Program Segments

• 
  6:59 PM EDT

  Confederate General Richard Taylor's Memoir

  Professor Stephen Cushman talked about Confederate General Richard Taylor’s 1879 memoir, Destruction and Reconstruction: Personal Experiences of the Late War. Professor Cushman focused on a particular section of the book about the Shenandoah Valley and discussed Taylor’s writing choices as well as his thoughts on Union General Philip Sheridan’s “scorched earth” tactics during his 1864 campaign in the valley. Gary Gallagher provided introductory remarks. This talk was part of a conference hosted by the University of Virginia’s Nau Center for …

• 
  6:59 PM EDT

  1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaigns

  Edward Ayers talked about the 1864 Shenandoah Valley campaigns during the Civil War. He spoke about the strategic importance of the valley to both the Union and the Confederacy and discussed the battles and raids that took place in the valley during that year. He also described the interactions in the valley between Union troops, Confederate women, and freed slaves.

• 
  6:00 PM EDT

  Confederate General Jubal Early's Reputation

  Professor Kathryn Shively Meier talked about Jubal Early’s experiences as a Confederate general, focusing on his loss to Union General Philip Sheridan during the 1864 Shenandoah Campaign. She also analyzed Early’s memoirs and explored how he attempted to rehabilitate his reputation after the Civil War. This talk was part of a conference hosted by the University of Virginia’s Center for Civil War History.

• 
  5:59 PM EDT

  Disbanding the Remnants of Lee's Army

  Professor Caroline Janney talked about the process of disbanding the remnants of the Army of Northern Virginia following Robert E. Lee’s April 1865 surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox. Professor Janney focused on the Confederates who avoided or escaped Appomattox and retreated into the Shenandoah Valley, and she spoke about General Grant’s concerns that some Confederates would band together and fight a guerrilla war. This talk was part of a conference hosted by the University of Virginia’s Center for Civil War History.

• 
  7:09 PM EDT

  Religion and the Shenandoah Valley

  Professor John Matsui talked about the role of religion in the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War and how religious differences between the Union occupiers and Confederate citizens of the valley often led to disagreements about politics and the abolition of slavery. This talk was part of a conference hosted by the University of Virginia’s Center for Civil War History.

• 
  6:44 PM EDT

  Shenandoah Valley and the Civil War, Part 1

  Historians responded to audience questions on the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War. Topics included the role of religion in the valley during the war, supply problems faced by Confederate troops, and memoirs written by Confederate leaders after the war. This panel was part of a conference hosted by the University of Virginia’s Center for Civil War History.

• 
  6:36 PM EDT

  Shenandoah Valley and the Civil War, Part 2

  Historians responded to audience questions on the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War. Topics included the burning of towns and destruction of property in the valley by both the Union and Confederate sides, as well as the lack of planning by Union leaders for the immediate post-war period and how to deal with former Confederate soldiers who fled to the area. This panel was part of a conference hosted by the University of Virginia’s Center for Civil War History.

• 
  7:04 PM EDT

  Union Command and Shenandoah Valley in 1864

  Joseph Glatthaar talked about the political intrigues within the Union Army’s high command in 1864 and the role those internal squabbles played in the Union’s response to Confederate General Jubal Early’s Shenandoah Valley campaigns, which included a raid on Washington, D.C. Mr. Glatthaar also discussed what the Union’s top general, Ulysses S. Grant, learned from these events.