GEOLOGIC INFLUENCES ON THE CAMPAIGNS OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

The Eastern and Western Theaters of the American Civil War represented essentially two distinctive wars in terms of their scales of maneuver, decisiveness, and strategic focus. These differences were related directly to the geologic structure of each theater of operations. There has been a long-standing link between the structure of the terrain and the flow and tempo of military operations. It is sometimes difficult to predict the myriad of environmental factors that may influence a battle, campaign, or war; however, there is an immutable connection between the geologic template and military operations. It is clear that geology has a continuous, powerful, and profound effect on the nature and flow of combat. This paper examines the nexus between the geologic structure of each Theater of the American Civil War and its influence on the scope of military operations. The results of this analysis indicate that campaigns in the Eastern Theater were confined to shorter distances, focused on terrain objectives and achieved limited results because maneuver was shaped by the structure of a highly compartmentalized coastal plain and piedmont. In contrast, campaigns in the west covered vast distances by comparison, were more decisive, and focused on rivers and communications hubs because of its unique geologic structure.