This Omnibus ebook contains the two-volume collection of essays,
edited by Gary Gallagher, that covers the Shenandoah Valley
Campaigns of 1862 and 1864.
1862:
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.
The contributors are Jonathan M. Berkey, Keith S. Bohannon, Peter
S. Carmichael, Gary W. Gallagher, A. Cash Koeniger, R. E. L. Krick,
Robert K. Krick, and William J. Miller.
1864:
Generally regarded as the most important Civil War military
operation conducted in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the
campaign of 1864 lasted more than four months and claimed more than
25,000 casualties. Beyond the loss of agricultural bounty to the
Confederacy and the boost in Union morale a victory would bring,
events in the Valley also would affect Abraham Lincoln's chances
for reelection in the November 1864 presidential canvass.
The eleven original essays in this volume reexamine common
assumptions about the campaign, its major figures, and its
significance. Taking advantage of the most recent scholarship and a
wide range of primary sources, contributors consider strategy and
tactics, the performances of key commanders on each side, the
campaign's political repercussions, and the experiences of
civilians caught in the path of the armies.
The contributors are William W. Bergen, Keith S. Bohannon, Andre M.
Fleche, Gary W. Gallagher, Joseph T. Glatthaar, Robert E. L. Krick,
Robert K. Krick, William J. Miller, Aaron Sheehan-Dean, William G.
Thomas, and Joan Waugh. The editor is Gary W. Gallagher.
