The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864

Generally regarded as the most important of the Civil War campaigns conducted in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia that of 1864 lasted more than four months and claimed more than 25000 casualties. The armies of Philip H. Sheridan and Jubal A. Early contended for immense stakes. Beyond the agricultural bounty and the boost in morale a victory would bring events in the Valley also would affect Abraham Lincoln’s chances for reelection in the November 1864 presidential canvass.<br/><br/>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 examine 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 authors do not always agree with one another yet taken together their essays highlight important connections between the home front and the battlefield as well as ways in which military affairs civilian experiences and politics played off one another during the campaign.<br/><br/>Contributors:<br/>William W. Bergen Charlottesville Virginia<br/>Keith S. Bohannon State University of West Georgia<br/>Andre M. Fleche University of Virginia<br/>Gary W. Gallagher University of Virginia<br/>Joseph T. Glatthaar University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill<br/>Robert E. L. Krick Richmond Virginia<br/>Robert K. Krick Fredericksburg Virginia<br/>William J. Miller Churchville Virginia<br/>Aaron Sheehan-Dean University of North Florida<br/>William G. Thomas University of Nebraska-Lincoln<br/>Joan Waugh University of California Los Angeles