Publication of Note | June 2021

*Throughout 2021 the “Publication of Note” portion of the newsletter will highlight some of our director’s favorite histories and reminiscences published in the immediate decades following the Civil War.

Thirty-seven years after the Civil War’s end, the Lincoln Cavalry Association published First Lieutenant William Beach’s history of the regiment. Beach, who enlisted in the regiment in July 1861, served with the unit throughout the conflict’s entirety. While the Lincoln Cavalry fought in numerous actions throughout the conflict, it spent considerable time in the Shenandoah Valley — from the end of November 1862 until March 1865.

While Beach’s mammoth regimental history offers superb insight into the various actions in which the Lincoln Cavalry participated, including the Second Battle of Winchester and fighting in the Shenandoah in the summer and autumn of 1864, Beach’s history offers more than a glimpse into battlefield experiences of one unit during some of the most intense fighting in the Valley. 

Individuals interested in the interactions between United States soldiers and the Valley’s civilians will find Beach’s history quite revealing. For instance, one of the most dreadful tasks assigned to the Lincoln Cavalry was the directive to carry out General David Hunter’s order to burn the entire community of Newtown (present-day Stephens City) in the spring of 1864. Beach powerfully describes the emotions of the contingent of 200 troopers under command of Major Joseph Stearns as the cavalrymen rode into town, the expressions of “mute helplessness” on the faces of the community’s inhabitants, and the sense of “relief” when Stearns refused to carry out Hunter’s directive.

Although no longer in print, copies of Beach’s history can be found on the secondary market or perused online for free through Google Books. However one chooses to access Beach’s history, his perspective is revealing about the complexities of the war in the Shenandoah Valley.