Bloody Autumn

Bloody Autumn
Author: Daniel T. Davis
Publisher: Savas Beatie
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2014-01-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 1611211662

An “essential addition to serious students’ libraries” detailing the historic military offensive that helped sway the outcome of the American Civil War (Civil War News). In the late summer of 1864, Union General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant set one absolutely unconditional goal: to sweep Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley “clean and clear.” His man for the job: Maj. Gen. “Little Phil” Sheridan—a temperamental Irishman who’d proven himself just the kind of scrapper Grant loved. The valley had already played a major part in the war for the Confederacy as both the location of major early victories against Union attacks, and as the route used by the Army of Northern Virginia for its invasion of the North, culminating in the battle of Gettysburg. But when Sheridan returned to the Valley in 1864, the stakes heightened dramatically. For the North, the fragile momentum its war effort had gained by the capture of Atlanta would quickly evaporate. For Abraham Lincoln, defeat in the Valley could mean defeat in the upcoming election. And for the South, its very sovereignty lay on the line. Here, historians Davis and Greenwalt “weave an excellent summary of the campaign that will serve to introduce those new to the Civil War to the events of that ‘Bloody Autumn’ and will serve as a ready refresher for veteran stompers who are heading out to visit those storied fields of conflict” (Scott C. Patchan, author of The Last Battle of Winchester).

The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864

The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864
Author: Gary W. Gallagher
Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press
Total Pages: 415
Release: 2006-12-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 0807877115

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 25,000 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. 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. Contributors: William W. Bergen, Charlottesville, Virginia Keith S. Bohannon, State University of West Georgia Andre M. Fleche, University of Virginia Gary W. Gallagher, University of Virginia Joseph T. Glatthaar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Robert E. L. Krick, Richmond, Virginia Robert K. Krick, Fredericksburg, Virginia William J. Miller, Churchville, Virginia Aaron Sheehan-Dean, University of North Florida William G. Thomas, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Joan Waugh, University of California, Los Angeles

The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864

The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864
Author: Jack H. Lepa
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2003-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780786416448

A significant part of the Civil War was fought in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, especially in 1864. Books and articles have been written about the fighting that took place there, but they generally cover only a small period of time and focus on a particular battle or campaign. This work covers the entire year of 1864 so that readers can clearly see how one event led to another in the Shenandoah Valley and turned once-peaceful garden spots into gory battlefields. It tells the stories of the great leaders, ordinary men, innocent civilians, and armies large and small taking part in battles at New Market, Chambersburg, Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, but it primarily tells the stories of the soldiers, Union and Confederate, who were willing to risk their lives for their beliefs. The author has made extensive use of memoirs, letters and reports written by the soldiers of both sides who fought in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864.

Put the Vermonters Ahead

Put the Vermonters Ahead
Author: George W. Parsons
Publisher: White Mane Publishing Company
Total Pages: 236
Release: 1996
Genre: History
ISBN:

In four long years of war, the Vermont Brigade held at Savage Station, White Oak Swamp, Banks' Ford, Funkstown, and Charlestown. In the fierce fighting in Grant's 1864 overland campaign, this heroic unit suffered some of its heaviest losses and won some of its greatest victories.

The Wilderness Campaign

The Wilderness Campaign
Author: Gary W. Gallagher
Publisher: UNC Press Books
Total Pages: 302
Release: 2012-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0807835897

In the spring of 1864, in the vast Virginia scrub forest known as the Wilderness, Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee first met in battle. The Wilderness campaign of May 5-6 initiated an epic confrontation between these two Civil War commanders--one that would finally end, eleven months later, with Lee's surrender at Appomattox. The eight essays here assembled explore aspects of the background, conduct, and repercussions of the fighting in the Wilderness. Through an often-revisionist lens, contributors to this volume focus on topics such as civilian expectations for the campaign, morale in the two armies, and the generalship of Lee, Grant, Philip H. Sheridan, Richard S. Ewell, A. P. Hill, James Longstreet, and Lewis A. Grant. Taken together, these essays revise and enhance existing work on the battle, highlighting ways in which the military and nonmilitary spheres of war intersected in the Wilderness. The contributors: --Peter S. Carmichael, 'Escaping the Shadow of Gettysburg: Richard S. Ewell and Ambrose Powell Hill at the Wilderness' --Gary W. Gallagher, 'Our Hearts Are Full of Hope: The Army of Northern Virginia in the Spring of 1864' --John J. Hennessy, 'I Dread the Spring: The Army of the Potomac Prepares for the Overland Campaign' --Robert E. L. Krick, 'Like a Duck on a June Bug: James Longstreet's Flank Attack, May 6, 1864' --Robert K. Krick, ''Lee to the Rear,' the Texans Cried' --Carol Reardon, 'The Other Grant: Lewis A. Grant and the Vermont Brigade in the Battle of the Wilderness' --Gordon C. Rhea, 'Union Cavalry in the Wilderness: The Education of Philip H. Sheridan and James H. Wilson' --Brooks D. Simpson, 'Great Expectations: Ulysses S. Grant, the Northern Press, and the Opening of the Wilderness Campaign'

The Union Sixth Corps in the Shenandoah Valley, June-October 1864

The Union Sixth Corps in the Shenandoah Valley, June-October 1864
Author: Jack H. Lepa
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2016-11-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 147662674X

During the summer and fall of 1864, Virginia's Shenandoah Valley was one of the most contested regions of the South. Federal armies invaded the Valley three times--twice they were repulsed. This book describes the third campaign, the supreme achievement of the Army of the Potomac's Sixth Corps. One of the most respected units in the Federal Army, the Sixth Corps formed the nucleus of the Federal force that spent several months competing for control of the Valley with a desperate Confederate army, resulting in some of the toughest fighting of the war. Following victories at Winchester and Fisher's Hill the Sixth Corps campaign culminated with a remarkable stand that stopped the attacking enemy and turned what began as a disastrous defeat into a spectacular victory at Cedar Creek.

Shenandoah 1864

Shenandoah 1864
Author: Mark Lardas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2014-10-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472805089

A detailed, illustrated account of the Army of the Shenandoah's campaign against the Army of the Valley, which led to President Lincoln's re-election in 1864. For three years of war the Union and the Confederacy had battled over the picturesque Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Nestled between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians to the west, the valley served as the granary for the Army of Northern Virginia. It provided bread and beef to feed this shield of the Confederacy and remounts for its cavalry. This beautifully illustrated study explores one of the major campaigns of the Civil War in 1864, which saw a decisive victory for the Union forces under Sheridan and featured some of the most famous commanders of the war, including Philip Sheridan, Jubal Early, George Armstrong Custer, John B. Gordon and George Crook.