"Woodworth presents with precision and clarity a comprehensive overview of the war in the West. Penned with a unique level of intimacy and a highly focused perspective based on years of tenacious, painstaking, and thorough research and analysis, the book weaves a captivating narrative and is a delightfully good read."-- Journal of American History "Woodworth does his usual excellent job of examining the conflicts among commanders and the politics of war that infiltrated the western theater much more so than the eastern. [ Decision in the Heartland ] would be an excellent addition to syllabi in higher education classrooms, especially those in the East."--Michael B. Ballard, Journal of Southern History "The Army of the Potomac, Steven Woodworth claims, 'faced futility,' but Union armies in the West were able to take advantage of more fruitful opportunities. 'The decision would come in the heartland.' This enjoyable, brief work pursues this theme stylishly, and presents accessible accounts of the western campaigns.

"--Brian Holden Reid, War in History "Civil War historiography has been dominated by Eastern theater historians, generals and battles ever since the war ended. Fortunately, there has been a rethinking of such one sided bias in the past few decades. There is no more important historian in this revisionist movement than Steven E. Woodworth. Woodworth should be thanked for focusing on such an important topic."--Timothy B. Smith, Civil War Times "Woodworth's account is accessible and fast-paced, and the maps and period photographs are both useful and interesting."-- Reference & Research Book News "Steven Woodworth has written an excellent, succinct, and well-reasoned analysis of the Civil War in the western theater and its decisive importance to overall Union victory.

"--Timothy Story, Army History.