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AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
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JACKSON'S VALLEY CAMPAIGN - CAMPAIGN OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
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Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's
General Jackson's "Chancellorsville" Portrait, taken at a Spotsylvania County farm on April 26, 1863, seven days before his mortal wounding at the Battle of Chancellorsville.
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Map of Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign, Part 1 of 2
Jackson's Valley Campaign: Kernstown to McDowell.
Confederate - Red
Union - Blue
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Actions at the First Battle of Kernstown, 11 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
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Map of Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign, Part 2 of 2
Jackson's Valley Campaign: Front Royal to Port Republic.
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Brig. Gen.Richard B. Garnett
Note: The accuracy of this photo is challenged. It may actually be his cousin, Robert S. Garnett, instead.
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Brig. Gen. Charles S. Winder
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Col. Turner Ashby
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Maj. Gen. John C. Frémont
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(Brig. Gen. Robert C. Schenck
Robert C. Schenck. Library of Congress description: "Hon. Robert C. Schenck of Ohio
Between 1860 and 1875 - a Matthew Brady photograph
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Brig. Gen. James Shields
English: James Shields ( May 10, 1810 – June 1, 1879) was an American politician and U.S. Army officer who was born in Altmore, County Tyrone. Shields, a Democrat, is the only person in United States history to serve as a U.S. Senator for three different states. Shields was a senator from Illinois 1849 to 1855, from Minnesota from May 11, 1858 to March 3, 1859, and from Missouri from January 27, 1879 to March 3, 1879. Library of Congress description: "Shields, General James, (not in uniform)".
A Matthew Brady photograph
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Gen. Isaac R. Trimble
Here are two more...Stonewall in the Valley: Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Spring 1862 by Robert G. Tanner & Shenandoah 1862: Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign by Peter Cozzens
Robert G. Tanner
Peter Cozzens
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Hi Joe, I read "Stonewall in the Valley" by Robert G. Tanner some time ago. I have Peter Cozzens new book on my list of 'to-read'. Here are a few other decent titles on the Valley Campaigns:
by Robert K. Krick (read)"Krick (Stonewall Jackson at Cedar Mountain) makes another significant contribution to Civil War operational history with this definitive account of the battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic. Fought June 8-9, 1862, they determined the ultimate success of Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign, freeing him to move to Robert E. Lee's aid in thwarting George McClellan's advance on Richmond. These battles also solidified Jackson's reputation as a military genius, though their outcomes also reflected the incompetence of Union generals James Shields and John C. Fremont. Krick's exhaustive use of Union and Confederate primary sources, many unpublished, demonstrates as well the tactical difficulties faced by armies whose citizen-soldiers and officers were still in large part substituting courage for skill. The author's detailed attention to the human dimension of Civil War battle, including the horrors of being wounded, is facilitated by the small scale of the fighting and makes this work particularly valuable for all collections." - Publishers Weekly
by Robert Krick (not read)"Of all of Stonewall Jackson's battles, Cedar Mountain remains his least understood. Long neglected, it reveals much about the colorful and eccentric Jackson, a man who could be cold, cruel, distant, and secretive and then generous, friendly, and brilliant. Fifty percent of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was in the hands of this general whose job it was to halt the advance into Virginia of a newly created federal army under General John Pope. Relying upon both published and unpublished primary sources, Krick provides a virtual minute-by-minute account of the battle and of the Confederate commander. It was at this battle that Jackson exercised independent command for the last time, and Krick unravels the many conflicting accounts - on both sides - of the importance of the battle and of Jackson's management of the fighting." - Library Journal
by Jeffry D. Wert (not read)Publisher:
"This title takes a close look at a turning point in the Civil War. In the Shenandoah Valley campaign of 1864, U.S. Major General Philip H. Sheridan led his army to a series of decisive victories for the Union over Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early and the Confederate Army of the Valley. In "From Winchester to Cedar Creek", author Jeffry D. Wert highlights Sheridan's victories in the critical area of the Virginia Valley as defining moments of the Civil War. Sheridan's campaign ensured Confederate defeat in Virginia and ultimately contributed to Lincoln's reelection and the Union's victory in the Civil War. Drawing on manuscript collections and many published sources, Wert offers vivid descriptions of the battles of Third Winchester, Fisher's Hill, Tom's Brook, and Cedar Creek. The book also explores how the interplay of the strengths and weaknesses of the Union and Confederate commanders, Sheridan and Early, resulted in victories for Sheridan's Army of the Shenandoah. Grounded in detailed research, Wert's compelling narrative portrays the military strategies these commanders employed and how their tactical decisions impacted civilian sacrifice in the Valley. First published in 1987, Wert's chronicle remains the definitive book on Sheridan's command and the Shenandoah Campaign of 1864. Offering a balanced treatment of both Union and Confederate experiences during the campaign, Wert emphasizes its importance as a turning point in the war from both military and civilian points of view. Supplemented with situation maps and photographs, "From Winchester to Cedar Creek" not only documents and dynamically recounts the events that unfolded between the summer and fall of 1864 in the Virginia Valley, but it also details the political, strategic, and tactical forces that made the Shenandoah Valley campaign so important to the outcome of the Civil War."
