Jackson's Valley Campaign information

In early 1862 Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, commander of Confederate forces in the Valley, received his mandate from Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, commander of Richmond's defenses: prevent Union forces from moving east to join Gen. George B. McClellan's push on Richmond via the Virginia Peninsula. In one of military history's most brilliant campaigns, Jackson–with 18,000 men by mid–campaign–kept three Union armies–almost 60,000 troops–at bay, helping to save the Confederacy's capital from capture early in the war.

The ability to follow an entire Civil War military campaign is one of the many unique appeals of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District. In particular, following Stonewall Jackson's famous Valley Campaign is a favorite activity of Civil War historians and enthusiasts.

There are several publications that can help you explore this campaign, including a booklet published by the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, battlefield driving tours, and a guide to help you find the sites in the Valley that tell this story today.

Booklet: If this Valley is lost, Virginia is lost! – Jackson's Valley Campaign

Edited by Lord Fairfax Community College professor Jonathan Noyalas and Shenandoah Valley historian Nancy Sorrells, this booklet is a compilation of essays by Bud Robertson, Robert Krick, Gary Ecelbarger, and other noted historians. It is designed to give travelers and casual students of the Civil War an overview of this momentous and much-studied campaign. The booklet was made possible through a grant from BB&T Bank Blue Ridge Region and the historians who donated their time and expertise to this project.

The booklet is available for sale at visitor centers and retailers throughout the Shenandoah Valley, including:

Winchester-Frederick County Visitor Center (Winchester)
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (Winchester)
Old Court House Civil War Museum (Winchester)
Stonewall Jackson Museum at Hupp's Hill (Strasburg)
Front Royal Visitor Center (Front Royal)
Luray Caverns Gift Shop (Luray)
Smith Center Gift Shop (Staunton)
Book Stack (Staunton)
Highland Museum & Heritage Center (McDowell)

The booklet is also available for purchase online through the following online store(s):

CivilWarTraveler.com

Downloadable Visitor Guide:

There are numerous places in the Valley today that tell the story of this famous campaign. This guide is intended to help visitors find these sites. You will need the Adobe Reader to open and print this document.

Download: Jackson Valley Campaign – Experiencing the Story Today

Battlefield Driving Tours:

Several driving tours are available to help visitors explore some of the battlefields associated with Jackson's campaign. Both will take a couple hours to complete and possibly more if you choose to stop in and visit some of the museums or other sites included in the tours. Both are available at local visitor centers. To download and print the tours yourself, you will need the Adobe Reader.

First Kernstown and First Winchester:

This tour takes you through these battlefields in the Winchester and Frederick County area. A printed version of this tour is available at most Civil War sites in Winchester and Frederick County, including the regional visitor center on Pleasant Valley Road.

Click here to download and print the file – please be advised that the file is large (2mb) and may take some time to download.

Cross Keys and Port Republic:

This tour takes you through the final battles of the campaign in Rockingham County east of Harrisonburg. A printed version of this tour is available at the visitor center in downtown Harrisonburg on Main Street and at the first stop of the tour on Port Republic Road, approximately seven miles east of Interstate 81 exit 245. There you will find a Virginia Civil War Trails interpretive wayside with an orientation kiosk–the driving tours can be found in a box at the kiosk.

Click here to download and print the file – please be advised that the file is large (1mb) and may take some time to download.