From the Valley to the Tidewater

A sweeping account of three critical weeks in Virginia when battlefield clashes and home-front strategy together reshaped the course of the Civil War.

In this new volume, Ethan Rafuse continues his history of the Civil War in Virginia that began with From the Mountains to the Bay: The War in Virginia, January–May 1862, offering a comprehensive account that combines military narrative with an examination of how politicians and civilians grappled with the war on the home front.

By May 1862, the Union had achieved so much progress that it was possible to believe the hopes of those who thought the war could soon be brought to a triumphant end would be fulfilled. Yet by May 21 there were indications of challenging times ahead for the Union effort, as operational and logistical factors arrested the momentum of Union offensive efforts. This created opportunities for the Confederacy, whose efforts to exploit them produced significant engagements at Front Royal, Winchester, Hanover Court House, Fair Oaks, Cross Keys, and Port Republic.

Fully understanding the war in Virginia during this period requires paying attention to matters beyond the movements of armies. It was not just events on the battlefield that would determine whether the Union could win the war in Virginia before the year was out. Defeating Confederate armies and navies and restoring territory to the control of Union authorities was only the first of a two-part formula Union policymakers had devised. The other part was rooted in a belief that support for the Confederacy was shallow and could be undermined through a conciliatory policy toward the Confederacy’s citizens.

As one phase in the war for Virginia ended, another began—one that would do much to answer the question of whether Union hopes for a military victory significant enough to heal the divided nation would be realized in 1862.