Traditional histories of the American Civil War tend to
state that the Union success that cemented the re-election of Abraham Lincoln
was the capture of Atlanta at the beginning of September, 1864. However, if one
is to believe Dr. Gary Gallagher’s thesis that citizens of both the Union and
Confederacy always had their eyes glued on what was happening in the eastern
theater and gave it more importance than what was happening in the western
theater, what impact – if any – would the Union successes gained during the
Battle of Chaffin’s Farm (including New Market Heights), fought September
29-30, 1864, have had on Northern morale and the re-election possibilities for
the President?
Discuss.
