
Valley Thunder
The Battle of New Market
Charles R. Knight(Author)
Savas Beatie (Publisher)
Published on 10. May 2010
Book
Hardback
264 pages
978-1-932714-80-7 (ISBN)
Description
Charles R. Knight's Valley Thunder is the first full-length account in more than three decades to examine the combat at New Market on May 15, 1864, the battle that opened the pivotal Shenandoah Valley Campaign, a strategically important and agriculturally abundant region that helped feed Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant intended to attack the Confederacy on multiple fronts so it could no longer "take advantage of interior lines." Grant tasked Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel and a motley collection of units numbering some 10,000 men to clear the Valley and threaten Lee's left flank. Opposing Sigel was John C. Breckinridge, a former vice president and now Confederate major general who assembled a scratch command to repulse the invading Federals. A Confederate victory drove Union forces from the Valley, but they would return, reinforced and under new leadership, within a month. Before being repulsed, they marched over the field at New Market and capture Staunton, burn VMI in Lexington, and very nearly capture Lynchburg. That summer would permanently sweep the Confederates from the "Bread Basket of the Confederacy."
Valley Thunder: The Battle of New Market is based upon years of primary research. Knight's balanced and objective approach includes a detailed examination of the complex prelude leading up to the day of battle. His entertaining prose introduces a new generation of readers to a wide array of soldiers, civilians, and politicians who found themselves swept up in one of the war's most gripping engagements.
About the Author
Charles R. Knight is a former Historical Interpreter at New Market Battlefield State Historical Park, and currently serves as the curator of the Douglas MacArthur Memorial.
Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant intended to attack the Confederacy on multiple fronts so it could no longer "take advantage of interior lines." Grant tasked Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel and a motley collection of units numbering some 10,000 men to clear the Valley and threaten Lee's left flank. Opposing Sigel was John C. Breckinridge, a former vice president and now Confederate major general who assembled a scratch command to repulse the invading Federals. A Confederate victory drove Union forces from the Valley, but they would return, reinforced and under new leadership, within a month. Before being repulsed, they marched over the field at New Market and capture Staunton, burn VMI in Lexington, and very nearly capture Lynchburg. That summer would permanently sweep the Confederates from the "Bread Basket of the Confederacy."
Valley Thunder: The Battle of New Market is based upon years of primary research. Knight's balanced and objective approach includes a detailed examination of the complex prelude leading up to the day of battle. His entertaining prose introduces a new generation of readers to a wide array of soldiers, civilians, and politicians who found themselves swept up in one of the war's most gripping engagements.
About the Author
Charles R. Knight is a former Historical Interpreter at New Market Battlefield State Historical Park, and currently serves as the curator of the Douglas MacArthur Memorial.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
El Dorado Hills
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
16 b/w photos, 8 maps, and woodcuts throughout
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-932714-80-7 (9781932714807)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Charles Knight
Valley Thunder
The Battle of New Market and the Opening of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign May 1864
E-Book
12/2007
1st Edition
Savas Beatie
€15.99
Available for download
Person
Charles Knight is a native of Richmond, VA, where he developed a love for history at an early age. He has worked at museums and historic sites for more than 20 years in Virginia, Arizona, and North Carolina, and currently serves as the Curator of Military History at the North Carolina Museum of History. He is a past member of the Scottsdale (AZ) Civil War Round Table and current member of the Raleigh CWRT and the Leonidas L. Polk Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. He is a die-hard Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles fan and lives with his wife and two children in Holly Springs, NC.