The Western Theater originally represented the area east of the Mississippi River and west of the Appalachian Mountains both geographically and by campaign sequence. But it expanded in 1864 when Union armies, led by generals U.S. Grant and W. T. Sherman, moved into Georgia and the Carolina's. When it comes to the history of the Civil War, the events of the Western Theater, primarily in Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia, are sadly overlooked. Although some battles and campaigns are mentioned, the attention given to this part of the war, and to the men that fought it, pales in
comparison to what has been covered of the eastern events. By some accounts, these campaigns were the most important of the Civil War, where a number of decisive battles were fought. In some cases, many were more important than the events of the east.
Georgena Duncan, a retired History Professor, will look at the development of the Western Theater. It is here that the Union actually began to win the war with the drive down the Mississippi River, taking Vicksburg and New Orleans.