Throughout 2023, the “Publication of Note” portion of the newsletter will contain some of the director’s favorite collections of essays relevant to the Civil War era in the Shenandoah Valley.
More than three decades ago Gary Gallagher, arguably one of the most important scholars in the field of Civil War history during the past 30 years, edited a collection of five essays penned by some of the most preeminent scholars in the field. Each of these essays explores an aspect of operations in the Shenandoah Valley during the autumn of 1864.
Following an essay by Gallagher which situates what occurred in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864 against the conflict’s broader context, essays by Jeffry Wert and A. Wilson Greene explore aspects of leadership. Wert explores Confederate general Jubal Early’s leadership while Greene analyzes Union generalship. Robert K. Krick, among the foremost scholars of the Army of Northern Virginia, delves into the much-maligned cavalry of Early’s Army of the Valley. Historian Dennis Frye’s essay rounds out the volume with an examination of John Singleton Mosby’s impact on operations in the Valley.
This slim volume offers much for seasoned students and those seeking an introduction to aspects of operations in the Shenandoah Valley during the autumn of 1864.