by Scott C. Patchan (not read)"Scott C. Patchan has solidified his position as the leading authority of the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign with his outstanding campaign study, Shenandoah Summer. Mr. Patchan not only unearths this vital portion of the campaign, he has brought it back to life with a crisp and suspenseful narrative. His impeccable scholarship, confident analyses, spellbinding battle scenes, and wonderful character portraits will captivate even the most demanding readers. Shenandoah Summer is a must read for the Civil War aficionado as well as for students and scholars of American military history." - Gary Ecelbarger
Here is another new book covering the Shenandoah Campaign: "Valley Thunder: The Battle of New Market and the Opening of the Shenandoah Campaign, May 1864" by Charles Knight.VALLEY THUNDER: The Battle of New Market (link to picture not working) by Charles Knight
Reviews:
"Charles Knight has provided an insightful and well-researched addition to the catalogue of works on the Battle of New Market. The Battlefield Park staff applaud this effort by one of our former co-workers!" - Scott H. Harris, Director, New Market Battlefield State Historical Park
"Mr. Knight has mined fresh material in an attempt to raise the fog of the battlefield. His use of firsthand accounts provide a fresh look at troop positions and movements. Valley Thunder is the first major study in forty years of one of the most important secondary actions of the war. It is an important addition to the library of the war in the Shenandoah Valley." - Col. Keith E. Gibson, Director, VMI Museum Operations
"Valley Thunder surely takes its place now among the dozen finest and most complete accounts of any Civil War action, and it would be hard to name any account of a secondary fight of this size that has been better treated. Knight s study is a contribution not just to Virginia or Confederate literature, but a book that will serve the entire Civil War community for generations to come, and probably much longer than my thirty-six years. The only way we will get a better account is if Breckinridge and the others come to life and give it to us from their own lips." -William C. Davis, (former editor of Civil War Times, Illustrated, author of The Battle of New Market (1975), and the award-winning author of Jefferson Davis: The Man and His Hour)
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Hi Bentley, looks like Goodreads have added the cover for the book above, "Valley Thunder".
by Charles Knight
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Three Days in the Shenandoah
by Gary Ecelbarger (no photo)Synopsis
The battles of Front Royal and Winchester are the stuff of Civil War legend. Stonewall Jackson swept away an isolated Union division under the command of Nathaniel Banks and made his presence in the northern Shenandoah Valley so frightful a prospect that it triggered an overreaction from President Lincoln, yielding huge benefits for the Confederacy. Gary Ecelbarger has undertaken a comprehensive reassessment of those battles to show their influence on both war strategy and the continuation of the conflict. Three Days in the Shenandoah answers questions that have perplexed historians for generations.
Bypassing long-overused sources that have shrouded the Valley Campaign in myth, Ecelbarger draws instead on newly uncovered primary sources—including soldiers’ accounts and officers’ reports—to refute much of the anecdotal lore that for too long was regarded as fact. He narrates those suspenseful days of combat from the perspective of battlefield participants and high commanders to weave a compelling story of strategy and tactics. And he offers new conclusions regarding Lincoln’s military meddling as commander in chief, grants Jefferson Davis more credit for the campaign than previous accounts have given him, and commends Union soldiers for their fighting.
Written with the flair of a seasoned military historian and enlivened with maps and illustrations, Three Days in the Shenandoah reinterprets this important episode. Ecelbarger sets a new standard for envisioning the Shenandoah Campaign that will both fascinate Civil War buffs and engage historians.
