As you study the Civil War don't get fixated on the east. Sure that's where the best known battles were and where Lee was and where the outcome wasn't clear until the end. But if you look to the west, you'll see a theater where the confederates almost never won a battle. Where they lost territory litereally from day one, and where the rebellion was basically decided. I've got a book from Kendall Gott titled "Where The South Lost The War" and his premise is that the deciding battle was Fort Henry/Fort Donelson in February 1862. Taking the forts opened the Tennessee River. The Tennessee gave the Union transportation into the heart of the state and points south, and aided in taking Nashville and Memphis. This led to the fall of the entire river, cutting the confederacy in half. And on, and on. Regardless of whether you accept his premise or not, it is clear that the South began losing in the west from the very beginning and that doomed the confederacy to defeat from the start.
I just found the hardcover edition on Amazon, but I'm going to see if I can find it in paperback, primarily because I'm getting cheaper as I get older. :) Do you think there's too much focus on Vicksburg and the campaign there on the Western front?