Synopses & Reviews
The Western theater of the Civil War, rich in agricultural resources and manpower and home to a large number of slaves, stretched 600 miles north to south and 450 miles east to west from the Appalachians to the Mississippi. If the South lost the West, there would be little hope of preserving the Confederacy. Earl J. Hess's comprehensive study of how Federal forces conquered and held the West examines the geographical difficulties of conducting campaigns in a vast land, as well as the toll irregular warfare took on soldiers and civilians alike. Hess balances a thorough knowledge of the battle lines with a deep understanding of what was happening within the occupied territories.
Review
"An excellent overview of the Civil War in the western theater. Covering all significant campaigns and incorporating subjects either ignored or only lightly touched on in other operational histories, this is a book of unusual breadth and depth."--William Shea, University of Arkansas at Monticello
Review
"This excellent and suitably broad summary work should serve as a valuable introduction to the western war for a wide reading audience. With
The Civil War in the West, it's safe to say we have in our hands the subject's new standard single volume history."
-Civil War Books and Authors blog
Review
"Everyone interested in learning about the war beyond the Appalachians should start with Hess's work. It is an outstanding overview of the Civil War in the West."
-The Charleston Post and Courier
Review
"Earl Hess has produced another fine study, this one long needed and much anticipated."
-Civil War Book Review
Review
"A well-researched and intelligent narrative that is essential to understanding America's bloodiest conflict."
-The Annals of Iowa
Review
"The deepest overall account of the war in the West to date. . . . [and] a major advance in our knowledge of the Civil War in the western theater."
-Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
Review
"This book will define the study of the Civil War's western theater for the foreseeable future and is highly recommended."
-The Historian
Review
"Asserts a primacy to the war's western theater, establishes operations as a vital aspect of warfare, and defines mastery of logistics as a critical component of Union victory."
-West Virginia History
Review
"A notable book that stands out in the crowded field of Civil War scholarship. Scholars and general readers alike will find it useful and accessible. Hess is to be commended especially for his ability to weave together the military narrative and the administrative difficulties faced by Federal commanders in occupied territory."
-Journal of Southern History
Review
"Concisely and judiciously examines the military campaigns and battles and weaves them into a seamless narrative accessible to both novice and expert. . . . A thought-provoking, well-argued, engagingly written, and thoroughly enjoyable narrative, Hess's
The Civil War in the West is by far one of the best general accounts of the war."
-Indiana Magazine of History
Review
"Hess has provided Civil War scholars and lay readers with an excellent volume that promises to be the seminal work on the subject for years to come."
-North Carolina Historical Review
About the Author
Earl J. Hess is Stewart W. McClelland Chair in history at Lincoln Memorial University and has written many books on Civil War history, including In the Trenches at Petersburg: Field Fortifications and Confederate Defeat.