Cutting the Confederacy into disconnected regions

The western theatre offered a way to divide the Confederacy into regions that could no longer reinforce or support each other. With no pair of capitals facing each other, western commanders had more room to manoeuvre than their eastern counterparts. River traffic, rail junctions, and the ability to isolate territories shaped the campaign's logic. Successful advances would eventually reduce Jefferson Davis's practical authority to Virginia and whatever adjoining territory remained connected to Richmond.