Jubal A. Early s disastrous battles in the Shenandoah Valley ultimately resulted in his ignominious dismissal. But Early s lesser-known summer campaign of 1864, between his raid on Washington and Phil Sheridan s renowned fall campaign, had a significant impact on the political and military landscape of the time. By focusing on military tactics and battle history in uncovering the facts and events of these little-understood battles, Scott C. Patchan offers a new perspective on Early s contributions to the Confederate war effort and to Union battle plans and politicking.Patchan details the...

In 1862, looking for an opportunity to attack Union general John Pope, Confederate general Robert E. Lee ordered Maj. Gen. James Longstreet to conduct a reconnaissance and possible assault on the Chinn Ridge front in Northern Virginia. At the time Longstreet launched his attack, only a handful of Union troops stood between Robert E. Lee and Gen. John Pope's Army of Virginia. Northern Virginia's rolling terrain and Bull Run also provided Lee with a unique opportunity seldom seen during the entire Civil War--that of -bagging- an army, an elusive feat keenly desired by political leaders of both...