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.