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by David G. Martin (no photo)Synopsis:
In a few short months in the Shenandoah Valley, Stonewall Jackson rewrote military history. Accompanied by George Patton's great-uncle and a staff of able subordinates, the Bible-quoting general used his own unique view of past military doctrine to defeat a series of converging enemy armies. American military strategy has never been the same since. Jackson's aggressive personality enabled him to constantly maintain the initiative. While cloaking his own operations in tight security, he was often able to discern the aims of his opponent. Frequently outnumbered, he managed to keep enemy units separated, and to defeat them in detail. Jackson was able to co-ordinate infantry, cavalry, and artillery operations, and was particularly successful in turning the normally slow-moving infantry into an effective mobile strike force.
Jackson's Valley Campaign is supplemented by sidebars on famous units, weapons, incidents, and in-depth personality profiles of Jackson and his opponents. Complete orders of battle and special maps that clearly illustrate Jackson's operational doctrine are enhanced by unique charts that show the distances and rates of march of Jackson's "foot cavalry" between all major points in the Shenandoah Valley.In the long-awaited revision of his out-of-print classic, the author describes Jackson's war of maneuver and the tactical ideas it represented, without losing sight of the individuals and units on both sides who tested military theory with their lives. John C. Frémont, "Napoleon" Banks, Turner Ashby, Belle Boyd, the Louisiana Tigers, Blenker's German Division, and the Stonewall Brigade all live again in this colorful but thoughtfully written account.
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The defining battle in the career of one of the icons of the CSA.Stonewall Jackson's 1862 Valley Campaign: War Come to the Homefront
by Jonathan A. Noyalas (no photo)Synopsis:
Virginia's Shenandoah Valley was known as the "Breadbasket of the Confederacy" due to its ample harvests and transportation centers, its role as an avenue of invasion into the North and its capacity to serve as a diversionary theater of war. The region became a magnet for both Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War, and nearly half of the thirteen major battles fought in the valley occurred as part of General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's 1862 Valley Campaign.
Civil War historian Jonathan A. Noyalas examines Jackson's Valley Campaign and how those victories brought hope to an infant Confederate nation, transformed the lives of the Shenandoah Valley's civilians and emerged as Stonewall Jackson's defining moment.
The statue of General Stonewall Jackson in the courthouse square of Clarksburg, WV., his birthplace. Incidentally it is also my birthplace and we are proud of our native son.
One of my heroes, Stonewall Jackson.They Called Him Stonewall
by Burke Davis (no photo)Synopsis:
Dramatic account of the life and times of "Stonewall" Jackson, brilliant military strategist of the Confederacy. Engaging style and thorough research make this indispensable for the casual reader as well as the serious student of the Civil War. Photos and maps.
There wasn't much of a GR blurb on this book and I would like to see the comparison between Jackson and Lee. I will have to look for this book.Lost Victories: The Military Genius of Stonewall Jackson
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Bevin AlexanderSynopsis:
In this fresh and authoritative account of the first two years of the Civil War, Jackson emerges a more gifted and resourceful commander than Lee.
So... among the dozen or so titles listed here, which Valley book would be "the best" ?
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Jerome, Assisting Moderator - Upcoming Books and Releases
(last edited Mar 10, 2016 09:12AM)
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by Gary L. Ecelbarger (no photo)
Jerome wrote: "I haven't read any on the 1862 campaign, Dimitri, but you may want to try Ecelbarger (the other books in the "Campaigns and Commanders" series tend to be pretty good):I would agree with your pick, Jerome but might also add the following book.
by Robert K. Krick (no photo)
Jill wrote: "Jerome wrote: "I haven't read any on the 1862 campaign, Dimitri, but you may want to try Ecelbarger (the other books in the "Campaigns and Commanders" series tend to be pretty good):I would agree..."
thank you both. I'll see if Jill's suggestion's still obtainable, if not just the campaigns and commanders volume. Maybe I'll get hooked on the series....
Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign: An Excerpt from Life and Campaigns of Stonewall Jackson
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Robert Lewis DabneySynopsis:
Robert Lewis Dabney (March 5, 1820 – January 3, 1898) was an American Christian theologian, a Southern Presbyterian pastor, and Confederate Army chaplain best known for being chief of staff to General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson during his famous Valley Campaign and the Seven Days Battles. He also wrote Life and Campaigns of Stonewall Jackson, an invaluable biography of the general that was published in 1866, just a year after the Civil War had ended.
