.

Both fronts were equally important. You can argue either way, but you can make valid arguments for both.

Lee surrendered on April 9th
Johnston on April 26th
Others surrendered in May, even one small battle took place in Texas afterwards.

"The last Confederate surrender occurred on November 6, 1865, when the Shenandoah arrived in Liverpool."

Subject: Why the Civil War Actually Ended 16 Months After Lee Surrendered | HISTORY


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"Lee abandoned Richmond because Sherman was closing in from the south."

Grant broke Lee's lines around Petersburg and cut the railroad line. That is why he abandoned Richmond.

OK, you got me there. (But Sherman would have gotten him if Grant hadn't.)

The war could have been lost by either side in the East in a single day, but wasn't. Winning via the West took 4 years, but it worked, or was working, when Lee was forced to let go of Richmond and then run down by Grant.

The east was somewhat more important because of the capitals and their proximity. But it gets too much of the attention.

The western campaigns and battles are often more interesting to me.