Professional Soldiers had Their Duties in the West.

The Indian activities in the west did have an effect on the Unions ability to wage war in the east. At the start of the war, most of the regular soldiers in the U.S. Army were stationed in the west. There was some discussion about bringing most of these professional soldiers back east and mixing them in with the volunteer units for the experience. This did not happen. Many of the regular soldiers remained in the west, and volunteer units that fought in the east suffered somewhat from a lack of experience that could have been gained from the experienced soldiers.

            Of course, the reason that a good number of Federal soldiers had to remain in the West was the Indian uprisings that were occurring at the same time. The American settlers had to be protected, and large numbers of Federals who could have been well used in the east, and even the near west, had to remain in the trans Mississippi west for this specific purpose.