TY - BOOK ID - 4863990 TI - Arming the Confederacy : How Virginia’s Minerals Forged the Rebel War Machine PY - 2015 SN - 9783319145082 331914507X 9783319145075 3319145088 PB - Cham : Springer International Publishing : Imprint: Springer, DB - UniCat KW - Popular Science. KW - Popular Earth Science. KW - Mineral Resources. KW - Historical Geology. KW - History. KW - Regional and Cultural Studies. KW - Interdisciplinary Studies. KW - Science (General). KW - Geology. KW - Mines and mineral resources. KW - Humanities. KW - Regional planning. KW - Géologie KW - Mines et ressources minières KW - Histoire KW - Sciences humaines KW - Aménagement du territoire KW - Mines and mineral resources -- Virginia -- History -- 19th century. KW - Virginia -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865. KW - Mines and mineral resources KW - History KW - Virginia KW - Deposits, Mineral KW - Mineral deposits KW - Mineral resources KW - Mines and mining KW - Mining KW - Popular works. KW - Culture KW - Historical geology. KW - Mineral resources. KW - Earth. KW - History, general. KW - Study and teaching. KW - Natural resources KW - Geology, Economic KW - Minerals KW - Culture-Study and teaching. KW - Annals KW - Auxiliary sciences of history KW - Geognosy KW - Geoscience KW - Earth sciences KW - Natural history KW - Culture—Study and teaching. KW - Geology UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:4863990 AB - This is a fresh look at the American Civil War from the standpoint of the natural resources necessary to keep the armies in the field. This story of the links between minerals, topography, and the war in western Virginia now comes to light in a way that enhances our understanding of America’s greatest trial. Five mineral products – niter, lead, salt, iron, and coal – were absolutely essential to wage war in the 1860s. For the armies of the South, those resources were concentrated in the remote Appalachian highlands of southwestern Virginia. From the beginning of the war, the Union knew that the key to victory was the destruction or occupation of the mines, furnaces, and forges located there, as well as the railroad that moved the resources to where they were desperately needed. To achieve this, Federal forces repeatedly advanced into the treacherous mountainous terrain to fight some of the most savage battles of the War. ER -