Author: Eric J. Wittenberg Publisher: Savas Beatie ISBN: 1611212898 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 529
Book Description
A comprehensive, deeply researched history of the pivotal 1863 American Civil War battle fought in northern Virginia. June 1863. The Gettysburg Campaign is underway. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia pushes west into the Shenandoah Valley and then north toward the Potomac River. Only one significant force stands in its way: Maj. Gen. Robert H. Milroy’s Union division of the Eighth Army Corps in the vicinity of Winchester and Berryville, Virginia. What happens next is the subject of this provocative new book. Milroy, a veteran Indiana politician-turned-soldier, was convinced the approaching enemy consisted of nothing more than cavalry or was merely a feint, and so defied repeated instructions to withdraw. In fact, the enemy consisted of General Lee’s veteran Second Corps under Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell. Milroy’s controversial decision committed his outnumbered and largely inexperienced men against some of Lee’s finest veterans. The complex and fascinating maneuvering and fighting on June 13-15 cost Milroy hundreds of killed and wounded and about 4,000 captured (roughly one-half of his command), with the remainder routed from the battlefield. The combat cleared the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley of Federal troops, demonstrated Lee could obtain supplies on the march, justified the elevation of General Ewell to replace the recently deceased Stonewall Jackson, and sent shockwaves through the Northern states. Today, the Second Battle of Winchester is largely forgotten. But in June 1863, the politically charged front-page news caught President Lincoln and the War Department by surprise and forever tarnished Milroy’s career. The beleaguered Federal soldiers who fought there spent a lifetime seeking redemption, arguing their three-day “forlorn hope” delayed the Rebels long enough to allow the Army of the Potomac to arrive and defeat Lee at Gettysburg. For the Confederates, the decisive leadership on display outside Winchester masked significant command issues buried within the upper echelons of Jackson’s former corps that would become painfully evident during the early days of July on a different battlefield in Pennsylvania. Award-winning authors Eric J. Wittenberg and Scott L. Mingus Sr. combined their researching and writing talents to produce the most in-depth and comprehensive study of Second Winchester ever written, and now in paperback. Their balanced effort, based upon scores of archival and previously unpublished diaries, newspaper accounts, and letter collections, coupled with familiarity with the terrain around Winchester and across the lower Shenandoah Valley, explores the battle from every perspective.
Author: Richard R. Duncan Publisher: LSU Press ISBN: 0807144371 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 416
Book Description
During the Civil War, the strategically located town of Winchester, Virginia, suffered from the constant turmoil of military campaigning perhaps more than any other town. Occupied dozens of times by alternating Union and Confederate forces, Winchester suffered through three major battles, including some seventy smaller skirmishes. In his voluminous community study of the town over the course of four tumultuous years, Richard R. Duncan shows that in many ways Winchester's history provides a paradigm of the changing nature of the war. Indeed, Duncan reveals how the town offers a microcosm of the war: slavery collapsed, women assumed control in the absence of men, and civilians vied for authority alongside an assortment of revolving military commanders. Control over Winchester was vital for both the North and the South. Confederates used it as a base to strike the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and conduct raids into western Maryland and Pennsylvania, and when Federal forces occupied the town, they threatened Staunton -- Lee's breadbasket -- and the Virginia Central Railroad. At various times during the war, generals "Stonewall" Jackson, Nathaniel Banks, Robert Milroy, Richard Ewell, Jubal Early, and Philip Sheridan each controlled the town. Guerrilla activity further compounded the region's strife as insecurity became the norm for its civilian population. In this first scholarly treatment of occupied Winchester, Duncan has compiled a narrative of voices from the entire community, including those of groups often omitted from such studies, such as slaves, women, and Confederate dissenters. He shows how Federal occupation meant an early end to slavery in Winchester and how the paucity of men left women to serve as the major cohesive force in the community, making them a bulwark of Confederate support. He also explores the tensions between civilians and military personnel that inevitably arose as each group sought to protect its interests. The war, Duncan explains, left Winchester a landscape of wreckage and economic loss. A fascinating case study of civilian survival amid the turmoil of war, Beleaguered Winchester will appeal to Civil War scholars and enthusiasts alike.
Author: Katherine Glass Greene Publisher: ISBN: Category : History Languages : en Pages : 476
Book Description
From its founding by Colonel James Wood to the close of the life of his son, Brigadier-Gen. & Gov. James Wood, w/publication for the 1st time of valuable manuscripts, relics of their long tenure of public offices. V.g.
Author: Jerry W. Holsworth Publisher: Arcadia Publishing ISBN: 161423051X Category : History Languages : en Pages : 150
Book Description
The Confederacy's lynchpin in the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester was the most disputed town of the Civil War. As control of Winchester shifted between North and South more than seventy-five times, civilians coped with skirmishes in the streets, wracking disease and makeshift hospitals in their homes and churches. Out of this turmoil emerged heroes such as Angel of the Battlefield Tillie Russell, doctor turned soldier John Henry S. Funk and courageous mother and nurse Cornelia McDonald. Historian Jerry W. Holsworth uses diaries and letters to reveal an intimate portrait of this war torn community, the celebrated Stonewall Brigade, its many occupations, as well as the indomitable women who inspired legend.
Author: Virginia Shultz-Charette Publisher: Arcadia Publishing ISBN: 1467144169 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 176
Book Description
Winchester and Winsted once blossomed with commerce. From cheeses that were sold to the most exclusive restaurants in major cities to tourism that proclaimed "the lake's the thing," the towns thrived. The production of clocks, clothing, knives and gold- and silver-plated coffin trimmings helped establish the region's prominence. Famous names like Rockwell, Beardsley, Boyd, Gilbert and Strong highlight the town's history, not only due to their business acumen but also because of their philanthropy. Colonel Samuel B. Horne, who earned the Medal of Honor in the Civil War, along with noteworthy journalists and artists all made their home here. And then, in 1955, disaster struck. Join local historian and author Virginia Shultz-Charette as she recounts the town's development and how the great flood changed everything.
Author: Eric J. Wittenberg
Author: Oren F. Morton
Author: Richard R. Duncan
Author: Katherine Glass Greene
Author: Katherine Glass Greene
Author: 
Author: Judy Humbert
Author: Jerry W. Holsworth
Author: Virginia Shultz-Charette
Author: Winchester-Frederick County Chamber of Commerce