Stonewall Jackson needs no formal introduction, being one of the most famous generals of the Civil War, revered throughout the South for his extremely successful military skill. At the same time, Jackson’s pious Christianity and seeming eccentricities have continued to fascinate historians, scholars and readers, who often still argue why he would hold his left arm up with his palm facing outward while in battle.
Jackson earned his famous “stonewall” moniker at the Battle of First Bull Run, when Brigadier-General Bee told his brigade to rally behind Jackson, who was standing like a stone wall. General Bee was mortally wounded shortly after giving the order, so it’s still unclear whether that was a compliment for standing strong or an insult for not moving his brigade, but the nickname stuck for the brigade and the general itself.
Jackson would go on to lead an army to one of the most incredible campaigns of the war in the Shenandoah Valley in 1862. Known as the Valley Campaign, Jackson kept 3 Union armies occupied north of Richmond with less than 1/3 of the men. Jackson’s forces marched about 650 miles in just 3 months, earning the nickname “foot cavalry.”
Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign is an account of Jackson’s amazing campaign from Dabney’s biography of Jackson. The biography is invaluable not just as a contemporary source but as a study of Lost Cause ideology, coming even before the phrase itself took hold. Dabney’s hatred of the Yankees is evident throughout the book, as is his adulation of Jackson, who comes off as nearly perfect in this book. Slavery is depicted as a benign institution, and the Yankees are treated as inferior in every respect to Southerners. The frequent Lost Cause argument that the South lost only because of inferior manpower and resources can be found in this book, much of which was written before the Confederacy had been defeated. At the same time, Dabney wrote the book to demonstrate the importance of Christianity and its influence on Jackson’s generalship, helping create the image of Confederates as dignified, Christian fighters. The biography will be of interest to anyone interested in Southern attitudes toward the North and the war in the 1860s.
This edition is specially formatted with a Table of Contents, original commentary, images of Jackson, and maps of the battles.
Decoying the Yanks: Jackson's Valley Campaign
by Champ Clark (no photo)Synopsis:
After an initial chapter which briefly describes Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's life, the book covers the 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign, starting with Jackson taking command of the Valley District in November 1861.
The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson
by Chris Mackowski (no photo)Synopsis:
May 1863. The Civil War was in its third spring, and Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas Jonathan Jackson stood at the peak of his fame. He had arisen from obscurity to become Old Stonewall, adored across the South and feared and respected throughout the North. On the night of May 2, however, just hours after Jackson executed the most audacious maneuver of his career and delivered a crushing blow against an unsuspecting Union army at Chancellorsville, disaster struck.The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson recounts the events of that fateful night considered one of the most pivotal moments of the war and the tense vigil that ensued as Jackson struggled with a foe even he could not defeat. From Guinea Station, where Jackson crosses the river to rest under the shade of the trees, the story follows Jackson s funeral and burial, the strange story of his amputated arm, and the creation and restoration of the building where he died (now known as the Stonewall Jackson Shrine). This newly revised and expanded second edition features more than 50 pages of fresh material, including almost 200 illustrations, maps, and eye-catching photos.New appendices allow readers to walk in Jackson s prewar footsteps through his adopted hometown of Lexington, Virginia; consider the ways Jackson s memory has been preserved through monuments, memorials, and myths; and explore the misconceptions behind the Civil War s great What-If: What if Stonewall had survived his wounds? With the engaging prose of master storytellers, Chris Mackowski and Kristopher White make The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson a must-read for Civil War novices and buffs alike.
A study of the tactics and leadership of General Stonewall Jackson during the Valley Campaign.Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862
by
Gary W. GallagherSynopsis:
This volume explores the Shenandoah Valley campaign, best known for its role in establishing Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's reputation as the Confederacy's greatest military idol. The authors address questions of military leadership, strategy and tactics, the campaign's political and social impact, and the ways in which participants' memories of events differed from what is revealed in the historical sources. In the process, they offer valuable insights into one of the Confederacy's most famous generals, those who fought with him and against him, the campaign's larger importance in the context of the war, and the complex relationship between history and memory.
