Browse all content in the Civil War Western Theater Region.
Ambrose Everett Burnside
May 23, 1824–September 13, 1881 Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American politician, industrialist, inventor, and one of four generals to command the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. He also served as commander of the Department of the Ohio, where he worked to eradicate opposition to the Union war effort by Peace…
Anaconda Plan
1861 The Anaconda Plan is a term that describes General Winfield Scott's recommendation to slowly strangle the southern rebellion by blockading southern seaports and seizing control of the Mississippi River. On March 7, 1855, Congress passed a joint resolution temporarily reviving the rank of lieutenant general to be "filled by brevet, and brevet only." The…
Anson George McCook
October 10, 1835– December 30, 1917 A member of the famed "Fighting McCooks," Brevet Brigadier General Anson McCook participated in the Battle of Bull Run I, took part in many of the major battles and campaigns in the western theater, and served with Major General Philip Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864 during…
Army of Georgia
March 28, 1865 – August 1, 1865 The Army of Georgia, consisting of the 14th and 20th Army Corps, served as the left wing of Major General William T. Sherman's army group throughout the Savannah Campaign and the Carolinas Campaign. The history of the Army of Georgia dates to Major General William T. Sherman's preparations…
Army of Kentucky (CSA)
August 26 – November 20, 1862 Organized by Major General Kirby Smith from soldiers of the Department of East Tennessee, the short-lived Confederate Army of Kentucky participated in the Confederate Heartland Campaign of 1862. On February 25, 1862, the Confederate War Department issued Special Orders, Number 45 placing Major General Kirby Smith in charge of…
Army of Kentucky (USA)
1862–1863 Formed on October 7, 1862, the Army of Kentucky served for eight months in the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, before being disbanded on June 8, 1863. On October 7, 1862, Major General Horatio Wright, commanding the Department of the Ohio, issued Special Order No. 51, assigning Major General Gordon Granger to command the…
Army of Tennessee
November 20, 1862–April 26, 1865 The Army of Tennessee was the Confederacy's primary fighting force in the Western Theater of the American Civil War between 1862 and 1865. Although not officially designated the Army of Tennessee until 1862, the roots of the Confederacy's primary fighting force in the West trace back to 1861. Prior to…
Army of the Cumberland
October 24, 1862–August 1, 1865 During the American Civil War, the Army of the Cumberland participated in nearly all of the major campaigns in the Western Theater. On April 15, 1861, one day after the surrender of Fort Sumter propelled the nation into civil war, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for seventy-five thousand…
Army of the Frontier
October 12, 1862 – October 19, 1863 Formed from forces in the field from Missouri and Kansas the short-lived Army of the Frontier fought to maintain Union control of Missouri during 1862 and 1863. When the American Civil War began, sympathies in the border state of Missouri were greatly divided. Although many Missourians favored remaining…
Army of the Gulf
1862–1865 An amalgamation of troops assigned to the Department of the Gulf from 1862 through 1865, the Army of the Gulf served as an occupation force in New Orleans (1862-1863) and as the main Union command during the Red River Campaign during the American Civil War. On February 23, 1862, the United States War Department…