Virginia was the battle ground for Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. He had few Union opponents that could match his leadership and power over Union generals sent to defeat him. In the Western Theater, the Union forces used their strength in numbers and their control of the waterways and railroads to create havoc for the Confederate defenders.
The Union had five separate war departments in the Western Theater of military operations.
During the American Civil War, the majority of Americans living in the north-and-western portions of Virginia were opposed to slavery. As a result, when Virginia seceded from the Union in April of 1861, they acted to secede from Virginia itself and ally themselves with the North. Their successful actions resulted in the creation of a new American state, West Virginia.
The secession of the Western Counties of Virginia from the Confederate State of Virginia.
In the Western Theater of the US Civil War, both sides had victories and defeats. For the South, their largest victory was at Chickamauga. At the time, it prevented an incursion into Georgia by Union General Rosencrans.
Most of Virginia joined the Confederacy, but the northwestern part of Virginia separated from Virginia and remained with the Union, and thereafter became the state of West Virginia. Part of the reason for this was the successful campaigning directed by Union General George B. McClellan. Curiously Robert E. Lee was involved with trying to keep that western part of Virginia in the Confederacy.
By concentrating its forces in the Western Theater, the Union military high command followed a basic military formula when on the offensive. By concentrating on the enemy's major weakness, namely the West. Victories could be won there. On the other hand, they avoided the difficult task of the Eastern Theater, namely Virginia. The idea of capturing Virginia's Richmond was in 1863, seemingly unobtainable.
The Union had five separate war departments in the Western Theater of military operations.
During the American Civil War, the majority of Americans living in the north-and-western portions of Virginia were opposed to slavery. As a result, when Virginia seceded from the Union in April of 1861, they acted to secede from Virginia itself and ally themselves with the North. Their successful actions resulted in the creation of a new American state, West Virginia.
West Virginia was admitted to the Union on June 20 of 1863.
The secession of the Western Counties of Virginia from the Confederate State of Virginia.
Western Union
Virginia now became west Virginia and Virginia
They did not want to have slavery in the western parts of Virginia, so these western counties broke off to form another state so they could let Virginia join the confederacy and they join the Union
The military organizational problem of the Union in the Western theater was too complex, with too many "departments. General US Grant pointed this out early in the war.
cilvl war2
Straight from the book : In western Virginia a movement to secede from the state and rejoin the Union grew. In 1861, 48 Virginia counties organized themselves as a separate state called West Virginia.
The state of Virginia split over the issue of secession. The Virginians who lived in the western part of the state were unanimously against splitting from the union, while the rest of the state wanted secession. So strong was this belief, that the western portion of the state seceded from Virginia, and the state of West Virginia was formed.