A very well done biography of General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, one of the greatest of American military figures.Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson
by S.C. Gwynne (no photo)Synopsis:
From the author of the prizewinning New York Times bestseller Empire of the Summer Moon comes a thrilling account of how Civil War general Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson became a great and tragic American hero.
Stonewall Jackson has long been a figure of legend and romance. As much as any person in the Confederate pantheon, even Robert E. Lee, he embodies the romantic Southern notion of the virtuous lost cause. Jackson is also considered, without argument, one of our country’s greatest military figures. His brilliance at the art of war tied Abraham Lincoln and the Union high command in knots and threatened the ultimate success of the Union armies. Jackson’s strategic innovations shattered the conventional wisdom of how war was waged; he was so far ahead of his time that his techniques would be studied generations into the future.
In April 1862 Jackson was merely another Confederate general in an army fighting what seemed to be a losing cause. By June he had engineered perhaps the greatest military campaign in American history and was one of the most famous men in the Western world. He had, moreover, given the Confederate cause what it had recently lacked—hope—and struck fear into the hearts of the Union.
Rebel Yell is written with the swiftly vivid narrative that is Gwynne’s hallmark and is rich with battle lore, biographical detail, and intense conflict between historical figures. Gwynne delves deep into Jackson’s private life, including the loss of his young beloved first wife and his regimented personal habits. It traces Jackson’s brilliant twenty-four-month career in the Civil War, the period that encompasses his rise from obscurity to fame and legend; his stunning effect on the course of the war itself; and his tragic death, which caused both North and South to grieve the loss of a remarkable American hero.
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by Jedediah Hotchkiss (no photo)Synopsis:
Records the daily observations over a three-year period of Jedediah Hotchkiss during his career as courier, soldier, mapmaker, and companion to the Confederate general.
The History Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend (other topics)Stonewall in the Valley: Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Spring 1862 (other topics)
Lost Victories: The Military Genius of Stonewall Jackson (other topics)
They Called Him Stonewall (other topics)
From Winchester to Cedar Creek (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Peter Cozzens (other topics)James I. Robertson Jr. (other topics)
Bevin Alexander (other topics)
Robert G. Tanner (other topics)
Charles Knight (other topics)
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"Jackson's Valley Campaign was Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall"
Jackson's famous spring 1862 campaign through the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia during the American Civil War.
Employing audacity and rapid, unpredictable movements on interior lines, Jackson's 17,000 men marched 646 miles (1,040 km) in 48 days and won several minor battles as they successfully engaged three Union armies (52,000 men), preventing them from reinforcing the Union offensive against Richmond.
Jackson suffered a defeat (his sole defeat of the war) at the First Battle of Kernstown (March 23, 1862) against Col. Nathan Kimball (part of Union Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks's army), but it proved to be a strategic Confederate victory because President Abraham Lincoln reinforced his Valley forces with troops that had originally been designated for the Peninsula Campaign against Richmond.
On May 8, after more than a month of skirmishing with Banks, Jackson moved deceptively to the west of the Valley and defeated elements of Maj. Gen. John C. Frémont's army in the Battle of McDowell, preventing a potential combination of the two Union armies against him.
Jackson then headed down the Valley once again to confront Banks. Concealing his movement in the Luray Valley, Jackson joined forces with Maj. Gen. Richard S. Ewell and captured the Federal garrison at Front Royal on May 23, causing Banks to retreat to the north.
On May 25, in the First Battle of Winchester, Jackson defeated Banks and pursued him until the Union Army crossed the Potomac River into Maryland.
Bringing in Union reinforcements from eastern Virginia, Brig. Gen. James Shields recaptured Front Royal and planned to link up with Frémont in Strasburg.
Jackson was now threatened by three small Union armies. Withdrawing up the Valley from Winchester, Jackson was pursued by Frémont and Shields. On June 8, Ewell defeated Frémont in the minor Battle of Cross Keys and on the following day, crossed the North River to join forces with Jackson to defeat Shields
in the Battle of Port Republic. Jackson immediately followed up his successful campaign by forced marches to join Gen. Robert E. Lee for the Seven Days Battles outside Richmond.
His audacious campaign elevated him to the position of the most famous general in the Confederacy (until this reputation was later supplanted by Lee) and has been studied ever since by military organizations around the world.
Source: Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_C...