The Civil War and Appalachia

Eric Lane English 1020 Tim Parker 11/9/12 The civilian War and Appalachian geography Did Appalachian geography need an effect on the civil war? Every major war in history has two things in common a winner and a loser. There argon many factors of war that decide the winner and the loser, some going un noniced. The geography of a war has an impacting affect on the war and is some convictions overlooked, often track to one sides downfall (Falls 5). Appalachia has a fluctuating geography, for it ranges from eroded down, plain-like sectors, to mountains beas of up to almost 7000 feet (The Appalachians).The Civil War had many battles located in Appalachia, an area stretching from s come forthhern parts of New York, all the mien down to northern Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi(The Appalachians). Appalachian geography was home to many battlefields of the Civil War, but could this geography actually have had an overall impact? Throughout history, many substantial wars have been disp uted on various types of terrain around the world. Halvard Bugaug and Scott Gates support this and have made a claim in the article, The Geography of Civil War, that geographical factors play a critical role in determining how a war is fought and who leave prevail.The two most important factors they bounce are terrain and clime. In the article, Bugaug and Gates both reference the book History of Warfare, written by John Keegan, to give examples of how these factors effect wars. Keegan gives many samples of previous generals who have ignored these factors and strain to their catastrophic downfall. One commonly k directlyn example given is the French army lead by Napoleon. Napoleon lead his fearfully large army into Russia, not taking into account Russias fiercely cold suffer.Although they fought, and win, battles located in Russia, the cold weather began to take its toll on Napoleons army, causing them to be greatly weakened. This weakened state of his army, in turn, lead to th e French being defeated and losing the war(Bugaug 418). However, the geography does not always have a negative effect. Keegan also gives samples of gifted generals who took these factors into account, allowing them to use these factors to their advantage(Bugaug 419). Cyril Falls, professor of Military History at the University of Oxford, acknowledges this as well in her journal Geography and War Strategy.The journal discusses how world geography should be a subject of study for a commander and how this geography should shape their war strategies. Mapping out and understanding the terrain of a battleground before the battle begins is crucial to achieve military success(Falls 5). A general understanding of the battleground gives opportunities to change and adjust military strategies and tactics, which could give an army the edge needed to be victorious (Falls 6). Falls then adds that using the available natural resources located in the geography of an area has its benefits as well.Th ese resources can be distributed accordingly, supplying the army and possibly allowing them to stretch their campaign(Falls 9). Alex J. La Rocque, writer of the journal The Role of Geography in Military be after has a similar view orchestrate. La Rocque acknowledges that the existence of this relationship between geography and military science is not new. He says that environmental factors, such as relief, climate and weather, vegetation, drainage characteristics, and cultural features can cause military tactic and strategic problems.These elements of the environment have played important roles in all wars from those in which the quarry hammer was the principal weapon down to the present time(La Rocque 70). La Rocque states that the essential difference between the essential of geography in tactical planning and strategic planning is similar to the same difference that exists between lay outping areal categories on large-scale maps and mapping areal categories on small scale map s. The mappers requirement in presenting information on maps at different scales is determined by his objective.Appalachia has many different geographical conditions that make it eligible to have an effect on the civil war. The appalachian area has many mountain ranges and plain-like areas. The entire system is almost 2000 miles long and 300 miles wide and ranges from northern Mississippi all the way to southern New York(The Appalachians). These mountains are known as a barrier running east to west as it forms a series of alternating ridglines and valleys point in opposition to any road running east-west.The Appalachian Plateau is the westernmost part of appalachia and is bounded by a steep slope on the east called the Allegheny Front(Appalachia and the Ozarks). This front is the most significant barrier to western movement in the country of the Rocky Mountains(Appalachia and the Ozarks). The topography of this region has been created largely through steam eroding of the horizonta l beds of the interior lowland. The following map will show the appalachian region. Many encounters of the civil war were located in this region, as shown in the map Civil War passage of armsfield map following.Comparison of the two maps shows that many battles were located in appalachia and its geography, giving it potential to have an effect on the war. Wilma A. Dunaway, in his archive, thralldom and Emancipation in the Mountain South Sources, Evidence and Methods, provides examples of how the Union(the North) and the Confederates(the South) strategically used the Appalachian area. Dunaway states that the mountainous areas of West Virginia allowed for guerrilla warfare attacks. Both armies grew fatigued from change of location up and down the mountains, leaving them open for attack(Dunaway).In addition, both armies leveled various sites within the region as strategic occupancy points because they were located on major rivers, were sandbag junctures, or were the sites of impo rtant resources such as the national rifle works, saltworks, mineral springs, or mines(Dunaway). Farms and livestock were also destroyed and/or pillaged to also be somewhat beneficial to the armies(Appalachia). One specific battle located in Appalachia is the Battle of Gettysburg. The battle was located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and lasted for a total of 3 days.After the first day the Confederate army was outnumbering the Union and looked as if a victory was inevitable. The Union, after a surprising loss on the first day, was devastated that they had baffled nearly half of their troops and retreated up to Cemetery Hill and Gulps Hill. There they prepared as much as possible with the little time they had for an oncoming Confederate attack. Barricades and various other fortifications were built on the higher grounds, giving Union troops the advantage that was pivotal in the battle.The Confederate soldiers now had to fight the rest of the gruesome battle now traveling uphill. The vi deo from the History Channel, The Battle of Gettysburg, showed images of many soldiers struggling to fight the battle at this disadvantage. They had ail seeing distances up the hills and were even known to have had friendly fire on themselves thinking that it was the enemy. After the second day of battle the union was ease shorthanded and outnumbered, although they fought off the confederate push.The Confederate General, Robert E. Lee, made the decision to lead a large force to attack the Union line. Union artillery, who had an extreme range advantage, had what was called target practice on the confederate troops, greatly weakening the force. By the time they were in range of the Union line, Confederate troops had been torn apart to the point that retreat was the only option, giving the Union the victory of the Battle of Gettysburg. The battle was the bloodiest ever fought on american soil.The Battle of Gettysburg rallied the North and is what turned the tide of the Civil War. The y had the confidence that they could defeat the fearful general Robert E. Lee. The geography of appalachia provided the North with the edge that they needed to take the battle which, in turn, shaped the outcome of the Civil War. Wars are an important part of history that have shaped the way we live today. War has many factors that decide the winner and the loser, and geography is one that should not be forgotten.Geography has caused aided many armies to victory, and taken many armies to defeat. Appalachian geography varies much over its large spam and proved to be a major factor. The Battle of Gettysburg was a pivotal battle that the North won, due to the large hills that they used to their advantage. Should that geographical advantage be taken away, odds are that the South, outnumbering the North, would have won that battle and changed history. This leads to the question, did Appalachian geography have an affect on the Civil War?