A&M 1567Civil War Letter regarding Shenandoah Valley Diversionary Campaign A&M 1567Staff of the West Virginia & Regional History CenterWest Virginia and Regional History Center

1549 University Ave. P.O. Box 6069 Morgantown, WV 26506-6069Business Number: 304-293-3536wvrhcref@westvirginia.libanswers.comURL:

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-08-30 07:58:22 -0400.Description is written in: English, Latin script.Describing Archives: A Content Standard West Virginia and Regional History Center Civil War Letter regarding Shenandoah Valley Diversionary Campaign A&M 1567 Archival Resource Key Previous Archival Resource Key Previous Archival Resource Key Previous Archival Resource Key /repositories/2/resources/4943 0 Linear Feet Summary: 12 pages 1863 An ALS from a Union officer "George" to his wife "Fannie" describing, in the form of a diary, a diversionary campaign into the Shenandoah Valley, 10, December - 25, December 1863. The purpose of their maneuver, which he calls "the Valley Expedition," was "to divert attention from Gen. Averill while he was making a raid up through Staunton, Virginia." The expeditionary force of about 1,600 was large enough not to fall prey to guerrillas but too small to actively engage the regular Confederate army locally under the command of Gen. Jubal Early. They successfully preoccupied and eluded the forces of Gen. Early and his diary gives details of how this was accomplished, the social conditions and attitudes of the Valley's inhabitants and the common hardships of military camps. He had not written sooner because the expedition had been under strict orders to cut off communication lines to its headquarters and home base at Harpers Ferry. Also they were not expected to return from what was considered a suicide mission. West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/ English . Conditions Governing Access

No special access restriction applies.

Preferred Citation

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Civil War letter Regarding Shenandoah Valley Diversionary Campaign, A&M 1567, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Shenandoah River Valley (Va. and W. Va.) Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) Civil War - raids and raiders. United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 Civil War - Valley Expedition. Civil War -- Confederate Army Court records - Harrison County. Civil War -- Camps and camp life Early, Jubal Anderson, 1816-1894