Campaign Year Description:
Spring 1862
At the eastern end of Virginia, about 150 miles from the Shenandoah Valley, a Federal army of some 100,000 men under Gen. George McClellan advanced northwest on the peninsula between the James and York Rivers from Ft. Monroe toward Richmond, hoping to take the Confederate capital and end the war. Understanding this and having received orders for a “diversionary” operation from the Confederate leadership in Richmond, Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson saw that a bold and swift campaign in his beloved Shenandoah Valley might offset the many disadvantages that the Confederacy faced that spring.
So in a feat of swift marching, deception, counter-marching and sheer boldness, Jackson conducted one of the most audacious and brilliant diversionary campaigns in military history. With only 18,000 men, he tied up elements of three distinct Union armies—over 60,000 men—and was able to prevent these separate Federal commands from combining against his smaller Confederate army.
Despite an initial tactical setback in March at Kernstown near Winchester, Jackson quickly recovered, then moved south, paused at Conrads Store (present-day Elkton) east of Harrisonburg and developed the vision for what would come to be known as his 1862 Valley Campaign. To deceive Federal forces, Jackson’s army marched out of the Valley toward Charlottesville and returned by train to Staunton, planning to close the Valley’s western “back door”. In early May at McDowell, he turned back Union troops from Gen. John C. Fremont’s army. Learning that another Union army was approaching the Valley from the north, he then quickly moved in that direction and, with reinforcements, defeated Federal forces under Gen. Nathaniel Banks at Front Royal (May 23) and Winchester (May 25).
A portion of Jackson’s army pursued Banks north as far as Harper’s Ferry. When forces from three Federal armies tried to cut him off at Strasburg, he quickly moved south again, eluding the trap. Pursued by two Union commands—one in the main Valley and one in the Luray Valley—Jackson turned upon his foes east of Harrisonburg and defeated them separately at Cross Keys (June 8) and Port Republic (June 9), preventing them from uniting against him. Jackson had thus accomplished his mission—he had distracted Union leadership and diverted Union forces away from McClellan at Richmond. He was now free to join Lee’s effort to defend the Confederate capital.
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