Struggle for the Heartland: The Campaigns from Fort Henry to Corinth. By Stephen Engle. (Lincoln, Nebraska:  University of Nebraska Press, 2001). 

In Struggle for the Heartland: The Campaigns from Fort Henry to Corinth, author Stephen Engle examines the initial campaigns in the Western Theater of operations during the Civil War, beginning with advances on Fort Henry in early 1862 and ending with the capture of Corinth in May of 1862.  Engle demonstrates that the occupation of the Confederate heartland played an important role in Lincoln’s strategy to win the war.  The author elucidates the myriad challenges encountered by Union and Confederate forces fighting for control of the region.  Lincoln encountered significant challenges in occupying large areas of the Confederacy and in controlling the slaveholding population.  Confederate leaders faced the disastrous loss of control over transportation venues, such as the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers and the railroad installations at Nashville and Corinth.   Engle demonstrates that the Spring of 1862 witnessed a decisive shift in the balance of power in the region and influenced the coarse of the entire war.  The author argues that the impact of the western campaign influenced the war through the political and military demands inherent in occupying and administering a hostile populace. 

Engle begins his work with an overview of the geographic and strategic significance of the region under study.  Entitled, “Rivers, Valleys, and Armies,” the first chapter clarifies the geographic location indicated by the term “heartland” when writers refer to the region of Tennessee, north-central Alabama, north-central Georgia, and northeast Mississippi.  This region maintained economic links to the North, while retaining its distinctly Southern culture.  As a result, residents of the heartland often harbored divided loyalties based on economic and political interests.  Nevertheless, the populace maintained strong support for the Confederacy.     

Engle’s study of military operations in the heartland provides a comprehensive overview of Union and Confederate strategy, as well as revealing examinations of the personalities involved.  The author argues that Union objectives often bowed to political concerns.  In addition, the strained relationships and arrogance among Union officers resulted in delayed action and confused troop movements.  The contentious relationships between Halleck, Buell and Grant reflect the divergent goals and ambitions of the forceful personalities involved.  The focus of Union leaders on control of the Cumberland, Mississippi and Tennessee rivers often failed to produce the cohesiveness essential to coordinated military operations. 

The author’s examination of Confederate objectives during the subject period reveals that Davis initially failed to grasp the importance and precarious nature of the western region.  Assigning Johnston to the region between the Appalachians and the Mississippi, Davis failed to provide the general with adequate supplies or manpower.  In addition, Johnston faced continuous conflict between Confederate military officers, such as Beauregard and Bragg, who harbored contentious personalities and attitudes regarding their commands. 

The Union capture of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson enabled Union forces to control the region’s populace as it pushed further South.  With the capture of these two strategically located installations, Union forces controlled the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers and crippled Confederate logistical operations in the region and beyond. 

Engle’s study of the battle at Shiloh reveals the devastation perpetrated on both sides.  The author argues that Shiloh produced a sobering effect on soldiers and civilians on both sides of the conflict.  The tremendous loss of life under Grants command and the contribution of Buell’s forces to the victory receive extensive coverage by the author.  Engle maintains that Shiloh ended significant Confederate counteroffensives in the West.  For Union officers, the battle initiated expanded military and political operations.  After Shiloh, Union forces moved slowly to Corinth, where Confederate forces, initially amassed for battle at Corinth, retreated.  Buell’s forces captured Tennessee’s capital of Nashville.  Corinth soon fell under Union control.  With the capture of Corinth’s railway installation, the Confederacy lost control of the western theater.  

The author weaves political and social aspects involved with the management of the occupied territory.  The fall of Nashville to Buell’s forces initiated delicate political maneuvering aimed at restoring the region to the Union despite bitter resentment in slaveholding areas of the heartland.  The appointment of Andrew Johnson as governor of Tennessee signaled the beginning of Lincoln’s efforts to determine the willingness of Southern slaveholders to yield to Union government. 

The author concludes his work with comprehensive endnotes and a bibliographical essay based on primary and secondary sources.  Engle serves as professor of history at Florida Atlantic University.  The author’s works include The Life of Franz Sigel and Don Carlos Buell: Most Promising of All. 

Melanie Kirkland