Civil War - War in the West

Mississippi River Campaign

Fort Henry and Donelson
Date: February 1862
Commanders:
- Union: Ulysses S. Grant (U.S. Grant)
- Confederate: n/a
Winning Side: Union
Strategy: The Union needed to take control of the Mississippi river if it was to fully apply the Anaconda plan* to win the war. To do this, a number of Confederate strongholds that lay on the river must be removed. U.S. Grant could not attack the main Confederate fort of Columbus, Kentucky, since it was too powerful. Instead he was ordered to take his troops and capture two other forts behind Columbus in northern Tennessee: Fort Henry and Fort Donelson.
Fort Henry fell quickly and Fort Donelson required harder fighting in the winter frost. Needless to say, Grant captured both forts.
Consequences: After the fall of both Fort Henry and Fort Donelson (both in Northern Tennessee), the Confederates abandoned the heavily fortified stronghold of Columbus and fell back. This opened up all of Tennessee to Union forces.

*"The Anaconda plan proposed a blockade of Souther ports to compound the Cofnederacy's supply problem. The plan also included the capture of the Mississippi River to split the Confederacy and hamper its ability to move men and supplies from east to west."

Shiloh
Date: April 1862
Commanders:
- Union: U.S. Grant
- Confederate: General Albert Sidney Johnston
Winning Side: Union
Strategy: After the victories at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, Grant moved his forces south thinking that the Confederates were retreating. In reality, the Confederate general Johnston was preparing for an attack. Both armies met at an abandoned church called "Shiloh" where a fierce battle broke out. During the night, Northern reinforcements arrived and at dawn Grant drove the enemy back. General Johnston was mortally wounded in the battle, and each side lost over 10,000 men.
Consequences: "Some angry politicians and newspapers called for Grant's dismissal after the costly victory, but Lincoln refused, saying, "I can't spare this man. He fights." "

Island No. 10 and New Orleans
Date: April 1862
Commanders:
- Union: General John Pope, David G. Farragut
- Confederate: n/a
Winning Side: Union
Strategy: Island No. 10, another fortification on the Mississippi river, fell to the Union general John Pope the day after the battle of Shiloh. Meanwhile, a Union fleet under the command of David G. Farragut went up the Mississippi river from the Gulf of Mexico and captured New Orleans.
Consequences: The only other obstacle preventing total Union control of the Mississippi river was now Vicksburg.

Vicksburg
Date: July 1863
Commanders:
- Union: U.S. Grant
- Confederate: n/a
Winning Side: Union
Strategy: The capture of Vicksburg was not an easy one for General Grant. The city lay atop high bluffs and was surrounded by swampy lands. Grant tried numerous different strategies to float his gunboats close enough to the city until one finally worked. One night he floated his fleet of gunboats past the bluffs under the cover of the night. Once the troops were in position, they lay siege to the city which was too heavily fortified to assault. Finally, after July 4, 1863, the same day Lee began his retreat from Gettysburg--Vicksburg surrendered.
Consequences: Now the entire Mississippi river was under Union control.


Kentucky-Tennessee Campaign

Kentucky - Battle of Mill Springs
Date: January 1862
Commanders:
- Union: General George Thomas
- Confederate: Felix Zollicoffer, General George Crittenden
Winning Side: Union
Strategy: Confederate forces held the state of Kentucky in two main places. The first was the general west, and the second was the Cumberland Gap in the east. "In January 1862 the Confederate commander at Cumberland Gap foolishly pushed north across the Cumberland River." Union General George Thomas met the confederate army with his own force at the Battle of Mill Springs. Thomas defeated the Confederate forces there.
Consequences: Combined with the victory at Forts Henry and Donelosn, this victory gave the entire state of Kentucky to Union forces.

Perryville
Date: October 1862
Commanders:
- Union: Don Carlos Buell
- Confederate: Braxton Bragg
Winning Side: Confederate
Strategy: Confederate General Bragg came up with a plan to invade Kentucky hoping to acheive 3 things: To raise new troops from pro-Confederate citizens in the area, to bring the state of Kentucky into the Confederacy, and to delay the Mississippi river campaign of the Union.
The plan did not work as well as Bragg liked, and Union forces under General Buell met Bragg's forces at the Battle of Perryville. Bragg realized that Buell's force greatly outnumbered the confederate troops, so Bragg ordered a retreat.
Consequences: No other Confederate attempts were made to regain Kentucky.

Stones River
Date: December 1862-January 1863
Commanders:
- Union: General William Rosecrans (replacing General Buell)
- Confederate: General Bragg
Winning Side: Union
Strategy: General Rosecrans moved down his forces to prepare to attack Bragg's forces at Murfreesboro. The two armies met on the cold December night at Stones River. The night before the battle, each side actually sang songs to each other. The next two days contained bloody fighting, where Bragg succeeded in pushing back the Federals. But the arrival of more Union reinforcements forced Bragg to retreat.
Consequences: Rosecrans needed several months to rebuild his forces before attacking again.

Chickamauga
Date: September 1863
Commanders:
- Union: General Rosecrans
- Confederate: General Bragg
Winning Side: Confederates
Strategy: General Rosecrans moved his forces deeper south into Northern Georgia to prepare for a final attack against General Bragg. However, Bragg's forces contained an extra 12,000 veteran troops from Virginia. "Bragg took his stand near the banks of a creek named Chickamauga, Cherokee for 'river of death.'" In a two day battle, the Union forces were crushed and General Rosecrans retreated in a devastating loss.
Consequences: General Bragg trapped the retreating Union army in Chattanooga and attempted to starve them to death.

Chattanooga
Date: November 1863
Commanders:
- Union: General George Thomas (replacing Rosecrans), Ulysses S. Grant
- Confederate: General Bragg
Winning Side: Union
Strategy: U.S. Grant left the Mississippi region and broke the siege on Chattanooga, giving supplies to the starving army in the city. Then, Grant got in position to attack the Confederates who were south of the city on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge.
Lookout Mountain fell quickly, but the Confederates seemed securely in position on top of Missionary Ridge. After a series of Union flanks failed, Grant ordered his troops "to create a diversion by capturing enemy rifle pits at the base of Missionary Ridge." Going further from there, against superior orders, the troops began to charge up the ridge toward the Confederate positions. The risky move paid off and the ridge was soon in command of the Northern forces.
Consequences: Southern General Bragg resigned and was replaced by Joseph Johnston. U.S. Grant was promoted to command of all Union forces.
"The tide in the West was definitely flowing in the Union's favor."