Gerald --

An account by a former Confederate that I read recently reminded me that, as he put it, the Official Records were compiled by "our enemies". It hadn't occured to me to consider matters in that light, but I think he's right!

Imagine how different our "official records" of WWII might read if the Japanese had won the war.

In the case under consideration, it seems to me that military conflicts won by the Federals are sometimes treated as more significant, while those won by the Confederates are downgraded to become mere "skirmishes". I have recently compiled text for each of 150 military actions in the State of Alabama and have some examples of selective downgrades/upgrades if you're interested.