Synopses & Reviews
One of the most intriguing and storied episodes of the Civil War, the 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign has heretofore been related only from the Confederate point of view. Moving seamlessly between tactical details and analysis of strategic significance, Peter Cozzens presents a balanced, comprehensive account of a campaign that has long been romanticized but little understood. He offers new interpretations of the campaign and the reasons for Stonewall Jackson's success, demonstrates instances in which the mythology that has come to shroud the campaign has masked errors on Jackson's part, and provides the first detailed appraisal of Union leadership in the Valley Campaign, with some surprising conclusions.
Review
"As campaign literature, this book stands out as a superlative narrative. The sentence structure is succinct, the prose is scintillating, the characters and their environment are vividly portrayed and developed, and the chronology of the campaign is well-placed in chapters bookended by distinct and memorable introductions and conclusions. . . . Stand[s] out as the definitive work on the campaign."--Virginia Magazine of History and Biography
Review
"Well-written, informative, and entertaining. . . . An important new work giving the Northern perspective while at the same time taking a critical look at Jackson. . . . Highly recommended."--TOCWOC A Civil War Blog
Review
"Thought provoking. . . . [Cozzens] sets out to correct the record in the first balanced treatment of an iconic campaign in an iconic war. . . . Civil War buffs will gobble up this hefty volume and historians will dive in to agree or disagree with Cozzen's cogent analysis. . . . It doesn't get much better than Peter Cozzens with his trademark combination of solid research swept along by 'you were there' immediacy."--Tennessee Advocate
Review
"[A] well-researched study. . . . The most detailed account we are likely to see on the Valley Campaign."--Roanoke Times
Review
"Cozzens uncovered a gratifying body of new primary source material and provides a fresh chronological narrative of a major Civil War campaign."--Robert K. Krick, author of Stonewall Jackson at Cedar Mountain
Review
"The definitive history of the Valley Campaign."
-Army Magazine
About the Author
Peter Cozzens is an independent scholar and Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Department of State. He is author or editor of nine highly acclaimed Civil War books, including The Darkest Days of the War: The Battles of Iuka and Corinth.
Table of Contents
ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. This War Is a Farce
2. Daughter of the Stars
3. They Ain't Rigged Out Like Uncle Sam's Men
4. The Dam[n] Trip
5. Our True Policy Is to Attack
6. Is Not War a Game of Risks?
7. Be Careful Not to Be Caught
8. Dangers Close Us Round on Every Side
9. We Are Very Hard Pressed Now
10. Keep That Army in the Valley
11. We Are in for It
12. It Seems Very Much Like Murder
13. General Jackson Was Completely Taken In
14. Vacillation Is Our Name
15. Now We'll Have War in Earnest
16. A Country to Fight For
17. God Blessed Our Arms with Victory
18. On Your Course May Depend the Fate of Richmond
19. Go It, Boys! Maryland Whip Maryland!
20. We Must Cut Our Way Through!
21. This Is a Crushing Blow
22. Attack at Daylight
23. A Question of Legs
24. I Was Never So Relieved in My Life
25. Save the Bridge at Port Republic
26. The Preservation of Our Army Depended on Us
27. I Have Lost Confidence in Frémont
28. All Has Gone Wrong Today
29. The Game Cock of the Valley
Appendix: The Opposing Forces in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign
Notes
Bibliography
Index