Throughout the Civil War's expansive Western Theater, skirmishes and smaller battles erupted as the armies of the North and South marched and maneuvered for advantage. While major engagements like Shiloh, Stones River, and Vicksburg have been the subject of previous volumes in the Command Decisions in America's Civil War series, many smaller battles-whose critical decisions would significantly affect these larger engagements-have not been probed until now. In this volume from series editors Larry Peterson and Matt Spruill, the battles of Belmont, Mill Springs, Tupelo, Iuka, Corinth, Parker's and Brice's Crossroads, Port Hudson, and Sherman's March to the Sea are scrutinized in the now familiar "critical decisions" format.

Decisions of the Western Theater's Smaller Battles explores the critical decisions made by Confederate and Federal politicians and commanders that would shape the battles' final outcomes. Rather than offering a linear history of the campaign, Larry Peterson and Matt Spruill focus on decisions made by both sides of the contests to provide a clear blueprint of campaign development and conduct at its tactical core.

Complete with maps and driving tours, Decisions of the Western Theater's Smaller Battles is an indispensable primer to the campaign in the west, and readers looking for a concise introduction to the battles can tour sacred ground-or read about it at their leisure-with key insights into the campaign and a deeper understanding of the Civil War itself.

Decisions of the Western Theater's Smaller Battles is the twenty-fourth in a series of books that explores the critical decisions of major campaigns and battles of the Civil War.