Western theater

[MikeyB]

Did contemporaries view the Western theater as a "lesser" theater? Lee banished DH Hill there. Guys like Burnside and Howard ended up there (although Burnside did make it back).

Did people consider the AoP/ANV as "varsity" and everything else as JV?

 

[JeffBrooks]

The newspapers of the time reported much more extensively on events in the Eastern Theater than they did on the Western Theater.

 

[Dacluver]

Did contemporaries view the Western theater as a "lesser" theater? Lee banished DH Hill there. Guys like Burnside and Howard ended up there (although Burnside did make it back).

Did people consider the AoP/ANV as "varsity" and everything else as JV?

I would say we could correlate the sizes of armies to areas of greatest importance.

 

[Pollaco]

I don't think alot of the general's really cared unless they possessed a "big ego" like the one being discussed on another thread.At least they didn't have the press breathing down their necks (as much)

 

[Sheltowee]

Just some amateur thoughts-

As for Lee- Not real sure he had any sincere interest in anything beyond Virginia.

The capital was in Richmond.

After the fall of Henry/ Donelson and New Orleans, the western confederacy was on the ropes.

 

[Stryker65]

I don't think they viewed the Western Theatre as a lesser theatre, but that depends on what you view as the "Western Theatre." In my opinion, the Western Theatre (or Cis-Mississippi, to make it easier) is the area from Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky west to the Mississippi River. Now, if you're talking about the Far Western Theatre (the Trans-Mississippi), now I'd say yes, that's a "lesser" theatre. Whole bunch of generals got really exiled there. D. H. Hill rose to corps command in the Cis-Mississippi Theatre. Meanwhile, Thomas F. Drayton went from division command in South Carolina to command of cavalry fighting bandits in Texas. Just my opinion.
-Stryker

 

[TallTallMan]

The "West is More Important Than East" Theory is overblown. The idea that the war in Virginia/Maryland/Pennsylvania was little or not important is just from the head of Thomas Connelly, who was jealous of the attention Virginians inspire. And if Davis is wrong for focusing too much on the capital, than so is Lincoln who rarely focused on the West while fighting with AOTP generals, or by sending his best fighter East after Chattanooga.

In other words, the East was the most important just for looks, since the loss of Nashville cowered before Richmond's.

 

[Present Arms]

General Winfield Scott set the Federal strategy at the start with the Anaconda Plan which would isolate the Confederacy economically and prevent foreign materiel support. The industrially and demographically weaker south would eventually lose its power to resist. The Union western armies closed the Mississippi River and the navy blockaded the southern ports. This was the indirect approach to strategy articulated by Liddell-Hart. The Anaconda Plan needed time to succeed, so operations in Virginia were intended to deliver a quick end to the war, and were closer in space and personal impact to the more populous and politically powerful northeast Union states. Sherman continued the destruction of the southern economy and Grant was moved east to deliver the coup de grace and end the expensive war.

 

[jackt62]

The newspapers of the time reported much more extensively on events in the Eastern Theater than they did on the Western Theater.

Given that the epicenter of population was the northeastern seaboard (from Virginia to Massachusetts) and the still primitive means of news gathering and logistics, this is very understandable. Not to mention that the two major capitols of Washington and Richmond where located within that region and contained the bulk of each respective sides' political and chattering classes. Anything happening west of the Appalachian mountain chain was almost out of sight and out of mind.

 

[Borderruffian]

The ANV potentially threatened DC and AOP potentially threatened Richmond,so there is that, you just don't want your respective Capital taken.The focus of the press has already been mentioned.
On the CS side Saint Robert E. Lee then and now had and has a sort of Demi God status, so there is that.As far as being punished by being sent west Jeff Davis sent what he believed were his "problem children" to the Trans -Miss witness Thomas Hindman.

 

[Stryker65]

On the CS side Saint Robert E. Lee then and now had and has a sort of Demi God status, so there is that.As far as being punished by being sent west Jeff Davis sent what he believed were his "problem children" to the Trans -Miss witness Thomas Hindman.

Hindman actually was from Arkansas, and wasn't sent to the Trans-Mississippi by orders. While he did go back after Atlanta, it was by request, not by order. Sterling Price, on the other hand, was somebody Davis hated and sent to the Trans-Miss to get rid of.

 

[DixieRifles]

I would say we could correlate the sizes of armies to areas of greatest importance

Also there is a correlation of the size of the towns and number of newspapers to the amount of news coverage the received. Less newspapers in the West, less news coverage.