Southern history also endorsed irregular warfare. After all, they said, the southern character favored brashness over caution, aggressive, independent action over a defensive, disciplined response to danger. Large numbers of Confederates considered it a natural way to fight a war. The guerrilla war began on the Confederate side as a spontaneous reaction to invasion. This is not to deny the generals and battles their due, but it is also true that the great campaigns often obscure as much as they reveal. It was also complex, intense, and sprawling, born in controversy, and defined by all variety of contradictions, contours, and shadings. ![]() As much as any other single factor, it determined how the war was fought and why it ended as it did. In point of fact, it is impossible to understand the Civil War without appreciating the scope and impact of the guerrilla conflict. The reality of war was quite different, and no more so than in the widespread guerrilla conflict that became an integral part of the wider contest. The best commanded, most inspired armies would then win the day. Large massed armies, it was assumed, would confront and maneuver against one another in the open field. Most Americans in 1861, certainly most political and military leaders, expected the Civil War to be fought along familiar lines.
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