The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864

Instead, the collection is meant to illustrate the critical juncture between events on the field of battle and events in the communities where the campaign took place, with special emphasis on "the ways in which military affairs, civilian experiences, and politics played off one another" (p. xv). Fleche notes that many northern Democrats criticized Abraham Lincoln's approval of Sheridan's methods and insisted that cruel treatment of white southern civilians would only intensify Confederate resolve. While Union battlefield success and the destruction of southerners' property shocked residents of the Shenandoah Valley, these developments also created Confederate resolve to continue the struggle.