Three Essays On The 1862 Union Victories In The West That Broke The Confederacy

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If you are a premium subscriber to Osborne Ink, there is a big discount button below the paywall at the bottom of this post. Here are links to three paywalled essays at my military history website, Polemology Positions. My research included in-person battlefield interpretations.

The American Civil War dragged on for five years. But the dagger-thrust which bled the Confederacy to death was struck just one year into the war. While the famous General Lee was covering himself in glory for a losing cause, the Union had already split the South in two by conquering the Mississippi Valley. One day I intend to write a book about this campaign.

Where The Dunbar Went Down When The US Navy Conquered The Lower Tennessee

The sinking of the Dunbar was just one small incident in a very big war. But it left the Tennessee River under Union control all the way through Tennessee, from north to south, splitting the state, which the Federals proceeded to conquer.

Losing The Confederate Cause: An Interpretation Of Shiloh Battlefield

The Battle of Shiloh killed more Americans than all of America’s wars put together up to that point. It remains a keystone of the southern imagination that history turned on this battle. There is reason to agree, and the battlefield itself explains why the Union won the battle. Confederate forces were simply unable to fight for more than one day.

And then there is the ensuing siege of Corinth, which fell to Union forces after a tense standoff. Again, the terrain itself was a decisive defeat factor for the Confederate army. The loss of the railroad crossroads at Corinth crippled southern logistics in the west.

Corinth: The Mississippi Crossroads Where The Confederate Cause Was Lost

If you are a free subscriber to Osborne Ink, here is a discount on annual premium subscriptions to Polemology Positions.