1861 -US Civil War -Western Theater & Trans Mississippi (generals, Mexico, Washington)

[southbound_295]

The Eastern Theater has been pretty-well beaten to death.

There were less well-known things going on in the west. Some people went on to become well-known, others fell from grace.

There's a fertile field for discussion.

For instance: The 32nd Indiana's battle on the Green River, in Kentucky, with Terry's Texas Rangers. Fremont's regiment of western sharpshooters, The governors, the officers.....

[Dd714]

The western theater is facsinating because of the variety, and most of the colorful Union generals came from this theater (Grant, Sherman, etc).

One of the most complex campaigns of the war occured here - Vicksburg. A few of the bloodiest battles of the war occured here - Shiloh, Stones River, and Chickamunga (well, that was in Georgia, but still with "western" theater forces).

It was also varied - traditional battles, combined gunboat/land seiges, guerella tactics in Tennessee and Kentucky, almost terrorist tactics in Missourri and Kansas. Over all sorts of terrain - mountains, desert...The New Mexico campaign was a fascinating read.

[southbound_295]

There was Bragg's relationship with Buehl, which their men all knew.

In 1861, the "west" was just gearing up. Most of the western states didn't have the militia histories of the eastern states & sent off their men with a whole different concept of "uniforms".

Washington & Richmond focused on the eastern theater.